Jerkbaits aren't just for kids.

[postcard]

A question was asked as to how to work a jerkbait on another forum. Here was my brief reply.

Jerkbaits such as Rapala's Husky Jerk, Jointed-Minnows, Floating Minnows, Smithwick's Rogues, Bomber's Long-A's, Rebel's Minnows, and Bagley's Ratlin' Twitcher, can be worked different ways. (They are typically referred to as floating minnows.)

The least used retrieve is a steady one, unless trolled on a long line or off a downrigger at plus 10'. Depth worked is anywhere from surface to 3' down, though you may catch surface-feeding fish over 40' of water.

Floating jerkbaits, when allowed to come to the surface and sit, (after jerking or twitching just -subsurface), garner very aggressive strikes. Crappie typically jump clear-over the bait, and come back every time to smack it. Bass and pike don't fool around either, and hit 'minnows' from all directions.

If you wish to alter the buoyancy, use sticky-weights sold at BPS or Cabelas and be sure to position just behind the bill. The rate of rise may make a difference, especially for balsa.

Suspending jerkbaits,( i.e.Husky), have neutral buoyancy built-in, and 'hang' at the depth you work the bait to.

Countdown jerkbaits sink at 1 foot per second and do very well when the school has dropped down in the water column, yet is still feeding on 'falling' objects.

The nice thing about jerkbaits is their multi-season success and the fact that they excel in moving water. Smallies kick the crap out of them, especially in early morning or when a fog hasn't lifted.

Bait size may be important! I start small (2") and work my way up to a maximum of 4". This indicates prey size being fed on per fish aggressiveness. Sometimes size doesn't matter , but at least you can do something about it when it does !

The variables of a retrieve must be fine-tuned to what the fish will strike. Super-slow-with-long-surface-pauses, may be the best retrieve, (similar to 'do-nothing' of a soft plastic). Cadence-retrieves include the number of jerks and pauses, similar to Morse code, but always mixed on the same retrieve. This type of retrieve may be completely, though barely, subsurface.

Sound bounces off the bottom of the surface of water and creates an echo of the lure's sonic or pressure vibrations. This probably accounts for it's success in murky or muddy water. Rattles may be a plus, but my experience tells me that the mood of the angler sometimes has more to do with their necessity, than the need of the fish to hear them. Rapala and Bagley jerks have worked well for years and never contained rattle chambers.

The only time bb's might make a difference is when included in the higher price jerks of Lucky Craft, Yozuri and Excalibur. These baits are extreme examples of engineering marvels that have patented, weight-transfer systems that offer maximum action with the slightest rod twitch. Again, higher price never guarentees better results, especially in the hands of the unperceptive or inexperienced. (In fact, I've done just as well on Lew's Speed Minnow for $2.49 and Renegade's high-back minnows for $1.97 at Walmart.)

Hope this didn't overload you with info, but what else is there to do in winter other than think about things to try after ice-out.

Frank M

[johnnie crain outdoors]

Frank, you are right about jerkbaits. They are great fish catchers. My favorite technique is to use them during a light to moderate rain as a surface bait. I cast out twitch the bait several times retrieve about a foot and twitch some more, most strikes occur at the begiining or end of the twitching session. I have won tournaments by twitching jointed-six inch Rapalas. They also seem to be effective in heavy fog for some reason. I use either silver or gold baits, black back. I also like to use Thundersticks in slightly deeper, clear water, I crank the bait down to about five feet and then begin twitching the bait until it nearly rises to the surface, this looks an awful lot like a subsurface Zara Spook. Good luck this spring, we have solid ice and snow packed roads right now. Johnnie Crain Iowa Pro Staff.

[postcard]

Thanks John. You know, it may be just superstition, but the worse the winter and the thicker the ice, the better the season after ice-out. Year before last was blizzard after blizzard with 14" of ice on my local lake. The fishing that year was the best I've ever seen no matter where I fished.

Last year's winter was mild by comparison, with a long drought and a hot summer. Fishing wasn't half as good, at least for me.

Hope this wicked winter means great fishing.
Bass are being caught on tip-ups in record numbers in N.Y.; same for large pickerel.
We can only hope.

Frank M

[Roger Spaulding]

Frank M - Great post!! I just got started into jerkbaits the last couple years and they are now my favorite bait during the early season (pre-spawn)I'm a little narrow minded, because I only use the suspending models right now. The best method I've found is light line and true suspending baits. Sometimes because of the water temp. some suspending baits don't suspend. I want a true suspending bait that won't move up or down when I stop it. So far, I best I've found is the Pointers from Lucky Craft. I've messed around with Rogues, but just haven't caught the same kind of fish for me. I always play around with the retrieve until the fish tell me what they want. Some early season tournaments, this is the only bait I will throw. It's just a matter of time before I get this bait in front of some good fish and I know they will respond. The only time I won't throw a jerkbait early is in muddy water. I've even had some success in pretty stained water with jerks. I just adjust my colors and speed to match the stain in the water.

Roger Spaulding
ProStaff Indiana

[The St.Croix Legend]

My number one bass catcher is the crystal minnow. Silver and black. The way I use it is make a very long cast and twitch twitch twitch stop reel in the slak, twitch twitch twitch stop reel in the slak and do that all the way back. I have caught many small mout this way