Jerkbaits

[snag]

Hey HOF,

 

Funny thing about that. I feel the same way about spinners!

 

Without seeing you in action, I have noticed some common ailments with these lures.

 

Time of year

Will affect all of the following

 

1. Depth - It's common to not let the lure sink far enough and/or sink too far for those upward viewing predators.

I like to keep the lure just above the weeds most of the season. Easy viewing and pouncing.

Shallow spring, deep fall/winter.

It's O.K to let the lure sink right to the bottom and bring it up. You will cover all the sight levels this way in case the fish are holding on the bottom or suspending.

 

 

2. Speed- Slow most of the time. Technique is everything. Be the lure!

I have a signature wrist move that Pee Wee Herman taught me.

I sometimes stop reeling half way into a retrieve and go to la-la land to allow the lure to sit/sink and give a stalking fish the chance to pounce or follow.

I'm a follow junky. That is a big indication that all of the criteria have been met. My favourite move is to throw a different lure back 20' and reel him/her in.

 

3. Lure selection - Dark day/water=bright lure(chartruese)

Bright clear day=chrome lure

I tend to go big on size most of the year (ie- 14 HJ)

I prefer suspending and have "modified" lures to sink like a rock.

 

 

4. Confidence - I like to think:

You're special Snag.

The fish like you.

They appreciate the bait you've chosen for them.

The fish are not hungry; they want to be hooked in the face and reeled in,

to meet you.

Then quickly, respectfully, safely released for another chance rendevous.

 

5. Observation

Is the most important for any lure.

If the weather is poor for a jerkbait. Don't bother. You will only find them useless.

 

I'm sure you've tried all that, but give it a go again. Pm me if you are around town

[Guest skeeter99]

u will get the hang of of it, just jerk it the right way and POP! fish on...hehehe

[Guest skeeter99]

but seriously my best success in retrieve was discovered by accident actually, cast out on quick jerk stop "take bite of sandwich" and wham!!!

 

 

get some of the kevin van dam videos he shows all different techniques, but most of the time for him and even myself to a degree is long hard fast sweeps with a 3 to 4 second pause, even if fish in negative mood this seems to get them more curious or ticked off and will just hit the bait out of instinct

 

 

chrome black back

blue black back

yellow purple back (really a big fish magnet)

baby bass and clown (both these colours have a time and place)

 

i prefer stick baits with a wide wobble like the storm suspending thunderstick (if u can find any) or husky jerk all in suspending models

 

I find most other baits wobble is to tight ie. x-rap and others, the wide wobble gets more fish for me anyhow

 

changing the hooks on the bait will make it run different also, bigger hook on front with a smaller on back will make the bait when it comes to stop *nosedive slowly down* like it is feeding on the bottom ,drives em nuts

[HUKDONFAWNIX]

Wow! A lot of great feedback!

 

Thanks everyone.

[Zib]

When I first started using the Husky Jerks & X-Raps I had limited success myself. I had read articles & watched shows that talked about fishing jerk baits but they were leaving some important stuff out.

 

When I sat in on Kevin Van Dam’s seminar at a local fishing show he let us in on the secret to catching more fish on jerk baits. He said that you need to jerk the bait on a slack line & not a taught line. He said the bait won’t travel much but the action of the bait is so erratic that fish can’t resist. Well I tried it out last year & my catches on jerk baits more than tripled. KVD is The Man!

 

Jerk baits really shine in cold front conditions & early & late in the season. Especially for smallmouth. Try the Hot Pink X-Rap early in the season for smallies. They love the pink baits for some reason early on.