I love fishing jerkbaits. Especially in early spring and in the fall . But they are great all season. Nothing like fishing a wind swept point in the summer!

What is a jerk bait?

Floating Rapala minnow lures are great but are not what I consider a jerkbait because they float

To me , a jerkbait is a minnow type diving lure that when reeled to depth, suspends when at rest.
The good ones stay right where they are , or rise very very slowly .

The action is , once you get it down , jerk it. Hence the name.

The jerk action is generally with rot tip straight out pointing at the lure then a sharp jerk straight down , as if you were smacking the water surface . Though try not to actually smack the water. If you do occasionally, no big deal.
The cadence of the jerk vary, and I’d recommend trying a variety till the fish tell you what they like that day
Sometimes 2 short jerks and a pause. Sometimes up to 4 jerks and a pause. Agressive or more passive. Really depends.
It’s important to have a little slack in the line for the jerk or slash as I like to call it to really work right.
Never reel and jerk at the same time.
It’s equally important to pick up the slack during the pause.

The pause is probably the biggest variable. Jerk jerk pause. Jerk jerk pause. All the way back to the boat.

In really cold water or after a cold front , a long pause is the ticket. Some guys will say “ pause for a minute”. I don’t have the patience . For me a 15 second pause is long.
Warmer water, the pause can be 5 seconds.

It’s easy to get brain dead using this technique. Autopilot .
Pay attention. Visualize this
Your a bass , just hangin out, it’s cold and you don’t feel like runnin around chasing something to eat , but it’s lunch time.
A minnow shows up at the limit of your visual range. It’s acting crazy , dart left , dart right , then stop. Hang out a while , then do it again.
Hey let’s saunter over there , see what’s this thing doing ?
Well you are close , eyeballing this guy. It stops. Glides and quivers a little.
Too much! I’m eating this.

With jerkbaits , you rarely feel the bite. When you go to jerk again, you are loaded up.

There are many different jerk baits on the market today.
I’ve got a bunch of smith wick suspending rogues I’ve custom painted.
Lucky craft pointers are solid
Rapala makes good ones

My favorite is the megabass vision 110 but they are rediculois expensive.
I’ve managed to sneak 32 of these past the wife at $25 a pop
And I’ve got 50 more that I bought as blanks and custom painted.
What I like about these is they make 3 models. The vision 110 thru the 110 +2.
The regular runs 5-6 ft
The plus 1 runs 1 meter deeper and the + 2 runs a meter deeper than that. Or about 12 ft.

If you are a seasoned pro or just got a first rod for Christmas and can’t wait till it gets warm enough to fish .
Get you a couple jerkbaits and give em a try.
First fish, you are hooked for life.

I love fishing jerkbaits. Especially in early spring and in the fall . But they are great all season. Nothing like fishing a wind swept point in the summer!

What is a jerk bait?

Floating Rapala minnow lures are great but are not what I consider a jerkbait because they float

To me , a jerkbait is a minnow type diving lure that when reeled to depth, suspends when at rest.
The good ones stay right where they are , or rise very very slowly .

The action is , once you get it down , jerk it. Hence the name.

The jerk action is generally with rot tip straight out pointing at the lure then a sharp jerk straight down , as if you were smacking the water surface . Though try not to actually smack the water. If you do occasionally, no big deal.
The cadence of the jerk vary, and I’d recommend trying a variety till the fish tell you what they like that day
Sometimes 2 short jerks and a pause. Sometimes up to 4 jerks and a pause. Agressive or more passive. Really depends.
It’s important to have a little slack in the line for the jerk or slash as I like to call it to really work right.
Never reel and jerk at the same time.
It’s equally important to pick up the slack during the pause.

The pause is probably the biggest variable. Jerk jerk pause. Jerk jerk pause. All the way back to the boat.

In really cold water or after a cold front , a long pause is the ticket. Some guys will say “ pause for a minute”. I don’t have the patience . For me a 15 second pause is long.
Warmer water, the pause can be 5 seconds.

It’s easy to get brain dead using this technique. Autopilot .
Pay attention. Visualize this
Your a bass , just hangin out, it’s cold and you don’t feel like runnin around chasing something to eat , but it’s lunch time.
A minnow shows up at the limit of your visual range. It’s acting crazy , dart left , dart right , then stop. Hang out a while , then do it again.
Hey let’s saunter over there , see what’s this thing doing ?
Well you are close , eyeballing this guy. It stops. Glides and quivers a little.
Too much! I’m eating this.

With jerkbaits , you rarely feel the bite. When you go to jerk again, you are loaded up.

There are many different jerk baits on the market today.
I’ve got a bunch of smith wick suspending rogues I’ve custom painted.
Lucky craft pointers are solid
Rapala makes good ones

My favorite is the megabass vision 110 but they are rediculois expensive.
I’ve managed to sneak 32 of these past the wife at $25 a pop
And I’ve got 50 more that I bought as blanks and custom painted.
What I like about these is they make 3 models. The vision 110 thru the 110 +2.
The regular runs 5-6 ft
The plus 1 runs 1 meter deeper and the + 2 runs a meter deeper than that. Or about 12 ft.

If you are a seasoned pro or just got a first rod for Christmas and can’t wait till it gets warm enough to fish .
Get you a couple jerkbaits and give em a try.
First fish, you are hooked for life.