Suspending Jerk Baits

[IowaBasser]

3 simple questions:

What's your favorite suspending jerk-bait?
How deep do you like to fish it?
Do you modify it, tune it, or fish it right out of the package?

[CamG]

Don't necessarily have a favorite as they all seem to work well on certain days. I own Bombers, Smithwicks, Spros, Lucky Crafts, Strike Kings, Megabass and Excalibers.

I always test them on the day I use them as water temperature will change the suspending properties. I carry some thin brass wire in my jerkbait box and wrap the center hook (or front hook on baits that only have two) to get them to suspend properly. I find that most of the Megabass and Lucky Crafts do a pretty good job right out of the package.

All of my jerkbaits run right around 3-4 feet deep. I don't own any that run deeper than that as I have yet to find a need for them.

[MIbasser]

I have mostly the LC Pointers in both 100 and 78. I do have 5 or so of the DD 100's as well. I also have some Strike King and a few others.

I keep mine stock out of the box.

[walkeraviator]

I like Smithwick Rogues year round, but use X-raps when the water warms up. I always have suspend strips on me to make adjustments. I will see if they suspend properly in the present water temperature. I like my jerk baits to sink VERY slowly in a nose down attitude...

[IowaBasser]

I'm finding that most suspending jerkbaits run 3 to 4 feet deep, so I'm guessing that most people fish them in water 5 to 8 feet deep? ...or cast them towards shore (from a boat) to 2 to 3 feet of water and retrieve them out to deeper water where the boat is positioned?

[CamG]

Originally Posted by IowaBasser

I'm finding that most suspending jerkbaits run 3 to 4 feet deep, so I'm guessing that most people fish them in water 5 to 8 feet deep? ...or cast them towards shore (from a boat) to 2 to 3 feet of water and retrieve them out to deeper water where the boat is positioned?

You can do it that way, and it will work. But, you can also fish them in 40' of water as long as the water clarity will allow it.

[walkeraviator]

I like to fish them like crankbaits. I will fish them parallel to shore and work them in a depth that puts them where fish are shown on the depth finder... Fish will come up from deeper water to hit a jerk bait, so deep divers arent a requirement.

[Marc David]

Favorite would have to be shallow Pointer 78s and 100s, they're made by Lucky Craft so I don't worry about having to tune out the package. Around here, we fish shallower water mainly, 10-15 feet is considered deep in our area.

[pabassman]

Hello all. I am new to the site. Some very good information gets passed along here. I agree with Walkeraviator. Rouges are my choice in cold water, under 50*. I usually tinker with them to get a very slow sink with a slight nose down angle. I fell this helps drive the bait deeper. In cold water depth of the lure seems to be the most important thing. Warmer or shallow water I like x raps.

[walkeraviator]

It doesnt matter how much you spend on a jerkbait... thanks to the unavoidable lws of physics, the thing will have to be tuned to suspend at some point. Unless it can magically change its own density as the water warms and cools...

[IowaBasser]

OK... here's a follow-up question. When, or more specifically WHERE, are you using a suspending jerkbait? I read all the time that suspending jerk-baits are good pre-spawn lures. I still don't understand the ideal situtation when (or where) to use a suspending jerk-bait.

Here are a couple examples I DO understand:
•In July I think bass might be laying in the shade underneath lilly-pads, so I tie on a weedless frog and drag it over the lilly pads and pause in any open pockets.
•In the fall on a cloudy day I think the bass might be up shallow feeding, so I tie on a buzz-bait and cast towards shore and retrive it back.
•If I'm fishing a shoreline with a lot of down trees I might tie on a bass jig or texas-rig a plastic worm and throw it around the downed trees.

Every time I start out fishing by I asking myself, "OK stupid, where are the bass going to be at today?" Then I tie on an appropriate lure and usually go find out that they aren't where I thought they might be. I ask myself again, "OK stupid, now what?" ...and I try something else - either a different presentation, different depth, or new location. Eventually I get lucky and stumble onto a pattern that works... ...well, that or I just enjoy a nice day on the boat and tell myself it was better than being at work!

I think I understand the jerk-bait basics, but I'm not sure about the when and where. Does that make sense? What are the ideal circumstances (water depth, type of structure, light conditions, water temperature, water color, etc.) when you think to yourself, "This is the perfect time to tie on a suspending jerk-bait!"

[Tavery5]

I can tell you when I decide to fish jerkbaits, don't know if everyone will agree with my approach, but I am willing to share my thinking. I like to fish suspending jerkbaits at two times of the year, the first is when the fish have moved up and are in a pre-spawn type pattern, I try to find water that is about 8-10 ft deep and is clear or slightly stained, water temp can vary but I find that if the temp is between 50 -58 degrees it is ideal. The areas that you are looking for are areas that are next to spawning flats, or the areas that are on the sides of shallow points that drop off into deeper water. When the water temp is in this range the fish are still a little sluggish but will chase if the bait is not moving to quickly. Give the bait a couple of sharp tugs to get it down to depth, and then let it sit for several seconds, maybe only giving the tip of your rod the smallest shake, then give it a couple of quick jerks, and pause, keep the time between jerks and the number of jerks kinda erratic. The other time of year that I like jerkbaits is in the fall, when the shad start to die, I usually pattern the back of creeks, because the water is a little warmer and the last bits of algae are left, baitfish move into the back of the these creeks just before they die off, you can make a suspending jerkbait imitate a dying shad by using erratic jerks, pauses and short twitches, this has worked well for me. Now the thing that I find with most jerkbaits is this, I like to throw them on light monofilament line, something around 10lb test and not heavier, the reason I choose this line is it lets the bait suspend well, and it also is not so heavy that it kills the action of the bait, I believe when you use a heavy line the stiffness and floating properties of mono line can kill allot of the action that you are trying to impart on jerkbait. My favorite colors to use are natural looking colors like ghost shad, aurora black, chartreuse shad, and american shad. These are the basics behind my experience with jerkbaits, when the fish are hitting them they are a very fun bait to fish, and can produce a lot of action and some very nice fish. I also prefer the 100 size bait. Hope this helps

[walkeraviator]

I fish Jerkbaits year round. I just change my presentation as the seasons change. Warmer the water gets, the faster i twitch it and teh shorter teh pauses. I always fish these things on points near deep water and creek channels.. IN the summer, I like em eary in the morning or after rains when teh fish come up from the deep. A Jerkbait is ALWAYS tied on for me... Its a staple in my fishing just like a crankbait and a jig.

[Bass Assault]

I like X Raps and recently purchased some H2O Express suspending jerkbaits. I haven't used the H2O ones yet but they look great and the hooks seem to be of good quality as well. I like to fish em 2-3 feet deep in clear water post spawn.

[Lvitch]

LC 95 pointers in ghost. And rapala x raps (all sizes) in silver black. I fish em as they come but cut the thread off the tails on the rapalas. I fish em year round morning and afternoon. I use a loomis g3 6'6" spinning rod with a diawa exceller 2500 reel and 8lb flouroclear. I usually only throw them in clear lakes. My fastest limit has come on them as well, 5 fish in about 10 min with a 2lb avg. They just catch fish. Oh I also dont fish them slow. I like a rip,reel,rip,reel cadence.