Jerkbaits are long pencil like lures designed to mimic a small baitfish. Most jerkbaits are suspending lures meaning once they are reeled down to a depth and stopped they will remain (for the most part) at that depth.

​

Some jerkbaits are floaters and I put them in the category of topwater baits. So for this discussion I am talking about suspending jerkbaits. There is also something called soft jerkbait. We will discuss them on a separate page.

​

As a general rule, jerkbaits are cold water tools. Meaning, they are one of your most valuable lures for cold water fishing. While they can be fished all year long they seem to excel in water temps from ice out to about 60 degrees. They are also a clear water bait for the most part.

​

These lures come in two basic categories, standard and deep diving. Standard jerkbaits have small clear plastic bills and will usually swim down to 3 to 5 feet. Some less and some more. Deep divers have a longer, straighter lip and can dive down to 7 to 10 feet or so.

​

Some suspending jerkbaits are very small and light. Only two inches or so and usually with two sets of treble hooks. These small baits should be fished on spinning tackle as they are hard to cast any distance with baitcasting gear. The packaging will usually show the lure weight. Anything less than 3/8 of an ounce should usually be thrown on spinning equipment. Lures in the 1/2 ounce range can be fished with either baitcasters or spinning rods. Normally heavier jerkbaits should be fished on baitcasting equipment.

​

Once casted, jerkbaits should be reeled down several turns on the reel and paused. Then the lure is ‘jerked’ with hard snaps of the rod. Fish usually hit jerbaits on slack line. So each time the bait is jerked the rod returns to it’s original position creating a small amount of slack in the line.

​

Speed and cadence can make a huge difference in bites. As a general rule, the colder the water the softer the jerk and the longer the pause in between jerks. As the water warms later in the season the pauses become shorter and shorter, sometimes without any pause at all.

​

The cadence refers to the jerking pattern. For example, one jerk and pause. Two jerks and pause. Three jerks and pause or a combination of any of these. Here is a time that you have to let the fish tell you what works best. Try different patterns and different pause times.

 

As far as colors are concerned I like to fish light colored baits on sunny days and darker patterns on cloudy days. Smallmouth bass seem to be attracted to bright colors and usually bite best on sunny days with some chop on the water.

​

I like lighter line sizes and usually throw 12 pound fluorocarbon on baitcasters and 8 pound on spinning tackle. Another option that I like on spinning gear is 10 pound braided line with about an 8 foot, 8 pound test fluorocarbon leader. Tying fluoro to braid requires a special knot, usually a double uni knot. Please see knots page for details.