Keys to Jerk Bait Fishing

If you抮e looking for a long standing old timer bait that has produced for years nothing fits better into that class of great baits better than jerk baits do. It has been around for years and has evolved as one of the best cold water baits ever produced. It抯 been such a prolific fish catcher that year after year new companies enter the jerk bait market with their version of the newest craze in their design space. The thing you can count on is that even the newest designs of this bait all appear to be pretty much like the old ones, their long slender and have flat sides; the change, some terrific new coloring but that is about it.

What I look for in this bait are a couple of things; the jerk bait must have sharp hooks as it is bait that you can easily loose a fish. To me that means Gamakatsu Hooks, as they are the sharpest in the world without question. I also try to go to an oversize hooks to help with the near misses; sometimes depending on the manufacturer the bigger hooks change the action so you have to be careful as not all the jerk baits can take the weight of bigger hooks.


Presentation is everything when it comes to jerk baits, even though most jerk baits are the most effective when they are moved slowly it does not mean that you can抰 pull them in a hard jerking motion to get the most effective presentation. The jerk with slack line to me is the key, let the bait sit and rock but use a slack line to move the bait, as it is the slack in the line with movement that makes this bait so deadly. The key is that you can make sharp hard jerks or soft slight jerks and make the bait do its thing with your movement from the rod tip.


Jerk baits are deadly cold water baits and with the weather we are seeing as of late this bait is producing some great results!