Jerkbaits have been catching a wide variety of fish for almost 90 years!
Lauri Rapala crafted the world’s first jerkbait which was dubbed the “Original Floater.” I was carefully crafted to meet Rapala’s own high standards of action and movement. The lures are extremely effective at drawing savage strikes from walleye, pike, musky and all species of bass in freshwater fish. Furthermore, jerkbaits are deadly at stimulating bites from native, wild and stocked trout species.
I turn to jerkbaits when using spin tackle on more modest-sized streams, creeks and rivers that hold larger trout. Indeed, I leave the miniature trout magnets and smallish spinners in the Plano tray when fish populations in a body of water average 10 to 15 inches with specimens regularly breaking the 20-inch plateau. The undersized and rambunctious wilds on small streams are apt to strike more simple presentations due heavy competition in more limited confines. The bigger the trout, the more they include high caloric forage fish in their diet.
There are tons of lures on the market that imitate juvenile forage fish, but few provide the irresistible action of a properly-worked jerkbait. Cast downstream and retrieved into the current, anglers can twitch and slowly dance a jerkbait back to the rod tip. Adding a double-twitch or a pause within a slow retrieve proves deadly when strategically intermixed. Many trout experts swear by a 1 or 2-second pause so the slow-sinking or floating hard bait can suspend and wait to be eaten. Sometimes the attacks are full-on, gulp-fest and a trout easily hooks up making fishing easy.
Lowlight situations at dawn and dusk are suitable times for the best ratios. More commonly, however, a missed reflex to set the hook leads to lost opportunities to connect. Or if the hook set comes a moment too slow, the fish often gets foul-hooked on the side because the method in which it swiped. The trailing hook hangs the outer skin, the gill plate or the head area.
Casting upstream and reeling back often requires a faster retrieve in order to maintain the oscillating action of the lure’s body. The flow back toward the angler can also cause bow in the line therefore making fish detection and sets far more difficult. Many anglers like to throw slightly upstream from the bank as they stand in a perpendicular perch so that they can utilize retrieve tactics while the lure is up-current, on the turn and downstream. Retrieving the lure through the current from down river creates the best wobble and action of the lure.
Anglers need to pay attention to details in how their lure behaves; if certain rhythms and cadences are working to get strikes, stick with the same procedure. If anglers aren’t moving any fish, then they should consider changing components of their retrieve.
Many of the waters I fish in the northeast contain wild brown trout that hold fish that max out at about 23 inches. I prefer a 2-1/2-inch Ultra Light Rapala in shallow runs, riffles and modest pools. However, I change to a Berkley 2-3/4-inch Berkley Hit Stick in deeper runs and pools because the lure digs deeper below the surface. Obviously, if your waters hold true monsters, then lures should be upsized accordingly.
I’ve explored many different jerkbaits and settled on these two models for the following reasons. Both are constructed in a way that the lure seldom pops out of the water when reeled toward the angler in fast water. The lip and body positioning are paramount to making sure this doesn’t happen. Secondly, the action each minnow emits absolutely fires up even the pickiest of trout, as big wild browns will often rocket from cover to take a swipe. Lastly, when compared to jerkbaits of the same size, the treble hooks on these two options are slightly larger providing more gap or bite, aiding in more positive outcomes.
One might think a trout couldn’t miss a small lure with two trebles, but rest assured, that is far from the reality. In fact, jerkbait fishing is synonymous with frustration. The erratic retrieves that cause big trout to blast lures also causes the same trout to miss. I’ve had success with every color I’ve used, but I’m most fond of realistic colors which mimic actual. Juvenile rainbow and brown trout colors along with perch are mainstays in my tackle arsenal.
The more you fish with jerkbaits, the better you’ll become at setting the hook in a timely fashion, which ultimately should result in more fish in the net.
