Hard vs. Soft Jerk-baits
Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2015 11:57 am
We all know the impact throwing a hard jerk-bait can have over the course of a season. This bait can and will catch multiple species of fish from ice-out to end of season, depending on cadence changes and other presentation factors.
However, it's not quite as "popular" in northern regions such as ours to see soft jerk-baits (often called fluke-style baits) thrown, even though this tactic is a known Big Fish producer. I think back to the 1990's in the Kawartha's and throwing the Sluggo (used to love the red with gold speckle) to grab big lazy Largemouth from weeds and docks. This basic approach has been around for years... Today, many prefer to throw a Senko, but these weightless fluke style baits are another option that can be your ticket to big Bass whether fished from shore or water.
In the Ottawa Valley, I have had success in several lakes in the middle of summer into the fall by using a soft jerk-bait. Would the same bass eat a hard jerk-bait or a Senko? Most likely, but part of fishing is changing approaches so you are always learning and figuring out new ways to find success on the water.
One factor that is a major advantage over the hard jerk-bait is that I can rig a soft jerk-bait "Tex-posed" to get it deep into weed lines and also to pull it through brush, around rocks, current and other structure/cover we find around local waterways. Both presentations can be used as "Search" style baits as well, which is always good when you are covering a new body of water.
Some will use braid to rip hard jerk-baits through weed, which can trigger strikes, but at the same time the braid can get caught up in your treble hooks due to how it sits in the water from its floating characteristics. I use 20 lb. braided line for hard jerk-baits but will often have a 10-14 pound mono leader in this situation (heavier mono in Pike-infested waters or dense weed growth.) I use un-weighted soft jerk-baits with 15 to 20 pound braid mainline and a 10-12 pound Seaguar leader fluorocarbon, on a spinning reel and typically a 6'6" to 7'2" rod. These two different leaders will cause the hard bait to stay put in the water column due to the mono, and will give a slow sink with the fluoro leader for the soft baits. Both of these actions can be deadly on the pause when you are ripping them.
The best thing about hard or soft jerk-baits is that you let the fish tell you what they want. It all comes down to cadence, and once you catch a fish, it is usually just about repeating that same cadence you just had success on to unlock additional lip-grips. It's easy to know where to start: In cold water you go slow, speeding up as the water temperature increases. By mid-summer, you should be popping that jerk-bait as rapidly as you would a walk-the-dog topwater. Line-watching can be important as well, which is common sense when using a weightless bait of any type. Another tip is that you can add worm rattles to the soft-baits to make them a little more interesting to fish - just don't be surprised by how deep the fish will inhale these noisy, soft and delicious looking baits we throw at them. You are going to want to have some good pliers handy.
Some of my go-to hard jerk-baits include: Rapala X-Rap, Shadow Rap, Jackall Squad Minnow, Lucky Craft Flash Pointer and the Livetarget Baitball series. For the soft side, I go with Zoom Flukes, Berkley Jerk Shad, Strike King Caffeine Shad and Trigger X Drop Dead Minnows. All of these (and the many other brands out there) will be producers for you if you tie them on this summer.
On another note, you can take that same soft fluke style bait and pin it to a 1/4 - 1/2 oz. jig head and pick up some serious walleye by dead-sticking ("Moping" as the Lindner's call it) and jigging on hot summer days in deep water, right into the fall;. Also, don't be surprised if you stumble upon some weed-dwelling walleye if you are using a weightless fluke on current-flushed weed-lines on hot summer days. You can also T-rig a drop shot with flukes and go after giant Smallmouth in the fall with these same baits.
So, are you trying soft jerk-baits this season or do you prefer to stick with the hard jerk-baits?
Tight Lines
~OAO~
However, it's not quite as "popular" in northern regions such as ours to see soft jerk-baits (often called fluke-style baits) thrown, even though this tactic is a known Big Fish producer. I think back to the 1990's in the Kawartha's and throwing the Sluggo (used to love the red with gold speckle) to grab big lazy Largemouth from weeds and docks. This basic approach has been around for years... Today, many prefer to throw a Senko, but these weightless fluke style baits are another option that can be your ticket to big Bass whether fished from shore or water.
In the Ottawa Valley, I have had success in several lakes in the middle of summer into the fall by using a soft jerk-bait. Would the same bass eat a hard jerk-bait or a Senko? Most likely, but part of fishing is changing approaches so you are always learning and figuring out new ways to find success on the water.
One factor that is a major advantage over the hard jerk-bait is that I can rig a soft jerk-bait "Tex-posed" to get it deep into weed lines and also to pull it through brush, around rocks, current and other structure/cover we find around local waterways. Both presentations can be used as "Search" style baits as well, which is always good when you are covering a new body of water.
Some will use braid to rip hard jerk-baits through weed, which can trigger strikes, but at the same time the braid can get caught up in your treble hooks due to how it sits in the water from its floating characteristics. I use 20 lb. braided line for hard jerk-baits but will often have a 10-14 pound mono leader in this situation (heavier mono in Pike-infested waters or dense weed growth.) I use un-weighted soft jerk-baits with 15 to 20 pound braid mainline and a 10-12 pound Seaguar leader fluorocarbon, on a spinning reel and typically a 6'6" to 7'2" rod. These two different leaders will cause the hard bait to stay put in the water column due to the mono, and will give a slow sink with the fluoro leader for the soft baits. Both of these actions can be deadly on the pause when you are ripping them.
The best thing about hard or soft jerk-baits is that you let the fish tell you what they want. It all comes down to cadence, and once you catch a fish, it is usually just about repeating that same cadence you just had success on to unlock additional lip-grips. It's easy to know where to start: In cold water you go slow, speeding up as the water temperature increases. By mid-summer, you should be popping that jerk-bait as rapidly as you would a walk-the-dog topwater. Line-watching can be important as well, which is common sense when using a weightless bait of any type. Another tip is that you can add worm rattles to the soft-baits to make them a little more interesting to fish - just don't be surprised by how deep the fish will inhale these noisy, soft and delicious looking baits we throw at them. You are going to want to have some good pliers handy.
Some of my go-to hard jerk-baits include: Rapala X-Rap, Shadow Rap, Jackall Squad Minnow, Lucky Craft Flash Pointer and the Livetarget Baitball series. For the soft side, I go with Zoom Flukes, Berkley Jerk Shad, Strike King Caffeine Shad and Trigger X Drop Dead Minnows. All of these (and the many other brands out there) will be producers for you if you tie them on this summer.
On another note, you can take that same soft fluke style bait and pin it to a 1/4 - 1/2 oz. jig head and pick up some serious walleye by dead-sticking ("Moping" as the Lindner's call it) and jigging on hot summer days in deep water, right into the fall;. Also, don't be surprised if you stumble upon some weed-dwelling walleye if you are using a weightless fluke on current-flushed weed-lines on hot summer days. You can also T-rig a drop shot with flukes and go after giant Smallmouth in the fall with these same baits.
So, are you trying soft jerk-baits this season or do you prefer to stick with the hard jerk-baits?
Tight Lines
~OAO~