Weighting Jerkbaits

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by Fishin Factors

In the spring, during the pre-spawn, bass begin moving toward their bedding waters. It is during this time when the angler can experience some of the best fishing of the year. Maybe the bass are eating big in preparation for the spawn when they don't eat much at all. Whatever the reason, I like it. In most of the Northern part of the country the water temperature is still rather cool at this time, and the fish are not overly active. They are eating, but they are eating in slow motion.

Suspending Jerkbait:
a. There has been a great deal written about the suspending jerkbait, and I probably cannot add to its already documented effectiveness.
b. I usually purchase both suspending and floating jerkbaits and weight them in order to control how it sits in the water. c. The suspending Jerkbait has allowed me better luck fishing the suspending jerkbait very slow.
d. Many times to get it slow enough, I need to ad weight to it as well. This added weight will allow me to pause this back for as long as I feel neccessary without moving it.
d. Vary your retrieve - after getting the jerkbait down to the desired depth, experiment with the retrieve. Try quick, snapping, jerks followed by doing nothing but watching your line. Try sweeping the bait three or four feet then doing nothing. Try anything! Sometimes it is some little something that triggers a strike. Just remember what you did on every cast. It would be a shame to catch a fish and not remember what you did to catch it.

3. Weighting your Jerkbaits:
a. In the spring, I like to concentrate the weight toward the front of the lure. This keeps the nose pointing down, and each jerk, snap, or pull will tend to force the lure deeper, counteracting the upward pull of the line.
b. In the fall, I do just the opposite with a jerkbait. With the nose pointing up, each jerk, snap, or pull makes the lure appear to be heading for the surface in an attempt to escape. This requires placing the weight to the rear of the center of gravity.
c. Personally, I prefer to use weight strips that will stick to my jerkbaits instead of clamping on pieces of lead. I don't think one way is any better than the other is; I just don't like the looks of a bait with a chunk of lead hanging on the hooks. (The fish apparently don't care.)
d. I use stick on dots or strips to complete the weighting process. Sometimes I paint over the lead, but I don't think it really adds to anything except how I view it.
e. Properly weighting a jerkbait is not an easy process. I have spent as much as an hour tuning one lure to my satisfaction.

I have consistently had better luck in the spring and fall using a very slow presentation with suspending jerkbaits. Research has indicated that a bass will always take the easiest meal, and a minnow-looking offering just sitting there in the water is much easier to eat than a moving crankbait or spinnerbait. If your patience can hold out, try the "Slo-o-o-o-o-ow" approach. If you think it is hard to keep it slow when you start using this method, wait until the few casts right after you catch a good fish.

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