jerk shads?

[tanman]

i have heard that jerkshads are "hot" right now... but how do you rig these things and how do you work them? i havent been able to figure this out ...someone like to explain this to me or post a pic or something i would greatly appreciate it

thanks

[french_lake_kid]

I hook them just like a senko, and weightless. Throw it up by any cover that you are fishing, give it quick short jerks of your rod. My personal favorite is a bubble-gum super fluke. Oh I fish them on a 3/0 red "gamy". Usually on a spinning rod.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I love soft jerkbaits and they can be very effective all year round especially spring and early summer. I rig them up weedless, texas style, without any weight. They can be fished lots of different ways fast on top like a jerkbait, slow pause twitchs, long pulls and pauses.

These baits are greast baits in shallow weedy areas. They come glide through the shallows rarely picking up weeds. Soft jerkbaits can be effectively fished deep as well when weight is added. I dont care much to texas rig them since they seem to lose the erratic action. I prefer weighted worm hooks, a light split shot rig or a carolina rig.

[EatSleepFish]

I've had problems with bass throwing my jerkshads, mainly because of the thicker plastic compared to senko-style baits, I just rigged up a rod with 15lb. power pro and I'll see if my hooking % is better compard to when I was using mono.

[RK]

Hiya -

ESF - I always throw jerk shads on superline (fireline in my case). I fish them with #14 fireline with a 15# fluoro leader. Much better hooking percentage with bigger shads that have bulkier bodies, especially on a long cast. Right hook helps a lot too - wide gaps that have a lot of space for the body to ball up without jamming up the hook gap help quite a bit, especially with bigger baits.

Another really under-used way to fish these things is on a 1/16-1/4 oz ball head. Just swim or hop them along a deep weedline. really good way to get a bass/walleye combo platter during the summer... Or can swim them for smallies...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Daze Off]

I almost always fish mine on 12# dia braid because it really gives the bait freedom to sink more naturally. If not braid then 10# flourocarbon. Usually I texas-rig with a Gammy 4/0 EWG weightless - the hook provides more than enough weight to sink it slowly. Have been dying to try the new Gammy hook with the solid ring through the eye for this but can't find them anywhere.

My newest experiement is to take the skirt off of a chatterbait and add a soft jerkbait. It has caught some fine fish so far.

I prefer the Lake Fork version as the diamond shaped tail seems to impart more action but they are way softer than flukes and tear alot.

Daze Off

[MVBASSER]

Rig it like a texas rigged worm, but use no weight. They were deadly over heavey milfoil on Tonka the other day

[Muddog]

I have been using a 5/0 hook with white/yellow Black magic (Gander Mtn) Jerk Shad. Twitch, Twitch, twitch. pause. Twitch, Twitch, twitch. pause. Let it sink into the hole in the weed pause. Walk the dog back.

If they are throwing the hook there is a good chance that you need a larger hook. Step up a size and see. I don't think I've ever had a Bass throw a Jerk Shad.

The one on my avatar was 19-7/8" Hard nose toad on a 5/0 hook. Last Oct.

[Slyster]

Can we get some pictures? Pictures are worth a thousand words and that is SO true! Tx.

[Muddog]

Here you go.

Today I went out from 6pm - 8pm. I used a Black Magic jerk shad with a 5/0 Owner hook.

I landed four fish like this.

My wife lost the 20"er. On a wacky Tikki worm.

By the way the Jerk shade in the pic has a hook in it. I push the hook into the tip of the bait untill the barb enters the bait. Then I turn the hook straight out the bottom of the bait(to match the other end of the hook). Pull the hook through untill the eye of the hook meets the bait run the hook tip up through the bait and your there(Texas rig).