jerkbaits

[fishcast]

I'd like to pick up a jerkbait or two sometime, but have never used "muskie" jerkbaits and have a couple questions...

First, since they cost so much just wondering what some favorites are, and what action and depths you usually target with them.

Second, with Suicks I have seen there are weighted and unweighted versions. Looking at the back of the package it looks like the unweighted floats and "dives and rises." I would guess the lure stays within a couple feet of the surface. So what is different about the weighted? Does it suspend? How deep does it dive? How is action same or different?

Thanks

[HugoBox]

Fishcast -

Everyone has their favorites but if you're considering versatility, price, durability, etc, I think the weighted Sledge is the way to go. About $12 or so. They are so bouyant you can fish them through anything. I can't speak to a ton of success trolling them, but I know its one that RK has written about as a good trolling lure as well.

Good luck - erik

[Dano_the_jigasaurus]

Hellhounds are a great bait, easy to work, and a plethora of ways to work them ~$15-$17. You can get them at Muskie-Tackler.

Phantoms are bit more touchy in my experience, but work well also they are a bit more spendy around $20.

Hugo's suggestion of a sledge is also a good, it is a very versatile lure.

With any of these you can't go wrong.

As far as the weighting in suicks, is allows them to dive deeper, which in turn allows you to work them deeper. Suicks are phenomenal baits and definitely a great tool to have in arsenal, the action between weighted and no weighted is very similar. Remember though by tuning the tail and/or the eye you can give a suick a unique action.

Hope this helps, tight lines

Dan

[cjac]

Pretty sad, this got me to thinking.....I think I've thrown a Suick all of an hour this season.

I really like the bait in the Fall, especially on top of any weedflats with any green weeds left. Couple big flats on the west end of 'tonka come to mind.

I like the weighted Suicks more of the time, it's a lot easier to cast in any wind, and like Dano said, adjusting the tail can get a similar dive and rise out of both.

[MUSKY18]

You really need to divide the jerkbait realm into two different classes. You have your dive and rise and your gliders.

For gliders my favorite has become the Hellhound. Like Dan stated, you can work it a ton of different ways and it flat out catches fish. Phantoms and Manta's are also fav's and one should never forget the good ole Reef Hawg....awesome bait.

For dive and rise, my favorite is the Suick and Bobbie bait. I have both weighted and unweighted of each model. I like the weighted models because they will get down deeper and have a very slow rise, or as some folks call it, the "death float". They are very good when the fish are in a neutral to negative mood, as the bait hangs in the strike zone longer. The unweighted models give a very jerky, eratic dive and rise and will most definately trigger the fish that is aggressive.

As for depths, I try to keep the unweighted and gliders anywher from 2-4 feet below the surface. I have some weighted Suicks that I can work down to 8-10 feet. But I don't work them that deep for the most part.

One more thing about Suicks and Bobbie's. They are great baits to throw in the weeds. When you are working them through, if you feel them hit the weeds, you simply stop the bait, let it float up and over the weed and continue your retrieve. Just awesome!

[Andrew Erickson]

hellhound and phantoms never leave my rods in the fall,great baits all year around as well

[10,000 Casts]

hellhounds are a great glide bait and are the easiest to use.

Suicks are great and you will see alot of fish but they have to be tuned. It's tough to beat a percg colored suick imo.

I really like the Wades Wobbler. No tail to tune and you can really work them deep.

Some people like squirly burts

Mantas have the widest glide but are expensive and very tough to find.

Phantoms are a great glider but are tougher to glide closer to the boat than a hellhound.

Good Ole Bobby Bait, one of the best of all time. But they are pretty shallow baits or at least all teh ones that I have thrown are.

Big Daddy, looks like a Bobby Bait, never thrown one and haven't heard anything great.

10" Sandcat- another great bait

Reef Hawg- either you love it or you hate it.

[Esox_Magnum]

My votes go to Hellhounds, DDD's ( yes they are a jerkbait) and my favorite a Wades Wobbler. Another great glide is a Wades Wide Glide, but they take a knack to run. Don't and won't own a suick so can't comment on them.

[MUSKY18]

Magnum..........what you have against Suicks? Don't and won't own one of the greatest baits of all time?

10,000.......just found out that River Run Tackle was sold and the new buyers are going to start cranking out Manta's once again. Should have plenty in the bait stores by next years season. That should take care of those high prices.

Without a doubt, the greatest alltime glide bait is an EDDIE! When you get a good one, nothing swings wider from side to side, nothing glides as smooth as an EDDIE! Trouble is finding that special one!

[JRedig]

I love my Manta's, they are great.

Phantoms are great, especially the squirrely one's, just a little harder to work.

Hellhounds are awesome too, easy to work like a manta but cheaper and actually available.

I heard on M1st that the manta company/name was finally sold and will be back in production soon, i'll be the first to buy when the prices come down, especially the 10" models.

-JR

[Esox_Magnum]

I just prefer a Wades over the suick thats all, and the 1 I did own was a PITA

[TheHawgTrough]

I'd also go with the Hellhounds. Great eratic movement (sometimes too eratic?!) and easy to use.

[propster]

I like the Suick but 2 of the 3 we have are untanable, and they are new.

[JBLAIR08]

Anybody have any luck on the reef hawg twist?

[b1gf1sh1]

get the weighted suick and the unweighted,IMHO. actions been covered already.

and both the large and small sandcat from T-Bros. in your favorite confidence color. mines the all white with the silver and green scale. oops, i put the green in it.

don't forget a good jerkbait leader. get those at Thorne too.

[JRedig]

I've got a reef hawg twist, pike destroyed it before it ever got put in front of a muskie. I like it's side-to-side wobble on a straight retrieve, if you speed it up it does a full belly roll. Kinda cool, I wish the rubber was made tougher though.

[JBLAIR08]

Or has anybody had luck with the shallow invader by Musky Innovations??

[MUSKY18]

Shallow Invader is a great lure that is just deadly when it is twitched. If you can master the twitching and make it so when the bait stops it is facing sideways (parallel to the boat), they will get clobbered! Never had any luck with straight retrieving them, but twitching..............

[NCLaker]

I'm new to this muskie stuff ... What type of rod do you all recommend for jerk-glide type baits? I have a 7'3MH that seems to work well for smaller bucktails, spinners & topwater. I also have an 8' XH Compre that works well for dawgs and the big bladed bucktails. I'm thinking I need something in-between for the jerk glides baits, like hellhounds. Have my eye on a 7'6" H Compre.

Also, for tossing and trolling cranks, like larger Jakes and DDD which would you recommend I use for those mentioned above?

Thanks for your help!

[JRedig]

I HIGHLY recommend Shimano Calcutta Inshore 7.5-8 foot MH or H with a fast or extra fast tip. Thorne Bros had a bunch of these with an extended butt section for about $175 earlier this year, not sure if they have any more. Paired with a reel that has good line pick up and a high gear ratio (curado 300) it's far and away the best setup i've used for these baits. I like it for everything but the big rubber and big blades.

[Esox_Magnum]

I like my Thore Bros 8'paired to a Shimano 400 Corsair or my loomis 7'10 XH with the Curado 300. Alot depends on the wind what rod I pick up as we primaraly drift fish. The Thorn rod works great for ripping DDD's and other billed cranks as well as Hounds and Wades Wobblers.

[NCLaker]

Thanks for the feedback JRedig & Esox.

The rods you both mentioned may be a little spendy for my current budget. But it sounds like for glide jerkbaits you would recommend a Heavy to XH 7.5-8 foot rod w/ a faster reel. I was a little suprised by the 8ft recommendation, I had assumed a shorter rod would be easier to work the jerkbaits.

[cjmuskie]

I am big fan of suicks and weighted suicks are very easy to run. They are a great fall bait and hang in the water. I just picked up a 10 inch sand cat and they are an awesome bait.

[Esox_Magnum]

Thorne Bros C series rods are under $200. A St Croix can be had for under $200 also. May sound spendy but it sure makes casting enjoyable.

[fishcast]

The rods you both mentioned may be a little spendy for my current budget.

I'm obviously new to the muskie deal since I was asking this question anyways, but I have had a chance to use an unweighted 9" suick with success since I posted this question. All I use is a $30 gander mountain "competitor graphite series" in MH power thats 7ft, with an abu c3 6500 and don't know what more I'd want out of it. I do own some high quality Loomis sticks for other stuff, just don't see the need for it here. Also don't own one but lots of people like shimano compres which are like $100. Just my opinion