Jerkbait / Minnow Lure

Jerkbait minnow and lipless jerkbait

In this category of lures, we find the jerkbait minnow which is a hardbait with a bill imitating a small baitfish (forage fish). These two lures are perfect for freshwater predators. This lure has different densities (floating, suspending, or sinking). As its name implies it is a jerk bait lure, which is retrieved by small jerks of the rod tip. The goal is to throw the bait off balance, make it look like an injured minnow, like those targeted by predators in the middle of a school. The jerkbait minnow offers different depths of action to adapt to the fishing environment and the season. Now let's talk about the different jerkbait minnows from the surface to the sinking models, so you can choose the best lure for your fishing area. Jerkbait fishing is a technique that aims at emulating the random and erratic swimming motion of a baitfish in distress. Its primarly a winter technique and depends on good water clarity and long casts.

Lipped hardbait, wich density to choose?

First, in this type of lure, we choose different parameters to adapt to the fish: short lip or long lip, density, size of the lure, and sound/silence. The floating jerkbait is the most classic model, which has the particularity of rising to the surface when paused. This vision of a prey rising to the surface is perceived as a dying fish, which game fish easily find. A lipped jerkbait, like the crankbait, can overcome an obstacle when paused.

It's one of the best lures for spring and summer fishing when the fish are active and often suspended at mid-depth.A suspending jerkbait minnow sits in the water column when paused. It offers a natural presentation most effective for fishing in clear waters or in case of strong fishing pressure. The typical retrieve consists in making two ample pulls of the rod, called jerk or jerking, then a pause for a short moment. Note that we lengthen the pause as soon as the water temperature drops, to match the behavior of baitfish in winter.

Finally, the jerkbait minnow allows the best casting distances thanks to its high density. It is a technical lure, which allows using the countdown method until hitting the bottom, to determine the depth of the water.  A trick, for winter pike fishing or zander fishing, is to remove two seconds from the total number of seconds until it touches the bottom, in order to make it swim just off the bottom. In conclusion, with three densities of jerkbait minnow, we are able to adapt to different conditions. It is ideal for enclosed waters; ponds and reservoirs, as well as whitewater such as rivers and streams.

Jerkbait long bill minnow: a great diver for any game fish!

First of all, what characterizes this type of lure is the length of its lip. You can find long bill minnow on most jerkbait sizes. From trout fishing to extreme pike fishing in winter, long bill models are versatile! This hardbait is offered in two densities: floating or suspending. It can be used with regular or moderate-fast casting rods, to fish for a long time without getting tired. The best retrieve with a long bill minnow is linear, twitching and jerking.

A twitch or twitching is a short-stroke of 3 to 8 cm, the jerk or jerking is a wide stroke of 30 cm to 1 M. These two retrieves are used alternatively with a linear retrieve giving life to the lure.  The fishing technique on zones from 1 m to 2m50 is simply to reel it in until it hits the bottom. Then we pause for about 2 to 3 seconds then just give it a couple of twitches and reel in the slack line. The lure is off-balance, moving a few centimeters from the bottom, this is the most frequently fished depth for zander and pike in winter.  In another situation, if you want to fish mid-depth, test the lure performance in front of you to evaluate the time needed to reach 1 meter deep.

Then it’s just a matter of dividing by 2 the number of seconds it took to reach the bottom, in order to prospect the median water depth. This mid-depth is great for the summer periods when the fish are suspended. If you fish in rivers, you can stop the lure halfway through on a tight line to take advantage of the current to let it swim alone.  In conclusion, the long bill minnow is complementary to the crankbait deep diver, this one can be twitched or jerked, presenting a slender profile of bleak or roach.

Jerkbait lipless / lipless jerkbait : a jerkbait for pike fishing !

First of all, we distinguish the lipless jerkbait from the jerkbait minnow, by its absence of bill, it is a lure of bigger size, the smallest models are 120 millimeters.  This lure is designed for pike fishing but works very well for summer catfish fishing in shallow areas. This lure is used with a casting set, composed of a nylon line body which allows keeping some stretch. You should never fish with a lipless jerkbait with braid because the lack of stretch could cause breaking of the line when the braid gets stuck in the reel or on a violent strike. The typical retrieve of this lure is jerking, we throw the lure at a good distance then we make two strokes of 30 to 80 cm.

This has the effect of making the lure move from left to right like a panic-stricken fish in flight. These lures are most of the time suspending, when you stop they remain suspended mid-depth right in front of fish chasing. With this lure, we have a tool design for covering water efficiently. It is used in open water but its effectiveness is increased tenfold along the banks for the search of big pikes.  These lures are equipped with steel balls that provoke a dull snap, voluntarily developed to target the big pikes with a sound that calls fish from far.

In conclusion, the pike jerkbait is a lure without a bill, large size, which can be used all year round with a predilection for cold water fishing for pike.