I am so pumped to be talking to you about this one today because it is timely, it’s the perfect time of year for this technique. We’re talking jerkbaits. Yep! One of the best lures out there for getting reaction bites. And today, I’m going to show you how to modify your jerkbait to catch more fish.
Now let’s start with the basics. A jerkbait is one of those lures that just triggers fish. It’s that erratic side-to-side movement…boom boom boom…that gets those fish to follow. And the pause… oh man, that pause is where the magic happens. The fish is watching, he’s following, and then the bait does something. That’s when he bites!
So today, I’m giving you three easy modifications you can make to your jerkbait to make it do exactly what you want it to do on the pause.
Modification 1: Get That Jerkbait to Rise
Let’s say you want your jerkbait to slowly float upward on the pause. That’s a killer move when you’re fishing above submerged grass—milfoil, hydrilla, coontail—all that good stuff. I love fishing lanes above that grass. When I jerk it, pause it, and it starts to float up? Fish can’t resist.
So how do we do it? Simple. Change your line! If you’re using fluorocarbon, switch to monofilament. Mono floats. And that means when you pause the bait, the line actually helps lift it. I love Berkley Trilene Sensation in 12- or 14-pound test. Tie that mono straight to your baitcaster, and you’ve got a slow-rising jerkbait.
Perfect time to use this? When the water’s warming up in spring. Rising water = rising bait. It just matches what’s happening in nature.
Mod 2: Keep It Suspended
Now sometimes you want that bait to just hang there, perfectly still. That’s called suspending, and some jerkbaits like the Berkley Stunna 112 or 112+1 do this right out of the package. Just tie it on with fluorocarbon and it’s gonna sit there suspended; no rising, no sinking.
That can be a great option when the water temp is stable; not warming, not cooling. In those conditions, a true suspender works great. But I’ll be honest with you, this is the one I use the least. Why? Because sometimes a motionless bait just doesn’t get bit. I want that bait to do something on the pause. So I usually end up tweaking it just a little.
Mod 3: Make It Sink!
Here’s my favorite one, getting the bait to sink! This is a killer trick. When that fish is watching and you stop the bait, and it starts sinking away like it’s trying to escape? Game over. That fish has to eat it.
Perfect for cold fronts or when fish are holding deep, like 10 or 12 feet down, and your regular jerkbait just won’t reach ‘em.
Here’s how you do it:
Step 1: Change the front belly treble hook. Most jerkbaits come with three #6 hooks. I swap that front one (closest to the bill) with a #4. Why? Two reasons: one, it adds weight and two, it makes the bait sink nose-down, which looks like it’s diving away.
Step 2: Add a suspend strip or lead tape. Just peel a little strip and stick it right on the bottom of the bait’s throat, starting at the hook hanger and wrapping just a little onto the lip. You can even use golf club lead tape,it works great!
With just those two modifications you can make the bait sink slowly or even a little faster, depending on how much weight you add. And that sink-away move? Man, it fools a ton of fish.
Final Thoughts
Guys, 80% of the time, I’m modifying my jerkbaits to either float or sink. Because on that pause, I want something to happen. I want that bait to look like it’s getting away. That’s what makes fish commit.
If you’re using forward-facing sonar, these tricks are gonna help you a ton. You can count your bait down to those deeper fish, and watch how they react. A suspended bait might just sit there and get ignored but a bait rising or sinking? That fish eats it.
Try these mods. You’re gonna catch more fish. I promise.
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