Just learning the jerkbait, and been using a mojo bass 6' 8" med, fast action.
Wanting to build a dedicated jerk bait rod, what action dose everyone use for hard jerkbaits.
Any blank suggestions would be appreciated. thanks

I am very happy with the fast action St. Croix-SCV70MF I built as a dedicated jerkbait rod. Rod Geeks cut three inches off the but for me and that keeps me from slapping the water with a 12-6 jerking action. This blank is rated for 6-12lb test and 3/16-5/8 ounce casting weights. This is right in the wheelhouse of what I throw. The tip is firm enough to move them well and the rod has enough give to keep fish pinned on small trebles. I use 10lb fluorocarbon and it really casts well with these baits. I tend to think people use too heavy of line and then too heavy of rods. If you throw bigger than 110’s or work through vegetation, my formula could be challenged a little.

I don't have any specific blank to suggest. If you can you use a 6'8" for a jerk bait rod, you must be pretty tall. I'm 5'10" and would be slapping water, the boat and possibly myself trying to work a jerkbait with that long of a rod. Most average height anglers use a 6'6" to 7"2 rod. I use a 7'0" myself. But, other than the length, he main thing, IMO, is keep it to a medium powered rod with a fast action tip. The faster action will make it easier to control the movement of the lure and, as Kendall stated, the medium power will have more give, to aid in keeping the inconsiderate beast from throwing your lure. Thus, costing him/her, and you, from exchanging salutations in the boat.

Edit: This post makes no sense. My brain communicated 7’8”, although you, and I too, typed 6’8”. My brain does strange things at times. Lol



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2023 08:33PM by Daryl Ferguson.

I just bought a PB691MXF Pointblank at the Expo today and am planning to build it into a jerkbait setup. Several other threads on here have good things to say about that blank for that application. After holding one today I'm thinking should do quite nicely as a jerkbait setup. [pointblankrods.com]

I'm 6'-4" and my son is 6'-2" so I'm thinking the 6'-9" length blank should be about right for us.

The PB691MXF was the other blank I considered. The deciding factor for me was simply that I knew how the characteristics of the St. Croix-SCV, fast action blanks much better than I did the Point Blank, extra-fast action blanks.

The first rod I ever built was a dedicated jerkbait rod. I'm a touch under 5'8" and I wanted a rod with a finished length of 6' to avoid slapping the water, and the gunwales of my boat, with the rod tip. To me, jerkbaits are a bit of a different animal than other treble hooked lures like crankbaits, in that you need a fast action rod so it has the tip to work a bait hard when needed, yet soft enough in the mid and lower sections of the rod, to keep fish hooked on smaller treble hooks, buttoned up.

I had met a rod builder that lived in my area and started talking to him about what kind of characteristics I was looking for in the rod. I later found out that he is a member of this web site. Joe Vanfossen. He suggested using the philosophy of buying a blank longer than I wanted the finished rod to be, and then trimming length off the butt to slow the blanks action, and lessen its' power. Initially I was going to have Joe build the rod for me, but in talking with him I got so excited about the possibilities that building your own rods presented, that I decided to build the rod myself.

I can never thank Joe enough for the time he took with me. He is a great guy, and has what I think is an excellent understanding of what goes into a good rod. Anyhow ..... I went with the above philosophy with the two dedicated jerkbait rods I've built. I used an MHX SJ783 blank trimmed down to 6' for that first jerkbait rod. Initially I thought it was exactly what I needed, but after fishing it, I found that it was too stiff in the mid and lower sections of the rod. I could work a bait any way I needed to, but I lost a lot of fish on it. The second rod I ever built was a 6' mod fast action crankbait rod that I use for throwing squarebills in and around wood cover, and I started using it as my jerkbait rod. It too was built using the philosophy outlined above. It ended up working really well for keeping fish on, but lacked a bit in the ability to really work the bait hard, when needed. The tip just wasn't responsive enough, so a couple of years ago I built a new jerkbait rod. I used the same philosophy of trimming a longer blank, The blank my latest jerkbait rod is built on is a Rainshadow REVS68ML blank. I think I finally have exactly what am looking for in a jerkbait rod.

I trimmed 7" off the butt of the blank and its' bend profile matches the profile of the squarebill rod perfectly when under a full CCS defined load, but the tip section is more responsive. The 6'1" length of the rod limits the distance I cast with it, not because I can't cast far with it, I have it paired with a Shimano SLX 70 MGL reel and 10# Tatsu fluorocarbon line. It will bomb baits the size of MB 110 Visions, but the length limits hook setting ability at distance so I keep my longest casts to around 70' or so. I am really happy with how it performs working a bait and keeping fish on.

I did CCS tests on the rod when done and it has an IP of 433 grams, with an AA of 70 - 71. I'm very happy with it. It's much much better than my first attempt at a jerkbait rod. As a matter of fact, I will be using it today as I plan on hitting a local lake for some early season bass. That's if the wind doesn't blow me off the lake.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2023 07:00AM by David Baylor.

PB691MXF is spot on.

The MHX Elite NMB812XF, NMB862, and NMB862XF all make great jerkbait rods, depending on the length desired.

I prefer the longer blanks, but I work a jerkbait with the rod held somewhat horizontally.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I take it about everybody likes an XF action, I will take a look at all the ones mentioned

Another option would be a RodGeeks B368MXF, B466MF or a B266MF.

I’m using a 6’6” Med-Fast rod and find the action to be perfect as I prefer a softer tip to avoid pulling the bait.

Mike Colley Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I take it about everybody likes an XF action…

There can be quite a variance in the tapers of XF actions. Some have a bit of a soft tip and then lock up hard. Some are more progressive, but “stiff” in how they flex. I like the fast actions for jerkbaits in the absence of knowing if a specific XF blank has the proper characteristics. The Point Blank one is probably the XF exception I would personally make as there are reviews by people who actually use it with JB’s. Other XF blanks are probably going to work better when butt cut to slow rear and midsections down a bit. If you find an XF blank without firsthand experience, or a flex chart, or JB specific reviews, I’d leave it alone. The St. Croix fast blank I chose was near to other of their rods I own. I found good reviews of the next heavier blank in that series being used with heavier JB’s than I usually throw. There is a fine line between a good jerkbait rod and one that is a real pain.

Mike Colley Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I take it
> about everybody likes an XF action, I will take a
> look at all the ones mentioned

A lot depends on the retrieve style. I like a fast action because (just like walking a spook), I impart the action with a bit of hair of the slack in the line. That said, I could work with a moderate action rod too. I’d just change my retrieve a bit. It also depends on the specific lure. Not all jerkbaits are fished the same, at least not for me.

Also, just food for thought, but I sometimes tie my jerkbait on one of my spinning rods. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it. :)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2023 08:38PM by Daryl Ferguson.

Rod geeks B468MMH or a NFC 703 Med Fast. I built both as casting rods and they are perfect jerkbait rods. The Rod geeks has more power, both have perfect action to work the bait and keep the fish hooked.

The MHX SJ781 and 782 make great jerkbait rods for smaller stuff. And from reading David's post, sounds like their SJ783 is also a good choice for alittle more power.
St croix/Rodgeeks spinning 66MF has always been a really good choice too. If ya need alittle more power and or throwing larger jerks the casting version 66MF, although it sounds like that's what your using now. I personally never liked the scv68MXF for jerkbaits but I know guys who like it.

As a side note... I was always curious how the hydra blanks designed for jerkbaits/topwaters performed ....but doesn't look like they are offered anymore, the specs look right and were labled fast action. I have an older kistler rod I rebuilt that was their jerkbait/topwater rod. Very unique actioned med powered blank (its labled mod fast but its just different) that works well for certain jerkbait techniques. I don't use it for aggressive retrieves more of a finesse retrieve with jerks 7/16oz- 5/8oz. and deeper diving baits like a staysee

Matt, I lost a lot of fish on the jerkbait rod I built on the SJ783, and as I mentioned above, I took 6" off the butt of the blank and it still didn't have enough flex into the lower part of the blank for my liking.

I ended up giving that rod to a guy a work with. He uses it for spinnerbaits to 3/8 oz, and for Fluke style jerkbaits and says it fishes those really well. Even in its' trimmed down state, it's a blank that I think is better suited for single hook baits.

I set my PB691mxf as a spinning rod. It is in my opinion a do all rod for me. I use it for wacky rigs , tubes, and no. 5 countdown Rapalas but it really shines as a jerk bait rod for smallies.

David Baylor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Matt, I lost a lot of fish on the jerkbait rod I
> built on the SJ783, and as I mentioned above, I
> took 6" off the butt of the blank and it still
> didn't have enough flex into the lower part of the
> blank for my liking.
>
> I ended up giving that rod to a guy a work with.
> He uses it for spinnerbaits to 3/8 oz, and for
> Fluke style jerkbaits and says it fishes those
> really well. Even in its' trimmed down state, it's
> a blank that I think is better suited for single
> hook baits.

That’s what I get for skim reading lol. Just reread. I have heard that’s a beefy blank

It’s refreshing to see more threads about building better performing fishing rods. I’m interested in learning what makes a rod work well for any technique or circumstance. Even if it’s ones that I'm never going to try, figuring out the parameters adds to a better understanding of the ones I do use. Jerkbait rods are almost backwards in flex characteristics compared to many rods, yet they work so wonderfully. I used to jerk with rods with too soft of tips. I now do much better without getting worn down. I seldom lost fish with the moderate tipped rod, but I wanted to be done in half an hour.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2023 09:21AM by Kendall Cikanek.

Kendall,

I agree 100% with your take on the curiosity around learning what exactly makes a rod work well for one purpose or another.

For example, I've know about CCS for decades, but only more recently did the tests on all of my rods. What I learned was a better understanding of why one rod was my favorite for jigs, and another a favorite for jerkbaits, etc. Even though I could use both for either technique within reason, CCS started to form a picture in my understanding of what power and action Numbers mean for how I use my rods for a specific purpose.

And there is a lot more to learn from CCS data ahead of me. CCS will allow me to test the tip section of a blank relative to the whole length. Very useful info for techniques where the tip section plays an outsized role relative to the rest of the rod. Soft, short tip with high AA? Med. soft, longer tip with a little less AA? I can measure it and know the difference.

The lengthy threads on TNF also indicated there is a great deal of hunger for understanding how rods are made, their characteristics, and how we as the end-user evaluate them. More numbers to examine and consider.

It would be curious to know, in this Jerkbait rod discussion, if the CCS numbers show a relatively consistent group of action and power numbers. Anecdotally, it seems there are correlations around power and action as the group of fisherfolk have described above.

Equally interesting to me is how the anomalies to the pattern figure in, too. There is always that exception to the rule out there. Why does that rod work, too?

I've fished jerkbaits with all types of actions (yes we bass fish in the NW) and I'm just not a fan of XF action for jerks. I can almost pick my winning jerkbait blank on tip size and power alone. For me it's M or ML power with 5.0-5.5 tip. Any smaller tip size and the bait doesn't seem to dart like I want it to.
A lesser but valid consideration in my opinion is recovery rate. It's nice to have something mid-modulus or better for good recovery in the mid-section after the jerk/bounce. Rainshadow Immortal RX8 models: IMMS72M and ML built in casting are good. Don't be afraid to trim butt section to suit, and INCREMENTALLY trim the tip back 1/2" (trim, flex, repeat) until you get that magic tip. Like I said, for me it's 5.0-5.5. That range pushes my desired jerkbait flex back into what I consider the "right" part of the rod for the application.

-Geoff