Before jerkbaits were developed the old-timers used to cast dead suckers. Some, whom I assume have been out in the sun too long, still do. The late outdoor writer Gordon MacQuarrie used to call them sucker heavers." It was a deadly tactic employed by the strong-of-back, particularly in the fall. It required a fair amount of rigging in order to keep the dead sucker on the hook for repeated casting, and had to be re-rigged many times during the day, as the constant pounding against the water would eventually destroy the sucker if a Musky didn't destroy it first. If you think throwing a five-ounce wood bait all day is tough, try one- to two-pound suckers'.
The term "jerkbait" evolved for this lure type because with true jerkbaits, jerking is what you have to do with the lure after casting it out jerk or pull it. The lure in and of itself has basically no action, with the exception of the rubber baits such as the Bull Dawg or Live Action lures, which have a tail or tails that produce some action should they be retrieved without jerking. For the most part, however, the majority of fish caught on these rubber creations are taken when they are being jerked.
Jerkbaits are in a lure family
that was designed to be jerked by the angler with the intent that the action gained was
that of a wounded or crippled baitfish. The first production models of the jerkbait family
were designed basically to "dive" on the pull and "rise" while the
slack was being taken up by reeling after the pull. This family of dive-and-rise lures
began with an adjustable metal tail that, when bent, would control the degree of dive
angle. The basic concept was that of a wounded baitfish trying to swim down, then floating
back toward the surface when it ran out of energy.
Since the inception of these types of lures in the early 1940s, many new and different models have come on the scene, many of which employ an adjustable metal tail. In addition, other jerkbaits, which fall into a category that is considered more of a "slide-and-glide" type of jerkbait, have taken their place in this lure family. As is the case with the dive-and-rise lures, slide-and glide lures have basically no action except for that imparted by the angler. Some of the developments in this lure group could be considered a "hybrid" between the two, as they can be used in the dive-and-rise style or can be made to slide-and-glide, often within the same retrieve. Regardless of what category they fall into, all have to be jerked by the angler during the retrieve.
Original jerkbaits trace their roots back many generations to the Indian and northwoods guides of Wisconsin, such as Louis St. Germain and Pop and Porter Dean among others, who often had their own version of this type of a lure. These were usually whittled out of a piece of pine or hardwood since there were no production models available to them in the newly developing lake country. Today, however, this lure family embraces several different material types, from various softwoods (pine, balsa, cedar) and hardwoods (maple, cherry, ironwood) to plastic' or foamed plastic and even rubber.
While I have found my best-producing jerkbaits to be made from wood, there are inherent problems with a wood lure. The density of wood varies greatly from the softer outer part of a tree to the denser inner portion of a tree. Some wood lures work better the more water-soaked they get while others cease working as they get water logged. It is a sad day indeed when a favorite loses its magic!
Some, more so than others. just have that certain something that seems to trigger Muskies. While in theory the lures made from plastic or foam should be more consistent, and it is true to some extent that the majority of them from the same mold run similar, it has not been my experience that they are as productive as wood. Plastic baits have the advantage of being able to better hook a Musky as their teeth cannot penetrate the lure's surface as readily as it can with wood, especially the softer woods. I have yet to find a plastic or foam jerkbait that will produce for me like a fine-running wood one will, hence production consistency means nothing to me! However, it is also extremely disappointing to have to purchase a half-dozen or more of a favorite wood lure in order to find just one that works properly, but it can often be worth the cost and effort. The rubber jerkbaits are consistent, and by being so soft, are great hookers as Muskies tend to hang onto them longer than they do with either wood or plastic. I have had a few wood jerkbaits over the years that, could I have "cloned" them, I would be a rich man today…they were that good! There is nothing that can trigger Muskies like a jerkbait, especially when the Muskies are inactive. It is, without fail, my go-to lure when things get tough.
DIVE-AND-RISE JERKBAITS
Development of this type of jerkbait began about 1936 and production began in the early 1940s with what is probably still the top-seller throughout the Musky range today, the Suick. It was developed by Frank Suick of Antigo, Wisconsin, after he watched crippled or dying trout in a pond. He proved this lure's mettle by catching a legal Musky a day, or more. on it for 30 straight days. This lure was followed closely by Appleton, Wisconsin, native Bob Vander Velden's Bobbie Bait. Both have proven their worth during the past half-century and have developed a cult-like following.
Since the development of these two lures, there have been many dive-and-rise lures presented to the marketplace, some of which have become great producers. Some, such as Hi-Fin's Fooler, introduced a stronger improved tail and a rounded back that prevented the lure from staying on its back should it land that way. In addition, its nose can take more abuse than that of some lures. It was a Fooler that accounted for my success in fooling a 44-pound 4-ounce monster from Eagle Lake, Ontario in 1988.
I am not contradicting myself when I say that I consider the dive-and-rise jerkbaits the easiest to use and the hardest to work. While there are some retrieve variations that have been developed by the masters of this jerk-bait type, most of them are in the modifications that they make to their lures that cause them to do things that are not normally found in standard production lures. One dandy jerkbait I observed being used by an expert rocked from side to side as it rose toward the surface. In the ensuing 20-some years since I have yet to duplicate it. It is nearly impossible to fish a dive-and-rise lure wrong if you keep the slack out of the line during the retrieve. This trait makes it fairly easy to use.
Basically, it is just a matter of setting the angle of the adjustable metal tail, casting it out and then pulling the lure toward the boat with a predetermined length of pull and rapidly reeling in the slack between pulls. The pull or jerk causes the lure to dive, with the depth of the dive depending on the tail angle and strength of the pull. It is critical to take up the resultant slack as it is usually during the rise of the lure that the Musky will hit. If the slack is kept out of the line, an instant hookset will be possible upon receipt of a strike.
The length of the pull that you use can be the subject of great debate; however, I have found that whatever the length of pull you practice, keep it consistent for each pull of the retrieve. I suggest this to you because if a Musky is zeroing in on your lure and you are using various pull lengths throughout the retrieve, it is my belief that they will have more difficulty in timing their strike. This can cause a myriad of misses. I have witnessed Muskies missing the lure completely and have many times seen them hit ahead of the lure. I have had the best success when the pull, whether short, medium or long, is consistent.
It is my preference to use shorter pulls when I am using a severe dive angle, medium pulls for mid-depth dive angles, and my longest pulls when I have the tail nearly straight. Often I have done very well using a nearly straight tail when I have a heavy piece of wood, either natural or water logged, or have it weighted. The dive is very minimal, and the lure, once at depth, shoots straight ahead and rises very little between pulls creating more "hang time."
In cool water situations of 50 to 60 degrees, such as are found in the spring, I like the choppy action obtained with a sharp dive angle. By combining short pulls with a steep dive angle, I can keep a lure in a potential strike zone longer with this technique. The lure will dive steeply and then back up to nearly where it was before the pull. I like to use this method when fishing around downed timber, weed edges or small weed beds. It is this sharp dive-and-rise technique that will convince you of my statement that these lures are the hardest to work, as the constant jerking against the pressure of a diving lure will take its toll before the day is done! The rubber jerkbait, such as the Bull Dawg, works in an opposite manner of the wood lure in that it rises on the pull and dives during the slack period, but the weight of the heavier models also takes its toll after a day of casting.
SLIDE-AND-GLIDERS
In cool/cold water temperatures of 45 to 55 degrees in the fall period, I prefer to use
my slide/glide lures. When this slide-and-glide concept of a jerkbait burst on the Musky
scene and was put into production in the 1960s it was an instant success. The design can
be attributed to the late Hayward, Wisconsin, guide Ed Ostling. Following that, Tom
Fudally introduced the Reef Hawg, which is probably the top-selling slide-and-glide bait
in production today, and it too has a cult-like following throughout the Musky range. It
is a rare tackle box that doesn't have a few in 6-, 8- and the new 10-inch sizes. While
primarily used as a glide bait, Reef Hawgs can be used as a dive/rise lure also. It is one
a lure that could actually fall into a "hybrid" class due to this ability. It
has, however, gained its large following primarily as a glide bait. The new glider from
Jerko Lures, while looking somewhat like a small Reef Hawg, has a totally different action
in that it glides faster with less of a pull and it "hangs" after completion of
the slide rather than rising as does the Reef Hawg.
The concept and thinking of the slide-and-glide type of jerkbait vary greatly from the dive-and-rise types. While the dive-and-rise types do basically just that, the slide-and-glide lures move in a side-to-side pattern during the retrieve, and, I believe, the secret of their success is the quick acceleration at the time of the pull, and their slowing deceleration to nearly a stop just before another pull is initiated, sending it scooting off in the opposite direction. The wounded baitfish concept is again at work here, but the movement pattern is much different. It is more like a wounded or dying baitfish swimming on its side in somewhat of a semicircle.
If you are lucky enough to find one of these lures that actually "curves" as it slides, hang on! Due to the fact that this lure type moves much quicker and usually farther after each pull with considerably less effort required by the angler, they are much easier to use for longer lengths of time. This is offset somewhat by the fact that lures that slide-and-glide are heavier to cast than dive-and-rise types. It is this additional weight that helps them to slide farther after the pull and cast easier in a heavy wind. In addition, these lures have no metal tail to cause the lure to dive, and the head is usually rounded which makes them easier to pull through the water. The sudden and instant change of direction, coupled with a longer hang time, will often produce when nothing else will! Keeping the slack out of the line during the retrieve is again, very, very important, both from the standpoint of lure control and hook setting.
You must pay attention to the lure’s movement and be prepared to initiate the next jerk and change of direction as the lure nears the end of the slide. Here again the length of the pull is subject to debate, but more important than the pull length is the timing of the subsequent pulls. Some of these lure types slide farther with less pull effort than others, hence the length of pull can naturally be shorter.
One trick I have yet to see makers of the lures in this family use is a variation on the way they paint them. I am not referring to the multitude of color combinations that are available, but the way that they are painted. Go into any tackle store and look over all of the jerkbaits that are on display and you will find that they are all painted right-side-up. That is, that when the lure is floating in the water, the baitfish being imitated is swimming upright. Isn't the intent of a jerkbait to imitate a wounded or crippled baitfish? If so, why not paint them so that when they are retrieved they appear that way?
In the 1970s, I had the maker of a slide-and-glide bait paint several for me "upside down." In addition to looking more like a crippled or wounded baitfish, it resulted in my being able to follow the lure's progress under water because I could see the normally white underbelly much easier than I could see the dark back if it were in the normal upright position. Some Musky hunters I know have compensated for this visibility problem by putting a "racing stripe" of a white or light color down the middle of the lure's back, but the lure still appears upright to the fish.
In addition to the upside down paint job on my gliders I like the fact that if the lure is rolling properly on the retrieve, the flash created by contrasting light/dark colors on my lure contribute to their success. This is not obtained on lures of one solid color. The possible exception to this rule would be the use of an all-black lure. Black is, of course, the accepted night color, but for reasons known only to the Muskies, I have also had success with all-black during a bright midday sun. At a recent Musky show I saw the handiwork of a lure maker who had painted a dive-and-rise lure to appear like a baitfish that was on its side when the lure was placed in the water. Perhaps a "sideways" paint job would be even better than the upside down one!
In 1996, I was lucky to have found at a flea market two original Eddie Ostling-made Eddie Baits that had been painted upside down. It was something whose existence I was unaware of, and they were probably prototypes as I have never seen another. I am both happy and sad to tell you that one of them was my top Musky producer for that year until it was used and hit so much that it finally lost its magic.
EQUIPMENT
I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the other critical components of jerkbait success: rod, line and leaders. As for rods, the primary criterion is that it must be stiff enough to move a large/heavy lure through a Musky's mouth once it clamps down on it. Length will vary by an individual's size and preference, especially since boats vary in the distance the casting platform is from the water. Too long is worse than too short. There are many jerkbait-style rods on the market today, and I don't think you will have any trouble finding one that will do the job for you.
I don't intend to get into a long dissertation about lines. If you use any other than non-stretch line such as Dacron or one of the new superlines, you will, sooner or later, lose a big fish! I've "been-there-done-that" with monofilament. The Muskies have taught me a hard lesson. Don't do it! Be aware of over-setting if you chose one of the super lines. They have absolutely no stretch, and setting too hard may open a hole in the Musky's mouth that could allow the hook to fall out later.
When it comes to leaders, the simplest thing for me to tell you is use one! I have watched as razor-edged teeth have sheared right through a double line of 36-pound test! You might get away without a leader for a while, but it just isn't worth taking the chance on losing a fish of a lifetime. Watching your lure float up after the line has been cut is a sickening feeling. Some slide-and-glide lures come with a solid wire leader attached. On most lures made today, that leader is merely a token as they do not do what was originally intended - keep the leader away from the hooks as the lure slides. If you have a solid leader attached to your slide-and-glide baits, hold the lure's nose straight up and if the leader falls back into the hooks, you will likely waste many valuable casts and spend a subsequent amount of time untangling a mess. To keep the leader out of the hooks, the rounded head and small or countersunk screw eye on the front of the lure should combine to keep the leader at an angle that prevents its lying back into the hooks. I suggest that you use a solid wire leader with all jerkbaits, and that it be at least as long as the lure itself.
A new leader made by Wisher Lure Company is the only leader type I use on my jerkbaits. It has no snaps nor swivels and is connected to the lure via a loop with a smooth round bend that, after running through the attaching eye of the lure, is fastened back to itself by a very small coiled spring that screws down over the tag end of the loop.
In looking over past and current lure catalogs and searching my memory, I found no fewer than 32 different lure names that fall into this jerkbait family. Most of these are currently available and I am confident that there are a few that I missed! Is it that everyone wants to be a lure maker, or is it that this lure type is so deadly that many Musky hunters have tried to come up with an even better "Musky trap?"