For soft minnow-shape jerkbaits, wide-gap thin gauge hooks like Eagle Claw’s Lazer Sharp Wide Gap Worm (L7013RG) and Gamakatsu’s EWG work fine, in sizes from 1/0 to 4/0. New options include Daiichi’s CopperHead hook, with a coil device that screws into the nose of the lure to hold it securely; and Owner’s TwistLock, with a center pin as well as a spring to hold softbaits.
There’s no question that weightless rigging allows the bait to behave at its most lifelike and erratic. It lands with a splat that may arouse interest in nearby bass, and they often eat it right away.
With just a hook, the jerk glides off to one side, while the slightest tipping of the rod or flicking of slack line causes it to veer off in another direction. This change of direction is a natural strike trigger, and few baits make it so easy to impart.
Jighead Jerkbaits: For working deeper, impaling a soft jerk on a ballhead jig is effective, and often the first option for fishing tailrace areas or deep spots. Berkley’s Realistix PowerBait Minnows come rigged with a ballhead jig. For other models, select heads with long enough hook shanks to allow good hook-ups. For reaching deep-holding bass in summer or winter, vertically jigging a leadhead-jerkbait combo can be effective for all species of bass, and more.
Careful boat control lets you watch the action on the sonar screen as you tweak the lure and try to tempt visible bass to strike. In clear waters, depths beyond 20 feet are often required to avoid spooking fish. In darker water, you can perch above shallower fish without alarming them.
Drop-shottin’ Jerkbaits: The quivering tail action of soft jerks is magnified when the lure is nose-hooked and hung on a drop-shot rig. With a baitholder hook in the snout, shaking the rig makes the minnow dance like Irene Cara. This rig excels for steep vertical structure, but also is deadly on deep flats that stretch from the base of deep weedlines, in depths from 17 to 22 feet or so.
Weighted Hooks: Bass pro Dave Lefebre reveals that one of his secrets for fishing soft jerkbaits a bit deeper is wrapping Storm SuspenStrips around the hook shank. “Casting soft jerks can seem like a simple presentation,” Lefebre says, “and at times it is. But the exact depth to work the lure and its rate of fall can be the critical difference between catching a few fish and having a banner day. I often add from one-half to three SuspenStrips to the hook, depending on the depth of cover and the attitude of the fish.
“On a Super Fluke, I use a Gamakatsu 4/0 Round Bend offset-shank hook. Its long shank gives great hookups and there’s plenty of room to add lead, when needed. It’s critical to keep the bait falling exactly horizontal, however, so you have to experiment a bit with placement. To weight with two strips, place them side by side and, for three, wrap strips next to each other with an additional half strip on each side. Sometimes adding a touch of red or chartreuse to the strips with dye seems to help.”
