Lew’s pro Kevin VanDam has nearly perfected the art of jerkbait fishing and provides all the tips and tricks needed to maximize action when fishing a jerkbait.
“I learned early on just how effective a jerkbait can be,” says VanDam. When fishing with a jerkbait, KVD focuses on creating erratic action, never allowing it to go to the same place twice. The largest part of accomplishing that is ensuring that you have the right equipment.
“The most important part of fishing a jerkbait, I think, is the rod,” shares KVD. The rods he prefers have shorter handles, a longer rod length, and graphite material with an extra fast tip and sturdy backbone. “The rod is so critical in maximizing the action of that jerkbait,” shares KVD.
There is one huge mistake that VanDam sees anglers make most often when fishing a jerkbait – not having enough slack in their line. Constantly reeling while jerking and keeping the line tight does not allow the bait to have the typical side-to-side, erratic travel. “I never pull the jerkbait toward the boat with the reel, it’s always worked with the rod with the slack in the line and I just use the reel to pick up that slack line,” KVD says.
KVD Bait Suggestion:
VanDam prefers a faster gear ratio when fishing with a jerkbait, and his top choice is the KVD Baitcast Reel with a 7.5:1 gear ratio. It provides the right speed and cadence for him to work the jerkbait most efficiently.
KVD Reel Suggestion:
Another key factor when fishing a jerkbait is having the correct line. “To me, using fluorocarbon is a critical component of fishing a jerkbait,” KVD says. It does not stretch very much and is nearly invisible to bass, even in larger sizes. Pick your size of line based on the depth that you are trying to achieve. The deeper you go, the smaller the line. “I really like to go to 12 lb. or above. If you go less than that, you just start getting enough stretch in it that it hurts the overall action of the bait. My favorite is 14 lb. – I use 14 lb. an awful lot. It really makes that bait jump, even on a long cast into the wind,” shares KVD.
“Having the right equipment when you’re fishing a jerkbait is the difference between catching a few, and catching a bunch,” KVD says.
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