In Need Of Jerkbait Tips

Hi everyone I'm thinking about picking up some jerk baits and rod this summer and I've got a few questions any info would be much appreciated.
1. Which rod should I go for? (recently unemployed so on a tight budget)
2. Do you need a solid jerk trace? If so which ones?
3. Whats the best way to fish them?
4. Which lures should I go for? (same situation as 1)
5. Which reel/line should I get?
Can't think of anything else just now but I'm pretty sure there'll be more so don't say I didn't warn you!! Lol.

1. Jerkbait rods are personal but I advise you not to buy one unless you've had it in your hand first. Go for short (less than 6ft 6in) and stiff with a slightly tippy action but above all, get a light one.
2. Not necessarily but you won't go wrong with a solid Titanium leader, it's last a very long time.
3. Different lures are fished in different ways, not possible to answer this I'm afraid.
4. You won't go far wrong if you start off with Salmo Sliders and Burts, get a small selection of both.
5. I use Abu Ambassadeur 6501 or 5501 loaded with 100lb Power Pro.

Rods are very subjective as are the lures so be warned its a minefield.
second hand rods are a good starting point as people upgrade from standard ones like the daiwas to higher end versions like lumbys and st croix.
two i use are the nash jerkbait rods and sledgehammer from lumby. The nash are quite tippy so make light work of slack line management(more about this in a bit) the sledgehammer is more of a through action and makes life easier with big lures say above 5 ounces.
Ti traces although expensive are the best by far lumby and chico both sell them.
lures where to begin?

Ill start with essentialy there are only two basic types which basically go:-
side to side called glide baits


up and down called pull baits/dive rise/chop baits

Glide baits work by giving them a tap or pull snd then as they swing to the side essentially your lure is on a slack line the slacker the wider the glide, if you dont allow sny slack and just wind the lure in you get a fairly sinuous motion out of most lures.

Pullbaits are more awkward to talk through. Simply if you think of a saws teeth that is the action they give. Sinking versions rise on the pull sink on the pause and floating versions do the opposite. Lots of soft plastic lures fall into this category bulldawgs etc.

There are a few other traits to look for some lures can be described as erratic in that they can be made to go all over the place(good in open water not what you want if your tryingto curve a glidebait around a bit of strucrure)
the black and red shallow invader isnt erratic but shoulkd be considered with cranks

Depth control this is the most crucial thing in my mind and why things like dawgs replicants etc are so popular. If on your water fish are happily sitting in an old stream bed 20ft down then fishing lures that only go to 5ft isnt going to be much use, likewise fish suspending at5ft over 30ft of water wont be takinga lure run along the bottom.
crankbaits simple buy a few big minnows bomber magnum long a is as good as it gets and they are cheap, flat sided baits like grandmas jakes shallowraiders are also worth trying but not everyone likes them as casting lures

topwaters come in a few flavours:-
Walk the dog which works in a zigzag pattern
poppers have a cupped section on the face and by jerking them they pop
prop styles have a blade on them which rotates this can be at thehead tail or a loose one at either or both ends of the lure
crawlers look like a crankbait and are usually multisectioned things.


soft plastics are a minefield but if you stick to two types to start with its simpler paddle tail and grubtail which brands you opt for is up to you but think about buying unrigged ones as well as the ready rigged versions cough super sandra cough



Colour well keep it simple and rather than look at all the permutations think instead of shade and pattern, are firetiger and chartruese that different in actual colour or would it bebetter buying one of those and a perch pattern that has big bold stripes.

Best advise i can give is dont buy lots of different lures but get a couple of different types of each and learn how they work over a few trips.
many people are surprised by my lures as i have relativly few styles but lots of those in particular that i do like.




Braid buy heavy i use 0.50mm stuff from penn and daiwa powerpro is good but id bought loads of the others and as yet don't need to buy anymore
Reels abus are the standard choice but dont discount daiwa (proteus)or shimanos like the old corsair iuse both and some quantums as well. Abus are easier to source spares for but are more likely to need bits relpacing.

Cheers guys plenty of info for me to digest. It seems like i might have to leave the jerkbaiting till i get a job had a look online and in tackle shops and to get just a fairly basic package put together is way over my budget just now. At least now i'll have more time to do some research.

Sorry to hijack this thread (well rejuvenate it really) but ive gone and splurged out on a jerkbait rod n reel its an abu garcia silvermax, however I cant see anything on the rod regards casting weights etc. Im just dying to get out down the canal and try it out but I dont want to be getting birdsnests and tangles because im using too light or too heavy lures. Any ideas?

no idea about the rod but the reel usually gets slated sorry
http://www.abugarcia.com/products/combos/low-profile-baitcast-reel-combos/silver-max-combo

thats not it in the pic? Mine is a whole lot smaller and is attached to a 6ft baitcasting rod. Ill try and get a pic up.

dont know what im on about der. That is the one I just thought it looked bigger in the pic tis all. I dont think its had a slating as such, more good than bad. I tried it out yesterday and I suppose I will get the hang of it sooner or later lol. Didnt catch owt either...