Before we begin, let me just state one thing for the record: I am not employed nor do I have any investments or relationships with any soft jerkbait related manufactures or companies. I say this because this entire text might be confused with an info-merical otherwise. With that out of the way I'm going to make another bold statement: Without a doubt jerkbaits are the BEST artificial lures I have ever used for catching gamefish - period! No if's and's or but's about it! In fact they work so well, I'm amazed I caught anything before I learned about them. Just about everything and anything that swims will hit a soft jerkbait: I've gotten Jacks, Tarpon, Snook, Redfish, Trout, Cobia, Barracuda, Sharks, Jewfish, Black Drum, Flounder, Bass (both Peacock and Largemouth) to eat a soft jerkbait. In fact this style lure is SO good, I've gotten an inshore "Grand Slam" on it alone in one day on several occasions! Plus in catches BIG fish - to date some of my largest Trout, Redfish and Snook have all come on soft jerkbaits. Amazing but true, so read on...

Now for a quick history lesson: soft jerkbaits got their start back in the 70s when professional Bass tournaments become popular. This was shortly after then general plastic (rubber) worm became such a hit and standard equipment for this new trend of sport-fishing for money. A few anglers started throwing worms without the sinker in the front and starting catch big Bass with ease. So, along came a company called "Lunker City" that developed a long, thick, but straight worm that was made from lighter plastic and designed to float on the surface. Thus the "Slug-Go" lure was born and the world has never been the same since. OK maybe that was a little over dramatic, but in some ways it's totally true. For more info go to http://www.lunkercity.com/slughist.html

I was first introduced to this bait myself in the late 80s when I fished with a local Bass club in a series of Pro-Am B.A.S.S. Federation tournaments. One of our members (Tom was his name) could not catch a nice stringer of Bass to save his life (poor guy). He always placed last in our tournaments on various lakes in Central and South Florida. Well one day he was fishing on Lake Kississeeme with highly skilled angler named Joe (at the time Joe was ranked 3rd in the state of Florida in BASS Federation points). They were working some shallow reeds along the shore when Joe started throwing a 7" Gold Pepper Slug-Go on a 5/0 hook, almost immediate Joe started hooking huge Bass cast after cast. He gave a handful of these "new" baits to Tom and they both went to town on the fish. Later at the weigh-in Tom put his winning limit of Bass on the scale and it dipped to around 28lbs! That's 5 fish, each over 5lbs a piece from a guy that normally could not catch a cold. From that moment on I knew these baits were something special.

However, my real love for these odd floating worms did not come until many months later while fishing with a guide named Capt John Cooper in the Ten Thousands Islands area of SW Florida. I had gotten plenty of Bass on Slug-Gos but really only considered them a freshwater bait at the time, but within a few casts that morning things would all change... and I have never been the same since! Capt. John saw the soft jerkbait rigged on my rod and mentioned that several guides recommend Snook fishing with them in the mangrove tangles back in the endless hidden bays and coves of the Everglades and surrounding islands. He asked me to show him how the lure worked since he was not Bass fisherman. So I made a few casts to demonstrate as we fished a small group of trees, some seawalls and docks near Port of the Islands in the early morning fog. Almost immediate I hooked a nice 5lb Jack, then another and then another. Next a small Shark attempted to eat the silly plastic bait. Then it happened... a huge 70lb Tarpon exploded on the jerkbait. Capt. John's mouth hit the floor and I needed to change my shorts! This lure was beyond special, it had almost magical powers to attract fish!

I have several ideas on why soft jerkbaits work so well and why gamefish find them so irresistible: 1) They have no built-in pattern or set action. So just like a real fish, they dart from side-to-side, sometimes down and sometimes up to the surface or even completely out of the water when they move. This rapid, random change of direction signals or indicates to other fish that the moving object must be alive. 2) They have a soft, life-like texture and natural look to them. Their profile matches most baitfish shapes like minnows, shad, mullet and/or needlefish. Most lures look fake really, they have hooks hanging from them and strange markings, plastic lips and other odd things, but not jerkbaits. This almost "plain" look makes them blend into the natural surroundings and simply looks to good to be true. Combine that with the fact that the hook is totally hidden and thus the bait is 100% weedless and you have a sure winner. 3) They swim just below the surface - not on top like a topwater, but not diving down like crankbait either. One day it final dawned on me why this is so important - you see, most baitfish swim just below the surface - in fact they always seem to be between 3 and 6 inches under regardless of water depth. Why? Well if you have ever looked up while diving you know why. The surface of the water from below looks like a mirror, (just like it does when viewed from above) due to it's surface tension and way it bends/reflects light. Thus a bait swimming a few inches below the surface creates a reflection above and slightly offset to one side of it's real position. This creates a confusing image to a gamefish attacking from below. So as crazy as it sounds... the clear, open surface water is actually a hiding place for baitfish and the soft jerkbait works it's magic right in this special zone created by this mirror effect.

So you ask, how do I rig this magical, catch-all, amazing lure? ...well just follow these steps and note the diagram below. If you know how to rig a weedless Texas-style plastic worm for Bassin' your all set, this is the same procedure: You can find a nice set of instuctions and pictures at http://lunkercity.com/sal2.html
1) Start by choosing the proper hook. Trust me I've tried lots of hooks and the BEST I've found that are Lunker City's Texaposer style which was designed for the original Slug-Go bait - after all they invented this style of lure so they should know. These hooks have a wide-gap and the hook point/barb is parallel to the top of the bait once it's rigged. This way you can skin hook them with the point of the hook just under the plastic - it's totally weedless but still provides excellent hook-ups. Match the hook size to the bait your fishing (more on this selection process below). For 4" baits the 1/0 size works well and for the larger 6" baits move up to the 3/0 or even 4/0 or 5/0 sizes for bigger fish. Do not over look the smaller models however, keep in mind that people often catch huge 200lb Tarpon with flies. You want the hook to fall in the middle of the bait for the best action and hook ups. Any large, wide-gap, strong sharp hooks will work, but the Texaposer I mentioned have a special bend to them that holds the lure perfectly straight which is key to the lures random action. Plus these hooks are strong... a buddy of mine named Tyson landed a 22lb 44" Snook on 2/0 version of this hook! Rig it incorrectly and it will just spin in circles, twist your line and you'll catch nothing.
2) Place the point of the hook into the head of the lure. On some models/styles of jerkbaits it's hard to tell which end is "up" or where the head is since both ends are similar. Basically the head should be a touch fatter and the bottom should be deeper with a "V" shape to it (this acts as a keel so it swims straight) and sometimes there is a slot or cut to hide the bend of the hook -this is NOT to hide the hooks point-, the top of the bait will be flat where the hooks point sticks out. Push the hook in around a 1/2" next pop the hook out the dead center of the bait thru the bottom of the lure and pull it all the way through so that the eye of the hook disappears into the plastic of the head section slightly.
3) Now things get a bit tricky, you need to put the hook back through the bait, but the position you choose is critical to the lures overall action. You want the bait to hang perfectly straight and centered when finished so you'll need to eye-ball the place where the hook should come out on top when finished, then enter the body of the bait at the opposite location from the bottom. This is hard to describe, but if you check the diagram below you'll see how it should look when finished and just keep in mind the hook & bait combination must be straight with no kinks or bulges. Get it wrong and the action will be messed up... the bait will just spin in circles which is no good. Chances are you'll mess up a few baits till you get the hang of it and after a fish's strike the bait is often rendered useless because it becomes torn and can't be re-rigged perfectly - luckily there are cheaper so just put another one on.
4) If you fishing open water your finished and can use the lure "as is" at this point. However to really take advantage of the places this lure can go you should make it weedless. Thankfully this process does not loose much of the lures hooking power or success. Simply pull the bait back about a 1/4" and tuck the just the tip of the hook under the plastic slightly. This is called "skin" hooking because the point of the hook is just under the skin of the plastic on top of the bait. Any fish that grabs the lure can be hooked quickly and easily as the point breaks the skin without having to come through the entire thick plastic body of the lure. This is another reason why I recommend the Texaposer hooks, most standard worm hooks do not lay flat enough against the bait to be skin hooked effectively.

More rigging tips: I sometimes put a small (1/32 to 1/4 oz) bullet weight in the front to get allow the lure to sink into potholes or under docks/trees plus it will cast alot better with the extra weight in the head. You can "peg" the weight with toothpick or a rubberband so it does not slide down on your line/leader. In addition, I sometimes use a toothpick to hold the bait on the hook better. After it's rigged push the toothpick through the eye of the hook and clip off the ends with nail clippers or pliers - this pins the bait to the hook and this way not even small Jacks or Ladyfish can rip it off when they only get the tail section. Lastly you can add some glass rattles into the plastic if you wish, I've tried this but it always seems to throw off the balance of the bait or rattle falls out after repeated casts.

How to rig 'em diagram:

Green = Jerkbait profile Blue = Toothpick Red = Texaposer Hook*

*Notice how the Texaposer hook fits the profile of the bait so perfectly?

A long, stiff spinning rod (7 foot at least, with a medium/fast action) and light line (6 to 12lb) is a must since these baits (especially the smaller 4" ones) tend to be a bit light compared to plugs. If you feel your not getting the bait out fair enough or it lacks action, switch to a lighter line. This helps since these baits do not fly thru the air very well (all that floppy plastic is to blame) and thus can be a real pain to cast with baitcasting gear unless your really good. However the big advantage is that with a spinning reel you can "skip" (like a flat stone on a clam pond) the bait under docks or mangroves. This is a killer technique you must learn and one of the main reasons this lure works so well - it simply goes places other lures can't! Once you master this style of casting you can throw a jerkbait a good 10 to 20 feet under a dock where the big boys hide in the heat of the day. When throwing into heavy cover like this I'll switch to 20 or even 30lb PowerPro braided line, it has the diameter of 6 or 8lb mono but can take the abuse of being wrapped around a dock piling or mangrove root by a large Snook. Avoid using a swivel if possible since it spooks off some fish (like Snook or Tarpon and even Bass) in clear water, as mentioned when rigged properly the bait should NOT spin! For saltwater applications 40lb leader is as heavy as you should go since the action of lure becomes less and less as the line gets heavier. In fact 20lb is even a bit restrictive to motion, but necessary to keep from breaking off. There is no need for a loop knot however, since the plastic body will cover the eye of the hook when rigged. You can use light wire when going after Cudas, but it really kills most of the action. However this still provides plenty of excitment as the Cuda come rushing in with typical lighting fast, last second boat-side strikes. As stated before make sure to rig them as straight as possible since the action comes from the random darting about they do and any spinning kills this motion. Basically it's a walk-the-dog type retrieve just below the surface with some pauses to allow it to sink that draws a strike. You can put them on a jig head if the water is deeper or the current really moving, but I feel it works best within that surface zone of 6" I mentioned before. With or without a weight you work it the same way - cast it out (or under) your target (docks, trees, weeds, lilly pads, sawgrass, stumps, rocky outcrops, seawalls, storm drains, potholes... basically any structure where you think a fish might be) and let is sink a for a second or two and then give it a quick jerk with the rod tip, then give it some slack again to allow it's natural movement to take over as it moves about. This will cause it to dart off in a random direction, pause to let the lure sink and then give it another quick twitch. Try to vary your speed and number of twitches so the lure acts all crazy in the water like a baitfish in trouble. If the fish are aggressive you can pick up the pace and twitch it rapidly right along the surface with no pauses. However if the fish are sluggish or spooky, or just feeding on the bottom like Redfish often do, slow down and let the lure drift towards (and even bounce off) the bottom and then move it with a slow sweeping action of the rod - you might need to add a small bullet weight to get it down on bottom. The slower action also works well under docks where the water is deeper. There is almost no right or wrong way to work the bait, just experiment and see what happens.

When you do get a bite make sure not set the hook until the fish really has it. I can't tell you how many Bass I lost before learning that a "strike" does not mean the fish actually got the bait. One of the problems with this lure is that you'll see most of the strikes (the lure will just disappear), so similar to a topwater plug, your first reaction is to set the hook which only pulls it away from the fish. When I see (or feel) a bite, I drop the rod tip and wait a spilt second. If the line goes tight you got 'em, if not the fish missed, but may hit it again as the bait falls slowly. Either way that little pause makes the difference! Trout seem harder to hook due to their soft mouth, rigged weedless you'll need a good fish (3lbs or more) or a really aggressive small one to get a hook up. Snook and Bass hit about the same... they will suck it in, so you need to wait till their mouth is closed before setting. However, if you wait too long they realize it's not food and spit it out (I hate that!). Redfish are easy to hook (for me at least), they pick it up and bite down to crush it like a crab. Their mouth is the perfect combination of soft edges with a hard jaws below - plus they normally hook themselves pretty good on that first, hard run. Tarpon are another story, they blow-up so hard on the bait they often knock it clear out of the water (several feet at times) - but I have trouble hooking them on ANY lure/bait.

Of course size and colors are the other factors you'll need to consider when throwing these fantastic lures. Any size from 3" to over 8" will work. I try to observe the livebait in the area I'm fishing and match that as close as possible. So the standard "match-the-hatch" rule applies - if you see lots of mullet, throw a 6" grey/black/silver jerkbait, if you see tiny glass minnows or shrimp throw a 4" clear/green/pink one. Just about every color they make will catch fish. I've found the black/gold, white/silver, bright green/silver, clear/silver, tan/white and red/gold combos to be excellent choices. Most of the colors with some fleck or glitter in them are more life-like, but do not overlook simple plain white (pearl) or basic tan/grey colors. Once again match the bait in the area or even better - the water color/conditions or cover (grass vs sand bottom). Remember most fish can alter their colors to blend into their surroundings. So a tan/brown lure actually looks more natural in dark water or over a muddy bottom and like-wise a green/olive lure would be good over grass. However if things are slow do not hesitate to try something crazy or totally different - hot pink (Bubble Gum) is a great color especially for Bass for some reason. Glowing colors or different colored tails work well in dirty water or at night when extra contrast on the lure helps fish see it. Like any other lure, color seems to vary by location and angler confidence more than anything else.

They are several brands of soft jerkbaits with various actions and profiles to them. Some are no more than thin sticks that slide thru the water while others have tails that wiggle like a fish swimming and splash about on the surface. Just like color options I'll leave these choices up to you to experiment and test in the waters you fish. However to help get you started here are some particular models I've found to be worth stocking in the tackle box for both fresh and saltwater trips: the Bass Assassin Twitch & Shad, Gambler Paddle Tail (Flappin' Shad), Charlie's Twitchin' Shad and Chug-O, the Zoom Super Fluke Spilt Tail and of course the original Slug-Go.