Soft jerkbaits are effective fish catchers. In an earlier article, I outlined some basics for selecting soft jerkbaits. In this article, I’ll describe the most popular rigging technique for this bait.
Hooks
The best hook to use with a soft jerkbait is an offset worm hooks. The size of the hook depends on the size of the bait. The table below illustrates recommended hook sizes based on length of bait. Remember these are just general recommendations. Different soft jerkbait designs may call for some variation.
| bait size | hook size |
| 3″ | #2 offset worm hook |
| 4″-5” | 2/0 offset worm hook |
| 6″-7″ | 4/0 offset worm hook |
Rigging
A soft jerkbait is typically rigged texposed without weight. The image below illustrates the steps to rig the bait. In the example, I’m using a Slug-go by Lunker City.
- Punch the hook through the nose of the bait until it is just past the barb. Then punch the hook out the belly of the bait.
- Slide the bait up the hook to the offset bend
- Turn the hook toward the belly of the bait
- Match the hook length wise with the bait. Mark the bait at the point where the outside bend of the hook is located. “In the field”, you can mark the spot with you fingers.
- The hook should then be punched up through the bait in a straight line at the point you’ve marked.
- The rig is complete!
Once you’ve completed the steps above, if the bait is kinked, more than likely it was caused by one of two things. Either the hook was brought up through the bait at the wrong spot or the hook was punched up through the bait at an angle. In any case, all you need to do is back the hook out and repeat steps 4 and 5. It is critical that the bait be rigged perfectly straight. If not, you will experience some serious line twist while trying to fish the bait.
Now your ready to fish. This style of bait practically fishes itself. In future articles, we’ll learn a few more rigging techniques and some extremely effective ways to fish this bait. Stay tuned!
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