Musky 360 was able to talk “Jerk Trolling” with Jim Stewart owner of The Musky Shop. Jim and his brother John have a history of success with jerk trolling for muskies and more than their fair share of monsters in the net from their combined efforts. Jim was kind enough to share a few tips for anglers new to this musky trolling tactic that are sure to put them squarely on the path of success.
Jim, please explain some of the basics of jerk trolling for muskies to the Musky 360 readers.
Jerk Trolling is a very effective technique that is vastly overlooked by a lot of anglers- couple things - try six, svene foot heavy, eight foot extra heavy rods. Don't go over that. The longer the rod you get too much bend and you'll lose the fish. So, start with the right equipment. Have a good line counter reel, then get a short stout rod and a leader, don't go over 36 inches. If you go longer than that, you're going to reel your bearing or the swivel up to your rod tip. It's going to hit and you'll end up running out of real estate. You'll lose the fish. After that, the biggest key is to get a jerk bait such as a Titan, Bobby, a Suick you know, any kind of jerk bait that's going to get down and then be consistent, work it back and forth, back and forth. You're just taking your rod tip and making long sweeps, three feet ahead, drop it back, three feet ahead, drop it back. If you're consistently doing that for, you know, sometimes several hours. It may sound bad. It's not, but you will be successful. I've caught a lot of fish jerk trolling and it's a vastly overlooked technique.
What is the Best Shield Rod for Jerk Trolling?
Eight foot extra heavy. And that's the best rod for jerk trolling for sure. There again, if you go longer than that, it's too much. It's just too much to pull through the air. So, you just, you want a shorter rod, no matter how big of a person you are, the shorter the rod is what you need. Eight foots, you know, in that range, shorter is better when it comes to jerk trolling.
When is the best time for jerk trolling?
Jerk trolling can be done any time of the year. However, the best time is in the fall after turnover when a lot of the muskies will be along edges. Lakes that have long edges, weed edges, structural edges, you can just troll a long way doing this technique. And a lot of times those muskies will use those edges. They'll move up on the weeds and out off the weeds. But a lot of times they're right close to those edges. So, if you can work a long, weed edge. That's after turnover until ice up is the best time of the year. The best jerk trolling speeds would be three to three and a half. It does vary some depending on water temperatures. As you get closer to ice up, you're going to want to slow down. But always keep the bait moving. If, when the water gets to below 40 degrees, you really got to slow down two, two and a half, three, whatever it takes to move the bait. Good. So, it's not just sitting there if you're turning, but if the water is 42 or above three, three and a half is the optimal speed.
What are your favorite baits for jerk trolling?
Bobby Baits, Suicks, Tiitans. There's a bait out there that isn't on the market right now. It may be here down the road, but bait called the Martin. Any style of a jerk bait, Suicks and Bobbies, weighted ones, especially that'll get run deep and change a little bit. The deeper, the better a lot of times, again, you don't want to get in the straw in the weeds, but anything that's going to dive down and get fairly deep and then pause and come back will be a great is a great jerk trolling bait.
How do anglers know when they have a strike while jerk trolling?
A lot of times, muskies, they're just on and Northerns will slam it and like you feel a vicious hit where a musky is just on or a lot of times if you miss it, then you just feel a pull and it's off. And what happens is they're just nipping that back hook. And what you want to do if you feel a pull and then it's gone is to just circle back, mark it on your GPS, circle back, and go through that same spot. We've got them numerous times by circling back. If you don't get them that first pass, you've got to mark and come back later. Sometimes when you're turning, you'll feel a little tick tick, just it almost feels like a small fish, but then all of a sudden you turn and start going straight, bam, they're just on. So, they're following it. A lot of times they're following it. If you feel a little tick tick, it isn't a tiny fish. A lot of times it's a big one. But for the most part, when muskies hit on the jerk trolling techniques, it's just, they're just on. And you can kind of tell the difference between them and a northern pike.
What are your top tips for a musky angler new to jerk trolling?
Be consistent. Be consistent. What happens is many friends will get in the boat with my brother John and I. And after about an hour they get tired and bored. Their fundamentals go away and they just move the bait about six inches, may move the rod tip about six inches, maybe a foot. They're not going to catch anything. It might be a miracle if they did. But if you're consistent, the consistency is definitely the key. If you stay consistent and just keep sweeping your rod tip forward three feet and back, forward three feet and back. It sounds bad. It isn't. But it will, you will be successful. I can almost promise you you'll catch something.
Jim Stewart tuning a Martin for Jerk Trolling Action.
