Jerkbait Weight Placement

[Big Epp]

Hello!  I'm working on my first jerkbait (think Rapala Husky Jerk).  It's approximately 4 1/2" long, 5/8 thick, and 3/4" tall.  I'm wondering if anyone has a tip or general rule for weight placement.  I looked online at a bunch of unpainted blanks for ideas, and it seems most have the weight in roughly the front half of the bait, though some have another weight back in the tail.  Any thoughts are appreciated!

[Travis]

No weight in the tail in the husky jerk near the size of the bait you are making.  You are in between the two sizes of husky jerks.

The weight should run in the belly from the "throat" to past the first hook hanger.  You may need to add weight above the front hook hanger or closer to head depending on how your bait is built most likely as done in the HJ12 model (higher up in the bait/midline).    I would recommend just floating one side by side with your lure to get it dialed in.  

I buy clearance baits all the time just for reference.

 

 

[RPM]

Big Epp a fish aquarium here is your friend, float test. I was going to suggest unpainted lure blanks similar so you can see the weight how its distributed, but with wood it's going to be slightly different. A suggestion would be spend lots of time tank testing, assemble and seal your lure, then use suspend strips and small dia. lead solder to wrap around hook hangers. With a wood lure you still might need a little tail weight to get it right.? Ive spent countless hours tank testing prototypes before ever lake testing or finishing a lure. Attitude in how a lure sits in the water will tell you alot. And good old fashing elbo grease if you will, but hey you probably know all of that, just a few thoughts that come to mind. Best of luck with that project. 

[mark poulson]

I use a half full 5 gallon bucket of water in my garage as a float tank.  It works for cranks, and for soft plastics and jigs.

[Big Epp]

Thanks for all the feedback!  This is what I'm working on.  Of course, I went out of recommendations by messing with multiple variables, but that's part of the fun for me sometimes.  I made three to start, one is cedar, one is basswood, and one is pine.  The painted one has a good enough action, so I'm starting painting it.  The cedar one doesn't have any weight in it yet, and the other one needs more tinkering.  I typically float test them in a clear plastic container to see how they sit in the water, test them in a bathtub, and then take them to a pond.  I'll keep tinkering and eventually post pictures of some finished baits.

I'm not trying to copy anything necessarily, just make a jerkbait.  I hadn't thought to float some others and see how they sit in the water.  Great ideas!

[mark poulson]

On 12/10/2020 at 5:04 AM, Big Epp said:

Thanks for all the feedback!  This is what I'm working on.  Of course, I went out of recommendations by messing with multiple variables, but that's part of the fun for me sometimes.  I made three to start, one is cedar, one is basswood, and one is pine.  The painted one has a good enough action, so I'm starting painting it.  The cedar one doesn't have any weight in it yet, and the other one needs more tinkering.  I typically float test them in a clear plastic container to see how they sit in the water, test them in a bathtub, and then take them to a pond.  I'll keep tinkering and eventually post pictures of some finished baits.

I'm not trying to copy anything necessarily, just make a jerkbait.  I hadn't thought to float some others and see how they sit in the water.  Great ideas!

Which wood is the painted bait made from?

[Big Epp]

I think the painted one is basswood, the middle one is cedar, and the bottom one may be poplar, I think I misspoke and called it pine.  I do use a lot of pine, but mostly cedar.  I just salvaged some California redwood from a deck demo job!