What is your prefered reel for jerkbaits

[Mike son]

Aldebaran 50hg for me. I think what most can agree on is a light reel, and rod while we're at, to help minimize fatigue during a long day of fishing jerkbaits.

I can see why people like a higher retrieve for picking up slack. I can also see why people like the lower retrieve for slowing the bait down and not accidentally working the bait while picking up the slack. The latter helping you slow down just while your doing the actual work of reeling in the slack. Gear ratio really is all personal preference. Perhaps, even dictated by the water temperature or how the fish are wanting the bait presented.

In a perfect world you'd have a high and low gear ratio reel. Super cold water, < 40* slow as possible, lower gear ratio. Aggressive fish in relatively warmer water, higher gear ratio to pick up the slack and work the bait faster. This is tackletour, so probably best to buy AT LEAST two rods and two reels based solely on water temperature and how the fish are reacting

[Heddonfrog]

If there is anything I have noticed, jerkbait gear seems to be very very different from person to person.

Gear ratio? I have used and 7.3:1, 6.2:1 and 6.4:1. I much prefer a slower ratio as I am more concerned with presentation than I am with picking up slack. I use braid as a mainline so too fast of a reel will pull the bait towards me if I am not careful. My jerkbiat reel right now is a Shimano Bantam MGL (6.2:1) and I love it. I do not foresee moving this reel off of my jerkbait rod anytime soon.

Agree with what you’re saying about retrieve speeds. I’m pretty methodical in my retrieve cadence, whatever it may be that day and expend 0 mental energy on reel ratio. One jerk rod has a 6.8:1 Lew’s Tour Pro Magnesium (5.3oz) the other a Curado 70 7.1:1 (6.5oz) because those just happen to be in my ratio sweetspot for most all my reels. The most important things to me are reel weight and ergonomics and that’s where I respectfully differ from your set up. My Bantam didn’t register as a candidate for my jerks rods because of its weight and because it’s metal, it’s absolutely freezing to hold in sub 40 temps and yes I do wear gloves but I always need a finger or two through the split fingers for feel and even with gloves my hands get colder much faster. If it gets anywhere near freezing with a decent wind it literally ices up. Obviously if you don’t live in frigid temp climes that’s not an issue but try a small profile sub 6oz reel out one day and I can almost guarantee you’ll be a convert. Ald 50’s seem like a killer choice as the other posters have said. My Steez flex lite rod and Tour Pro weighs less than an ounce more than my Bantam does by itself and believe me, my wrist and forearm thank me at the end of full day jerkbaiting.

A light spool really helps with casting lighter jerkbaits with a baitcaster.

Anything under 3/8oz and I just throw them on spinning gear. Even if I had the most tricked out BFS set up I’m gonna kick my own ass with an inexpensive 6’-8” to 7’ medium light or light spinning set up.

[smallies]

Alphas SV105

[TravisNY]

If there is anything I have noticed, jerkbait gear seems to be very very different from person to person.

Gear ratio? I have used and 7.3:1, 6.2:1 and 6.4:1. I much prefer a slower ratio as I am more concerned with presentation than I am with picking up slack. I use braid as a mainline so too fast of a reel will pull the bait towards me if I am not careful. My jerkbiat reel right now is a Shimano Bantam MGL (6.2:1) and I love it. I do not foresee moving this reel off of my jerkbait rod anytime soon.

Agree with what you’re saying about retrieve speeds. I’m pretty methodical in my retrieve cadence, whatever it may be that day and expend 0 mental energy on reel ratio. One jerk rod has a 6.8:1 Lew’s Tour Pro Magnesium (5.3oz) the other a Curado 70 7.1:1 (6.5oz) because those just happen to be in my ratio sweetspot for most all my reels. The most important things to me are reel weight and ergonomics and that’s where I respectfully differ from your set up. My Bantam didn’t register as a candidate for my jerks rods because of its weight and because it’s metal, it’s absolutely freezing to hold in sub 40 temps and yes I do wear gloves but I always need a finger or two through the split fingers for feel and even with gloves my hands get colder much faster. If it gets anywhere near freezing with a decent wind it literally ices up. Obviously if you don’t live in frigid temp climes that’s not an issue but try a small profile sub 6oz reel out one day and I can almost guarantee you’ll be a convert. Ald 50’s seem like a killer choice as the other posters have said. My Steez flex lite rod and Tour Pro weighs less than an ounce more than my Bantam does by itself and believe me, my wrist and forearm thank me at the end of full day jerkbaiting.

A light spool really helps with casting lighter jerkbaits with a baitcaster.

Anything under 3/8oz and I just throw them on spinning gear. Even if I had the most tricked out BFS set up I’m gonna kick my own ass with an inexpensive 6’-8” to 7’ medium light or light spinning set up.

Same here sir but I'm a smallmouth guy. When originally seeing this topic I thought Certate or JDM Exist.

[Hennessy]

Alde 30 mgl hg

[poisonokie]

I've used quite a few different reels and found that if I used a high gear ratio with my cadence that I was popping the bait and not the slack. Used a stock tdz type R+ last year and my catch rate seemed to improve. Felt the "lower" gear's helped me keep the bait where I wanted to easier with how I work it. Gonna roll with it again this year. Had no issues keeping up with river current smallies.

I agree. 6.3 is perfect. Any faster and it's to easy to take up too much slack. You need a little slack anyway to get the most action out of the bait.

[Loafer]

With 100-130 mm minnow i prefer Shimano Metanium HG reels. It was 13 Met, now MGL.