A very effective and proven method is adding a delicate wrist movement to the arsenal of jerks and pulls, which should end every movement of the lure. Every pull is carried out with movement of the arms - from hands to shoulders. At the end, however, a slight move of the wrist adds some more vigour to the lure. This works quite well with both versions of the Jack. Both versions have high requirements for the angler in terms of line slack control.

So, effective fishing with classic jerkbaits such as: Salmo Jack, Burt, Reef, Hawg or Suick consists in the perfect mastery and synchronization of rod movements and reel action eliminating slack on the rope after every jerk. These are the most difficult to "operate" artificial lures. However, the effort put into learning is amply rewarded. It is worth to sweat a little to finally see a giant maw close on our Jack on the spot, where everybody always caught 1-2kg small pikes.

Portrait with Jack.

Another group of jerkbaits are lures which do not require the jerks to be too sharp. Delicate and not-very-long pulls are enough to achieve good results. These are the so called

Pullbaits
The Swedish "Zalt", American "Believer" or Polish Salmo "Fatso" or "Warrior" may serve as examples.

Samples of pullbaits - Zalt, Fatso and Warrior.

It is hard to outline the border between classic jerkbaits and pullbaits. It is important to personally develop an arsenal of pulls and jerks and adjust them to specific equipment. After some time one is able to classify one's jerkbaits as different subgroups or perhaps even create completely new lure families. When discussing pullbaits, I will use a Salmo invention introduced into the market in 2001. It was a pullbait named "Fatso", which immediately earned great recognition and renown among European predator hunters. As shop owners in Holland claimed, it was the first lure in several dozen years, after which queues were formed! This peculiar hybrid of a jerkbait and a wobbler quickly proved that in spite of its large size (14cm), it could tempt not only large pikes but also giant zanders into striking.

Huge zanders are also crazy about big pullbaits.

The Fatso fishing technique is very simple. Thanks to its unique construction, this lure works well even when pulled uniformly, rocking from side to side like a large spoon. Sometimes such economical action turns out to be the most effective. We called it "Moniek style" from the name of the technique's inventor - Moniek Rozemeijer.

Moniek Rozemeijer's has proven many times that she knows how to play with Fatso.

However, a combination of the "Moniek style" and soft pulls usually works the best. It makes the Fatso flash deceptively with its sides, attracting the attention of predators. The resistance of the Fatso is slightly stronger than Jack's, but constant control of the line tension is equally important. Depending on the used version and the depth of the fishery, one should either start reeling the line after the cast, or wait a moment for the lure to sink to the proper depth. Then the pullbait should be guided with the above-mentioned technique. The crucial point of the jerking technique composed of cyclic pulls and jerks made with the rod tip are momentary pauses between subsequent movements of the rod. From one point of view, definitely the most strikes take place during those moments. From the other, it is the most difficult to effectively jerk an attacking fish because of the difficult to avoid line slack. This problem arises with varying intensity and depends on the angler's experience, but also the conditions on the fishery. Fishing from an anchored boat in windless weather is ideal. It has long been common knowledge, though, that a lack of wind is the worst weather for predators and the most effective tactic is to check potential spots from a boat adrift. The wind blows from the side at such occasions, making the line additionally more difficult to observe and the lure difficult to control. That is how a pullbait fishing technique came to be, which makes it possible to greatly reduce the number of empty strikes and improve their quality. It consists of keeping the rod in line with the line and avoiding rod tip movement. The necessary action acceleration is achieved simply by increasing the reeling pace. The effect is identical and dangerous moments of control-loss are avoided and the range of a possibly strike is increased. A predators attack is noticed even as a vibration or a sudden slack of the line. Therefore line observation, especially during pauses, is very important.