My rods
I will use different sets, spinning and casting, depending on 2 main parameters: on the one hand, the size and weight of the lure I intend to use and on the other hand, the animation I intend to give to the lure.
MH casting rod
This is my main rod, the one I will use the most for this technique. It is the basic rod for pike fishing with jerkbait minnow. It has a power range between 7 and 30g, is ideally between 2 and 2.15m long and has a short butt to facilitate animations. Fighting nice fish on light but powerful equipment is really very pleasant in terms of sensations.
Casting rod H
This is a rod I will use in several situations: 1) when I want to give my jerkbait minnows a very aggressive swimming action using hard jerks. The extra power of a Heavy rod is all the more appreciable in these conditions when I use jerkbait minnows with flat sides like the Rerange 130 SP and 130 SP MR, requiring more support on the water to get out of line. 2) when I fish large environments from the shore and in boats in order to gain casting distance and therefore surface area for each cast. 3) when I don't want to carry too much equipment and therefore prioritize versatility.
Spinning set M or MH
I will use a spinning set when I need, exceptionally, to look for pike with jerkbait minnows under 10 centimeters in large spaces.
It should be noted that with the same amount of power, a spinning package will be fished less often than its casting counterpart. An important criterion to keep in mind for spinning anglers only. If you don't want to get hung up on too many details, a single 10-40g rod from 2 to 2.20m with the right action will do the job regardless of the size of the lures and the fishing configurations.
The action of the cane
Whatever the rod used, its power, etc., the action should be similar. A rod with too soft an action will absorb some of the movement during the animation, requiring more energy to achieve the same result. This is not optimal. On the other hand, a rod with too stiff an action will not be pleasant and may cause misfires when striking and striking. In summary, the ideal rod will have an action that is halfway between that of a crankbait rod and that of a pikeperch rod in order to be comfortable and effective during the animation but also to play its role of shock absorber at the time of the touch.
Reel and ratio
The reel is another important part, especially for a casting set for which it represents the main part. For the particular case of jerkbait minnow fishing, a technique that requires a lot of rod movements for animations, a light "low profile" reel is ideal and almost indispensable for those who wish to devote a lot of time to this technique that requires a lot of wrist work. A less ergonomic reel with a round and/or heavy profile can become tiring over time. A detail which is not a problem at the end of the day.
As for the ratio, I practice this fishing with intermediate ratios associated with intermediate recoveries, that is to say 7.1 and between 75 and 80 cm per crank turn. The low ratios are really associated with linear cranking and the high ratios with fast fishing, especially with Jig fishing, a technique characterized by the rapid succession of casts, when you have to recover your line quickly once you have left the potential strike zone to cast again. A medium ratio for jerkbait minnow fishing allows you to be reactive without being too reactive, especially during the pause phases when you should not retrieve your line too quickly at the risk of seeing the lure move in an unnatural way.
Line body, head and leader
Line body
For the body of the line, I use exclusively braid (YGK Castman) in PE 2 and PE 2.5 depending on the rods. I prefer very flexible braids which will correctly relax on the phases of pause and will not involve untimely and parasitic movement of the lure.
Head of the line
The head of line (or tip of discretion) consists of a length of fluorocarbon rod in 35/100 most of the time connected classically to the body of line with a knot albright.
Concerning the leader, the good compromise I found between the weight of the leader, weight that must be taken into account to keep the suspending character of the jerkbait (a leader of too large diameter and therefore too heavy, would drag the lure to the bottom) and resistance to cutting is the fluorocarbon Gunki Ice in 64 and 72.8/100. I will play on these two diameters according to : 1) the speed of animation. The faster it will be and therefore punctuated by less frequent and short breaks (generally at the beginning of the season) the less there will be a need to keep this suspending character. In this case I prefer the cutting resistance and therefore the biggest diameter of fluoro. 2) the water temperature. Indeed, the temperature of the water will influence the suspending character of the jerkbaits. We can therefore play on these two diameters to keep the integrity of the mechanical characteristics of the lures.
