So last year I got to jerk it every day of duck season, barring Christmas (duh) and a few really stormy days.
I jerked it in the woods. I jerked it on the river. I jerked it on the swamp. I jerked it in my boat and my buddy's boat. I jerked it so hard and so vigorously that I broke it TWICE.
In case you can't tell, I love hunting ducks with a jerk rig. It's the best way I've found to make motion on the water. You can make big splashes or little ripples, or just make them swim and put that gentle v-wake in the water. They don't freeze up and they never run out of batteries. They don't weight anything and they just work. @huck72412 can testify that 3 decoys on a jerk rig will make ducks commit suicide.
I like jerk rigs but they're always crappy. Cheap, flimsy, dooky little plastic handles, cheap cord, and stupid clips that are fiddly and usually fixed into place. Which wouldn't be that bad except the place they put them isn't always where you want a duck. So i made my own.
Sexy and functional. Fits in a pocket or clips to your waders. Wood is tougher and feels better in your hand than crappy plastic. Thought about trying to get it milled from aluminum but then they'd be brutal on the hands if it got cold. So wood it was. Sketched up a design that was small but still felt good to hold and held 100ft of line easily. Played with a few finishes and finally went with teak oil since it seemed easier to touch up or just maintain since I plan on using this thing hard.
With that done, I put 100 feet of tarred trotline cord on it. Low stretch, strong, and built to live in the water. Added a good, heavy swivel, and then slapped on 10ft of 1/8", 100% stretch, military grade bungee. Most companies use maybe 5ft which limits how long of a stroke you can put in your jerk...I sometimes jerk it short and snappy, but usually like long, slow pulls.
Then I put a smecksy brass snap bolt on. No anchor. Anchors don't hold up to continuous jerking and come a-loose after a while 99 times out of 100. Usually right about the time birds show up and you need ripples. I anchor by clipping around a tree, mojo decoy stake, or a piece of cane or pvc stuck in the mud in really marshy areas. Very rarely I'll use a 5lb mushroom anchor if the water is deep and i can't find a tree. Not the little cheap-azz half or whole pound kayak deals they try to peddle.
Then, I bought some double-ended longline clips. The way I hunt i just take 3 of the clips and clip them to 3 decoys' keels. I can walk to a tree, anchor the line, and as I walk back to the hide I can snap a decoy on where ever I want one. I can put them close or spread them out. The clips are awesome and way better than anything I ever used. Worth a bit of internet searching to find them.
I am very much looking forward to using it this year. Made a couple up for my dad and a few buddies too and they all seem impressed.
I jerked it in the woods. I jerked it on the river. I jerked it on the swamp. I jerked it in my boat and my buddy's boat. I jerked it so hard and so vigorously that I broke it TWICE.
In case you can't tell, I love hunting ducks with a jerk rig. It's the best way I've found to make motion on the water. You can make big splashes or little ripples, or just make them swim and put that gentle v-wake in the water. They don't freeze up and they never run out of batteries. They don't weight anything and they just work. @huck72412 can testify that 3 decoys on a jerk rig will make ducks commit suicide.
I like jerk rigs but they're always crappy. Cheap, flimsy, dooky little plastic handles, cheap cord, and stupid clips that are fiddly and usually fixed into place. Which wouldn't be that bad except the place they put them isn't always where you want a duck. So i made my own.
Sexy and functional. Fits in a pocket or clips to your waders. Wood is tougher and feels better in your hand than crappy plastic. Thought about trying to get it milled from aluminum but then they'd be brutal on the hands if it got cold. So wood it was. Sketched up a design that was small but still felt good to hold and held 100ft of line easily. Played with a few finishes and finally went with teak oil since it seemed easier to touch up or just maintain since I plan on using this thing hard.
With that done, I put 100 feet of tarred trotline cord on it. Low stretch, strong, and built to live in the water. Added a good, heavy swivel, and then slapped on 10ft of 1/8", 100% stretch, military grade bungee. Most companies use maybe 5ft which limits how long of a stroke you can put in your jerk...I sometimes jerk it short and snappy, but usually like long, slow pulls.
Then I put a smecksy brass snap bolt on. No anchor. Anchors don't hold up to continuous jerking and come a-loose after a while 99 times out of 100. Usually right about the time birds show up and you need ripples. I anchor by clipping around a tree, mojo decoy stake, or a piece of cane or pvc stuck in the mud in really marshy areas. Very rarely I'll use a 5lb mushroom anchor if the water is deep and i can't find a tree. Not the little cheap-azz half or whole pound kayak deals they try to peddle.
Then, I bought some double-ended longline clips. The way I hunt i just take 3 of the clips and clip them to 3 decoys' keels. I can walk to a tree, anchor the line, and as I walk back to the hide I can snap a decoy on where ever I want one. I can put them close or spread them out. The clips are awesome and way better than anything I ever used. Worth a bit of internet searching to find them.
I am very much looking forward to using it this year. Made a couple up for my dad and a few buddies too and they all seem impressed.
