Pivot Point: improve your jerk rig

Draw attention away from your hide with some help from geometry.
We use a jerk rig in almost every on-water situation. Adding a pivot point keeps the jerk line submerged and lets us anchor the motion decoys in an area where incoming birds will be less likely to take notice of our hide. Some PVC, a carabiner, and a hose clamp are all it takes.

With the string held down below the surface, the only ripples the ducks will see will be from the decoys.

PVC pipe is easy to work with, inexpensive, and doesn’t weigh down your kit. Cut a 4-foot-long length of 3/4-inch PVC into three pieces measuring 36 inches, 8 inches, and 4 inches, respectively. Glue the 8-inch and 36-inch pieces into opposite ends of a 3/4-inch slip Tee, and glue the 4-inch piece into the perpendicular hole. Use a saw to cut the exposed end of the 8-inch piece of pipe at a 45 degree angle.

The result is a ~50-inch-long post with a point at the bottom and a 4-inch wide spur that’s about the same width as your boot, so you can drive it into the marsh bottom (like you’d drive a shovel).

Attach a carabiner to the pipe just above the Tee using a hose clamp. The carabiner provides an easy way to connect and disconnect to your jerk line and provides a smooth surface for the line to run against. Placing the carabiner near the tee keeps the jerk line submerged, avoiding that unnatural series of surface ripples pointing back to your hide.

Camouflage the pipe and hose clamp with flat-finish spray paint in colors of your choice.

In the field, snap your jerk cord into the carabiner, drive the post into the substrate out in front of your blind, and swing your decoys into action.

Shopping List:

• (4 feet) ¾” PVC pipe

• (1) ¾” PVC slip Tee

• (1) carabiner (with smooth edges)

• (1) stainless steel hose clamp

• PVC cement

• Flat-finish spray paint suitable for plastic (brown, tan, and/or olive)