Mega Strike: I'm Convinced

[hooah212002]

I've never been one to fall victim to hype surrounding a particular product or a particular brand for brand sake and this causes great many problems when it comes to fishing since 99% of anglers will tell you what BRAND rod/reel/bait to get instead of what TYPE or even why that brand. The suggestions and reasoning behind why so many of "you guys" recommend Mega Strike sounded solid, so I took the plunge. I did this mainly because my strike to hook up ratio with my flukes this year is abysmal and figured I could use an extra little kick. So today I went out to put my new gear through it's paces in an actual fishing session rather than setting it up, as well as to test Mega Strike and see if it lives up to it's hype.

 

I set out to my difficult as heck to fish, but guaranteed at least one 4+ pounder spot. Not so fast, I guess, since they were clearing the weeds in the lake right at my spot (the weeds are what makes it so good!). So it was on to spot #2: Congdon Park in Delavan. Just a smallish pond that is where I go when I get skunked looking for bigger fish because I know I can get bit with almost anything I throw, just not any size. I have had VERY good luck here this year with both watermelon and pearl flukes. However, like I said earlier, I have been missing a lot of bites. So today I set off with ample time to do some good fishing and hopefully find out where the bigger fish are (I normally only have an hour or so and hit one spot). I started out working over the spot I normally do. I got nada. So off I go, hoofing it around the entire pond. No easy task, mind you, as most of it is lined with 5 foot tall reeds which are inhabited by vicious monsters that think they are birds (ok, they're just birds, but by god are they mean!). I spent a couple hours walking around, jumping spot to spot and came up empty.

 

My bait options were limited to weedless applications because it is a very weedy body of water and I don't have my jig rod set up, so I stuck with flukes (why mess with what works?). I decided to go back to the spot I always catch fish at and attack the entire water column. I start working a green pumpkin senko nice and slow.

 

Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner!

 

I start getting bite after bite and the fish get progressively bigger, but only topping out at about 3 pounds if I'm lucky. Here is where Mega Strike earns it's accolades. Every time I missed a hookset or lost a fish, I slathered on some MS and the very next cast got a strike, and every time I had a fresh app of MS, the fish would not let go! So much so that one time, I get a birds nest and something tells me to wait before starting to clear it out and see if I get bit (since I had gotten quite a few bites on the initial fall), but didn't so I started picking it out. As I was reeling in the slack, I noticed some resistance. Meh, just some weeds due to the bait settling in. Hmm, weeds don't move around like this..... You guessed it: there was a fish that sucked down that senko and took off without me setting the hook! For me, this is unreal because I have been plagued with missed hooksets and lost fish.

 

I know this sounds like an infomercial or that I am somehow affiliated with MS, but I assure you I am not. I just wanted to put this out there for anyone on the fence. I have learned a lot from bassresource this season, the main thing being: if enough BR members recommend it, you'd do well to buy/try it. All of my purchases this year are a testament to that whereas before, I was of the mindset that budget gear is good enough and all this "stuff" doesn't actually help you catch/land fish. Oh how wrong I was.

 

Also note that my selection sample is tiny and I make no effort to say BUY MEGA STRIKE BECAUSE NOTHING ELSE WORKS! Instead, I only mean to say that: based solely on my anecdotal evidence, Mega Strike works as advertised. Take that as you may.

[AK-Jax86]

I might have to invest in some mega strike after reading this post. I have never really fell into "hype products" because I feel they are just that. For instance I've been watching the bassmasters and major league fishing as well as other fishing shows and they all SWORE by fish sticks saying how you are guaranteed to catch more fish... FALSE. Literally every time I apply it it makes no difference I don't get any bites lol. No missed strikes or anything. Seems like without it, cuz I haven't been using it due to lack of success, I do just fine. This year my timing with setting the hook seems to be flawless. I have caught over 200 fish so far with not too many missed hook sets.

If this mega strike stuff really makes a difference I will probably pick up some to test it out. Hopefully for me it performs better than the fish sticks hype product!

[MarkH024]

Excellent post and excellent day of fishing. Way to go buddy. I have just started using JJ's this year and I'm now convinced that attractants do work as I was once skeptical of them. Thanks to the people of bass resource I have had my eyes opened and tried new things just like you have so perhaps megastrike will be my next weapon. Thanks for the great review.

[Sam]

Put MegaStrike on your crankbaits, too.

[slonezp]

I might have to invest in some mega strike after reading this post. I have never really fell into "hype products" because I feel they are just that. For instance I've been watching the bassmasters and major league fishing as well as other fishing shows and they all SWORE by fish sticks saying how you are guaranteed to catch more fish... FALSE. Literally every time I apply it it makes no difference I don't get any bites lol. No missed strikes or anything. Seems like without it, cuz I haven't been using it due to lack of success, I do just fine. This year my timing with setting the hook seems to be flawless. I have caught over 200 fish so far with not too many missed hook sets.

If this mega strike stuff really makes a difference I will probably pick up some to test it out. Hopefully for me it performs better than the fish sticks hype product!

I don't believe it attracts more fish. I do believe it causes them to hold onto the bait and extra few seconds allowing for a solid hookset. But that's just me. 

[hooah212002]

I don't believe it attracts more fish. I do believe it causes them to hold onto the bait and extra few seconds allowing for a solid hookset. But that's just me. 

 

I noticed the same. If the fish aren't there, no attractant in the world will make them come to you. But once you find the fish, you will certainly have a better chance at catching them imo.

[hooah212002]

Excellent post and excellent day of fishing. Way to go buddy. I have just started using JJ's this year and I'm now convinced that attractants do work as I was once skeptical of them. Thanks to the people of bass resource I have had my eyes opened and tried new things just like you have so perhaps megastrike will be my next weapon. Thanks for the great review.

 

Next up is JJ's for me, too. I wonder if it would be overkill to use multiple different scents or if you should just stick to one per bait.

[MarkH024]

Attractant is the marketing term in my eyes. I feel the same as I think the fish hold longer vs a naked bait.

[slonezp]

Next up is JJ's for me, too. I wonder if it would be overkill to use multiple different scents or if you should just stick to one per bait.

I wouldn't mix and match. you might create something off putting. I've never used JJ's. I bought a few tubes of MS a few years ago and I'm still working my way thru them.

[MarkH024]

I wouldn't mix and match. you might create something off putting. I've never used JJ's. I bought a few tubes of MS a few years ago and I'm still working my way thru them.

I started dipping my plastics in clear jjs this year. No dyes yet for me as I like my natural colors. I will say, I feel like the hold from the fish is better and the initial retreat with the bait seems more violent?