Jerkbait Comparison Questions.

[quanjig]

Pointer 100 and 100DD, ghost minnow when I fish the res! In December and January, like bass candy! Smaller bodies of water or bank fishing, I'm all about the pointer 78. When you get into them good, when you give it to them just the way they like it, it is my favorite way to fish. Nothing like that giant thump and the steady head shake of a giant that's got both trebs in her face, steady pulling drag!!

[Hooligan]

MeGa bass baits come out of a china factory maybe better hardware but 15-24 bucks?they see you coming a mile away.

Not so, sorry. All genuine Megabass lures are made and painted in Japan. Not one comes from China, hence their sometimes troublesome availability. There's a difference in the baits that is pretty incredible. I've caught a lot more fish on a Vision 110 than I have any knockoff, period. And I've given them a fair shot. Part of what you pay for is the finish of the baits, as well as the components and the overall balance of the lures.

Are they worth what one pays for them? Depends on how you look at it. If you value craftsmanship and quality, as well as repeatability and reliability, then it isn't too high a price to pay. If none of that matters to you, replace the hooks and rings on cheaper baits, and let the finish come off after a couple hours fishing and let them break in half or not suspend at all.

To me, every Pointer or Megabass is worth every penny.

[Quillback]

The 110's are great baits, but don't be fooled into thinking the "knockoffs" aren't great baits also.  A lot of fishing jerkbaits has to do with confidence and ability, a $7 bait in the hands of a good jerk bait fisherman will do just as well as the $25 version.

[Hooligan]

In some situations, yes, they will. But there are things that the more expensive baits do without fail, that many people will not be able to get a lesser quality bait to do. Many, many of the STX baits do not suspend at all, no matter how they are tuned. It can take an expert jerkbait angler quite a bit of time to get them to run right and catch fish. An inexperienced angler would almost never be able to get them sorted.

Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree that they catch fish, because they do. I use them a lot under certain situations as they excel at certain aspects of presentation when compare to a 110 or a McStick. There are things that a 110 does better than the other two, and a Pointer or a Staysee are in a totally different class.

[aavery2]

Just save yourself the time and frustration, get yourself  3 or 4 pointer 100 and 78 SP a couple of  MB 110's and fish them until you know them inside and out.   They suspend better, have a better finish, and often catch fish when nothing else will. 

 

I have often heard many anglers on here state that I wish I would have just bought this higher end gear instead of the entry level equipment, I would have saved myself a lot of money.  Trust me, this is the same situation and an opportunity to benefit from the experience of others.

[jeb2]

In my experience, the STX's suspend far better "out of the box" than ANY MB110 I've owned. And I've got at least 20 of the MB110's. The hooks are weak on the MB110's, also. I've broken several, so now just replace them. And of course there are the well known MB110 issues of bills breaking and tails breaking off. The finish on the MB110 is a bit more durable though, I'll give them that.

 

Split rings on the first STX's were not good, but they've long since remedied that issue. Trust me when I say I wish the MB110's worked better than the STX's. I have a lot of money tied up in them. But they rarely see the water these days as the STX's just work better for me.

[Quillback]

Just save yourself the time and frustration, get yourself  3 or 4 pointer 100 and 78 SP a couple of  MB 110's and fish them until you know them inside and out.   They suspend better, have a better finish, and often catch fish when nothing else will. 

 

I have often heard many anglers on here state that I wish I would have just bought this higher end gear instead of the entry level equipment, I would have saved myself a lot of money.  Trust me, this is the same situation and an opportunity to benefit from the experience of others.

I can see that logic, for someone that hasn't fished a jerk bait a lot, buy a 110 in a "hot" color and you've got something you can fish with confidence while learning the ropes.  But the 110's aren't a magic bait, I wish they were, I've got a bunch of them.  I've had many days where other, less expensive, baits have worked and the Megabass did not. 

[rockchalk06]

In my experience, the STX's suspend far better "out of the box" than ANY MB110 I've owned. And I've got at least 20 of the MB110's. The hooks are weak on the MB110's, also. I've broken several, so now just replace them. And of course there are the well known MB110 issues of bills breaking and tails breaking off. The finish on the MB110 is a bit more durable though, I'll give them that.

 

Split rings on the first STX's were not good, but they've long since remedied that issue. Trust me when I say I wish the MB110's worked better than the STX's. I have a lot of money tied up in them. But they rarely see the water these days as the STX's just work better for me.

I went ahead and bought 3 to try out. Thanks.

[A-Jay]

Check out the Duo Realis Jerkbait  100Sp & 120SP reasonably priced and they catch fish.

 

And although I have yet to use them, the Swithwick Perfect "10"  Rogue is quickly gaining fans is a few select Jerk bait fishing circles.

 

A-Jay

[Hooligan]

Hey, hey, hey. There no reason to Bring DR into the conversation here. Nothing to talk about, just keep moving.

The P10 is a really fantastic bait. I got to spend enough time with it this spring that I gained a load of confidence with it.

[Hooligan]

In my experience, the STX's suspend far better "out of the box" than ANY MB110 I've owned. And I've got at least 20 of the MB110's. The hooks are weak on the MB110's, also. I've broken several, so now just replace them. And of course there are the well known MB110 issues of bills breaking and tails breaking off. The finish on the MB110 is a bit more durable though, I'll give them that.

Split rings on the first STX's were not good, but they've long since remedied that issue. Trust me when I say I wish the MB110's worked better than the STX's. I have a lot of money tied up in them. But they rarely see the water these days as the STX's just work better for me.

The Katsuage hooks are fragile, of that there's no doubt, but they also are phenomenal for sticking fish.

It's odd that you say that you've had better luck with the STX suspending. I literally sent 144 baits back that sank straight away, not slow sink, but like a rock, or that were floaters to the point of needing 1/4 ounce or more lead. Of the 196 baits I had, 144 were sent back and another dozen broke writhing hours of use.

I maintain that if you get a good one, they're great. The problem has been, and continues to be, inconsistency.

[Jrob78]

I know the incestual nature of the fishing industry, everything is a copy of something else.  I just have a hard time buying baits that are a direct knockoff of a well known, high quality bait.  It's bad enough that the shape is the same but they copied the eyes and color patterns too.  I'm sure I own other baits that are copies but the STX rubs me the wrong way, I will never own one.  It will never be a 110.

[Munkin]

I've tried them all but the most consistent one for me has been the Xcalibur XS4. I SLAYED bass and trout in march and april of this year with it.

 

I am glad I stocked up on these before everyone let the secret out!

 

 

I had a couple situations this season where I really wish I had shallower running floating jerkbait to stay above the rocks and grass, like in the 0-2.5 foot range. Anybody recommend anything for that application? A high running bait that fishes very fast?

 LC pointer 78 SR = Shallow runner, it just looks like a 78sp with the bill shaved down some.

 

Jerkbaits are my weakness so I have a lot of them! I won't get into all the different high dollar ones from Japan but will address the common ones. LC pointers and slender pointers are the best cold water jerkbaits I own period. I have a little pointer 65sp that has caught so many fish they have not only worn the paint off the plastic is getting thin. Oh I have to add it is on its 13th set of hooks so it may have to be retired soon.

 

The Megabass are works of art but to me they are just an average lure IMO. Those STX will catch fish but all 5 of the ones I have are no where near the Megabass bait. None of them actually suspend and they all sit differently in the water for some reason. Most nose down to different degrees but one tails down and one sinks straight out of the package. They will catch fish like I said and are worth the price but if you are thinking they are the same as a 110 lower your expectations.

 

Allen

[jeb2]

The Katsuage hooks are fragile, of that there's no doubt, but they also are phenomenal for sticking fish.

It's odd that you say that you've had better luck with the STX suspending. I literally sent 144 baits back that sank straight away, not slow sink, but like a rock, or that were floaters to the point of needing 1/4 ounce or more lead. Of the 196 baits I had, 144 were sent back and another dozen broke writhing hours of use.

I maintain that if you get a good one, they're great. The problem has been, and continues to be, inconsistency.

I've yet to have an STX not suspend well out of the box. Maybe some of the newest ones I just got will not, have to wait until winter to find out as that's the only time I fish hard jerk baits. So for me, they've been very consistent so far.

 

So have the MB110's, though. They all float up, and take different amounts of weight to get them to suspend. So consistently inconsistent.