Smokinal Posted February 17, 2019 Posted February 17, 2019 Who's tried this bait? Is it as good as all the reviews say? Is it this year's TRD? I just ordered 2 in 3/8 and 2 in 1/2...can't respell the colors lol All in 3" Discuss Quote
Super User iabass8 Posted February 17, 2019 Super User Posted February 17, 2019 It's a good swimbait. they are super, super small baits. the 3/8 took me by surprise as to how small it was. 1 Quote
Smokinal Posted February 17, 2019 Author Posted February 17, 2019 10 hours ago, iabass8 said: It's a good swimbait. they are super, super small baits. the 3/8 took me by surprise as to how small it was. Yeah, I wanted the 3.8" but it only comes in 3/4; which I didn't want The 3/8 and 1/2 come in 3" but that does seem kind of small. Oh well, we'll try it! Quote
primetime Posted February 17, 2019 Posted February 17, 2019 I have watched some you tube videos of the bait, and for some reason that hook hidden under the fin has kind of sold me on buying a few packs. I know that when I head to bass Pro this week to use some gift cards and pick up some stuff I truly need, I will end up buying some of the Darkstar swimmers and also some spark shad. I have noticed that bass are charging the shorelines in alot of the ponds I stop at during the day in my travels with work, and they are feeding on small 2-3" bluegill and then heading back out deep. I see that as a perfect imitation to the little bluegill, and those colors look like they will be good in stained water. I have no doubt they will work, I sometimes will use that little Creme spoiler shad they have at walmart if I have a spot where the weeds are not bad.....Hiding the hook and not having to rig up an easy shiner or shad tail perfectly seems enticing. The creme bait and little storm weighted swimbaits catch fish, but I lack confidence in them. The darkstar looks to have a better action and can fish it through weeds and hopefully you hook up with most strikes. I say good purchase. $6 for 2 quality swimbaits with a different look by a company known for quality is never a bad idea. I have also found small catfish in the throat of bass over the years, so I am thinking it is a good style to mimic both. Quote
Super User Jrob78 Posted February 17, 2019 Super User Posted February 17, 2019 They look really good but I haven't had a chance to fish them yet. I will echo that they are smaller than I expected. Quote
Derek1 Posted February 17, 2019 Posted February 17, 2019 Yeah they are small. All the videos I e seen say to fish it like a jig. The footage off it In the water looks pretty cool. Quote
Super User NorcalBassin Posted February 17, 2019 Super User Posted February 17, 2019 I have quite a few and really like them. Been surprisingly durable for me as well, which was a nice surprise. They may have been last year's TRD since they have been on the top sellers list at TW for a long time, but if other people in your area aren't throwing them you could be in for a very pleasant surprise. 1 Quote
Super User webertime Posted February 17, 2019 Super User Posted February 17, 2019 6 hours ago, primetime said: I say good purchase. $6 for 2 quality swimbaits with a different look by a company known for quality is never a bad idea. I have also found small catfish in the throat of bass over the years, so I am thinking it is a good style to mimic both. That's $6 for one. A pack of 1/2oz Keitech football jigheads and a pack of 3.3 or 3.8 SIF will get you basically the same bait with a way lower cost per bait price. I have some Dark Sleepers and they're pretty cool, but not revolutionary. Quote
Super User fishwizzard Posted February 17, 2019 Super User Posted February 17, 2019 6 minutes ago, webertime said: That's $6 for one. A pack of 1/2oz Keitech football jigheads and a pack of 3.3 or 3.8 SIF will get you basically the same bait with a way lower cost per bait price. I have some Dark Sleepers and they're pretty cool, but not revolutionary. Yea, I have some and like them, but every one so far that I have lost has been to hook-setting it into underwater wood. They are really nice for scoping out new, smaller ponds. You can move them pretty quickly while keeping them on the bottom and they don't seem to gather weeds/grass/muck much at all. It's funny, if they were $5 per I would buy them 4-5 at a time but somehow that additional 99 cents gets me all worked up. I am going to try to replicate them myself with tungsten football jigs and 2.8" Keitechs but I am not convinced that it will be that much cheaper. Quote
Super User webertime Posted February 17, 2019 Super User Posted February 17, 2019 25 minutes ago, fishwizzard said: Yea, I have some and like them, but every one so far that I have lost has been to hook-setting it into underwater wood. They are really nice for scoping out new, smaller ponds. You can move them pretty quickly while keeping them on the bottom and they don't seem to gather weeds/grass/muck much at all. It's funny, if they were $5 per I would buy them 4-5 at a time but somehow that additional 99 cents gets me all worked up. I am going to try to replicate them myself with tungsten football jigs and 2.8" Keitechs but I am not convinced that it will be that much cheaper. But you can change colors... that makes them a lot cheaper if you consider the cost of covering colors for a range of situations. Quote
Super User Choporoz Posted February 19, 2019 Super User Posted February 19, 2019 Got some for Christmas. Only fished the 3/8 &1/2 so far. Got a few dinks, but haven't lost a bait yet. They come through cover pretty well. Not sure the action is any different than Sick Fish or Trash Fish, but the hidden hook is a nice touch. Not a lot of places I fish where an exposed hook is fun, so I think when the grass starts coming up, I'm going to appreciate these even more. Quote
Dangerfield Posted February 21, 2019 Posted February 21, 2019 My brother in law caught this 40" northern dragging a 1/2oz Dark Sleeper in Shirauo and I caught this Smallmouth doing the same thing 10 minutes earlier on a 1oz Dark Sleeper in Wakasagi. Great baits, mine lasted 1/2 a season cause the rubber on the bottom wore thin from dragging and hopping. I haven't bought more cause I can do the same thing with a finesse swimjig. 5 Quote
Super User fishwizzard Posted February 21, 2019 Super User Posted February 21, 2019 On 2/17/2019 at 4:36 PM, webertime said: But you can change colors... that makes them a lot cheaper if you consider the cost of covering colors for a range of situations. I am still trying to find a good tungsten football head for them. The Kietech ones look perfect but at like $3 per head it isnt much cheaper then just buying a Dark Sleeper. Quote
CrankFate Posted February 22, 2019 Posted February 22, 2019 Ordered 3 real ones from Tackle Direct and 2 bootlegs off of Ali Express. Will be fishing them this season. You could get 4 bootlegs from China for the price of about 1 genuine Dark Sleeper and I bet they still work..... 1 Quote
MrPeanut Posted February 22, 2019 Posted February 22, 2019 I like them. I imitate small bluegills and perch a lot in the weeds, so the hidden hook is a nice touch compared to a small swimbait/jighead. Quote
RHuff Posted February 23, 2019 Posted February 23, 2019 I saw Edwin Evers talking this bait up on the Bass Pros a couple of weeks ago. He was hopping it along the bottom. Quote
Super User FryDog62 Posted February 23, 2019 Super User Posted February 23, 2019 These lures are excellent, especially in and around cover... for a variety of species. But they fish SMALL and rise in the water column on retrieve. I started out with 3/8 and 1/2 oz, but now almost exclusively use 3/4, and occasionally 1 oz. But yeah, they work.. 4 Quote
stinkychzman55 Posted February 24, 2019 Posted February 24, 2019 a small finesse type swimbait that gets CHEWED like crazy in pretty much every water i've ever fished it. super small gap in the hook. i've lost way too many big fish with this bait. love to throw it but it seems to always lead to dinks.... or heartbreak when i hook a good one. Quote
Super User FryDog62 Posted February 25, 2019 Super User Posted February 25, 2019 On 2/23/2019 at 6:42 PM, stinkychzman55 said: a small finesse type swimbait that gets CHEWED like crazy in pretty much every water i've ever fished it. super small gap in the hook. i've lost way too many big fish with this bait. love to throw it but it seems to always lead to dinks.... or heartbreak when i hook a good one. Not arguing with you on the hook up ratio, everyone’s results will vary... but I haven’t found that to be the case. I frequently switch off between a Dark Sleeper and a Keitech on a wide gap swimbait hook, and if anything it seems like the DS has slightly better hook ups (both are pretty good for lures designed to go thru cover). Due to its small size a lot of times they really inhale and choke it. I haven’t caught many short fish with it either, but have only used it one season... 2 Quote
CrankFate Posted February 25, 2019 Posted February 25, 2019 Got 2 in the mail today. Besides being tiny, they taste a bit salty. 1 4 Quote
Super User NYWayfarer Posted February 26, 2019 Super User Posted February 26, 2019 I like the idea of the hidden hook. $6 for one soft plastic is a bit steep though. Hope they last more than a few catches. Quote
Drew03cmc Posted February 26, 2019 Posted February 26, 2019 I have yet to catch anything on them, but the one time I've slung them (damned ice) I love the action and they skip forever. Great for creeks in the 3/8 and 1/2oz sizes. I can't wait to grab a few more for use this summer. Anyone who thinks 1/2oz is too big for a small creek hasn't weighed their spinnerbait and trailer, jig and pig, chatterbait and trailer or their 1/8oz head and 3.5" craw. All are at or in excess of 1/2oz, easily. Quote
Super User Choporoz Posted February 26, 2019 Super User Posted February 26, 2019 14 minutes ago, Drew03cmc said: I love the action and they skip forever. This is a good selling point. I am reluctant to skip open hooks under docks because of ropes and other hazards. I fish these a lot more confidently around snaggy environments. 2 Quote
Whistle Posted January 2, 2020 Posted January 2, 2020 On 2/21/2019 at 7:06 PM, CrankFate said: Ordered 3 real ones from Tackle Direct and 2 bootlegs off of Ali Express. Will be fishing them this season. You could get 4 bootlegs from China for the price of about 1 genuine Dark Sleeper and I bet they still work..... I am curious how the bootlegs from Ali Express worked for you compared to the genuine ones. 1 Quote
TBAG Posted January 2, 2020 Posted January 2, 2020 I have a few 3/8 but like others said, they're really small. I've never fished them but hope to try some next season. Quote
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