Are Megabass jerkbaits really king or is it a confidence thing?

[txchaser]

A few thoughts:

everyone's still hunting for a stick bait as good as a senko. if it was out there, one of us would have found it by now I think. Are there some that are very close, or work better when you need a faster or slower fall? yes of course. still not a senko.

 

IMO this question about jerkbaits is kind of similar - MB gets the standard because it really is that good, and it seems to be consistent quality/performance too. *however* I think it's a stronger bait as one gets further north. Cover is heavy down here in texas and the idea of fishing a vision through standing timber on 10lb line is just too much. Same for the weedlines that often persist nearly year round. 

In my JB box-

 

Vision 110's and jr's in +0, +1, +2 (and I'm going to buy the JDM +3). My curse with these is smaller than average fish.

 

6th sense small/large/regular/silent in +0 and +1 (probably top pick for texas-like environments where it is heavier line and on a baitcaster.

 

A few LC's as they are 'taller' - sometimes the fish want a meatier presentation. It is very noticeable with these baits. 

 

A few shimano world boost which are absolute sleeper baits and have my top 3 JB fish. Sunny day bait. 

 

[woolleyfooley]

17 hours ago, txchaser said:

A few thoughts:

everyone's still hunting for a stick bait as good as a senko. if it was out there, one of us would have found it by now I think. Are there some that are very close, or work better when you need a faster or slower fall? yes of course. still not a senko.

 

IMO this question about jerkbaits is kind of similar - MB gets the standard because it really is that good, and it seems to be consistent quality/performance too. *however* I think it's a stronger bait as one gets further north. Cover is heavy down here in texas and the idea of fishing a vision through standing timber on 10lb line is just too much. Same for the weedlines that often persist nearly year round. 

In my JB box-

 

Vision 110's and jr's in +0, +1, +2 (and I'm going to buy the JDM +3). My curse with these is smaller than average fish.

 

6th sense small/large/regular/silent in +0 and +1 (probably top pick for texas-like environments where it is heavier line and on a baitcaster.

 

A few LC's as they are 'taller' - sometimes the fish want a meatier presentation. It is very noticeable with these baits. 

 

A few shimano world boost which are absolute sleeper baits and have my top 3 JB fish. Sunny day bait. 

 

Definitely a staple northern bait. I would say partly due to cold weather effectiveness. I definitely don’t consider it a cold water only bait however. Here in Florida, working a jerk bait aggressively (without a long pause) catches all kinds of species of fish, including bass of course.

 

The only problem is like you said, the amount of grass/weeds in the water and the lack of deeper waters makes it easy to snag, and it’s not fun losing a 25 dollar lure.

[gim]

The only item I can add here is that there are a lot of megabass visions out there with wild, irregular colors/patterns.  Don't get sucked into that.  If you have to win a bidding war on ebay to acquire it, its being sold to catch your wallet, not fish.  Speaking from personal experience here.

 

Stick to the natural colors would be my suggestion.  Not one that looks like a rainbow snow cone dipped in neon green ooze.

[MediumMouthBass]

Megabass is 90% marketing.

They make a fortune by doing limited release special color runs, among marketing themselves as a premium brand, hence the prices of their products. Having a bunch of guys from shops, or youtube channels to praise the brand constantly, definitely helps them.

But their free publicity is there real money maker, think of all the guys on here and elsewhere who arent paid to promote their brand, but do. You pay them $25, and then work for them afterwards as a unpaid salesman for them. Its genius.

 

But unlike every brand that does this with their company, brand, etc, their products actually work.

And work better than anything else on the market in that lure category.

 

Are they worth the steep price they cost? To me no way, id rather buy 3-6 jerkbaits from other brands for the same price as there 1, the bass i fish for have no issue with the cheap Strike Kings, Berkley Stunnas, Rapalas, or Lucky Crafts. They are feeding for SURVIVAL, they arent inspecting every millimeter of a lure, and thinking "i dont know if this lure is expensive enough for me to bite it".

Nor has a bass ever called me poor and told me if i spent more money it wouldve bit.

 

But if it gives you confidence and you have the money to afford them, or to afford replacing them if you fish pike/pickerel waters then thats all that matters. And for many this is the case, it is a high quality, fish catching gamechanger lure for some, or a dud for others.

They really alienated a big portion of bass fishermen with their line of jerkbaits though, when you get off this forum and go to the real world, most guys dont have endless budgets, bass boats, and thousands into rods and reels. Most people that fish would never spend $15 on a Jack Hammer, let alone a $25 jerkbait.

It would be interesting if they every released a value line, i think their brand would get even bigger then.

 

[LrgmouthShad]

20 hours ago, txchaser said:

everyone's still hunting for a stick bait as good as a senko. if it was out there, one of us would have found it by now I think

Berkley Maxscent General makes a strong case

20 hours ago, txchaser said:

Cover is heavy down here in texas

Yes

 

[Darth-Baiter]

too add:  the hooks on the V110 are great, but not that strong.  I stay with OEM on replacements.  I am not messing with the weight/balance.  

[TOXIC]

Well, one year on St Clair I threw at least 5 different brands of jerkbaits and the only one that got bit was a Staycee in a certain color.  Others in the same color didn’t get bit.  Likewise, I paid $25 for a Sammy that never failed to catch topwater fish and I had boxes of other walking baits and poppers.  Had that bait for years and ended up losing it on the Rappahonock when I had a birds nest snap my line after fighting a fish.  

[RB 77]

Vision 110's the King? Probably. I just recently got rid of all my Jerkbaits that weren't 110's or Pointers to make room for more. 

[lunkerboss923]

I'm a firm believer in Vision 110. Yes, it's a confidence lure for me. Worth every penny! 

[lunkerboss923]

On 11/26/2019 at 3:33 PM, pauldconyers said:

What is your opinion of the stock hooks on the oneten?

Thin wire, i use 8 to 10lb Fluoro. They will bend out if you use larger lb test. Also a rod is key too. I recommend Expride 6'10" MF, Megabass Jerkbait Special, or Dobyns Kaden 610-4CB. All have moderate actions and lots of give. Those thin wire hooks are perfect with the right set up. 

On 11/26/2019 at 5:58 PM, Cgolf said:

So most of my hits have come when the bait is either paused or gliding to a stop. So if the posture of the bait when it’s paused doesn’t trigger the strike, then what is the trigger?

 

Is the action of the bait in motion what draws them in and just the pause itself regardless of bait posture that triggers the strike?

It's trial and error. Sometimes, I get bit after I jerk and the bait is suspended. Other times I'm hit during a jerk. Remember these lures are designed to mimick a dying bait fish. So sometimes dead sticking and counting to 10 followed by a series of jerks works well. 

[Logan S]

On 12/3/2024 at 6:48 PM, MediumMouthBass said:

Megabass is 90% marketing.

They make a fortune by doing limited release special color runs, among marketing themselves as a premium brand, hence the prices of their products. Having a bunch of guys from shops, or youtube channels to praise the brand constantly, definitely helps them.

But their free publicity is there real money maker, think of all the guys on here and elsewhere who arent paid to promote their brand, but do. You pay them $25, and then work for them afterwards as a unpaid salesman for them. Its genius.

I first responded to this thread in 2019....And my response at the time was much more glowing that it would be today.  I still think the 110 is among the best overall jerkbaits on the market, but unfortunately in our post-2020 world what @MediumMouthBass wrote here is more true than I'd like to admit.  

 

Not only that, but with the huge increase in demand for MB baits there were changes made to the bait.  A post-2020 110 is not the same as a pre-2020 110....It uses slightly different hardware, has slight internal differences, and the intricate multi-layer paint jobs are just not the same as they used to be.  I honestly don't buy them anymore, instead relying on my collection of pre-2020's versions.  

 

When I first wrote in this thread in 2019, the 110 was in a league of it's own.  5 years later it's still a quality bait, but there is no where near the separation between it and other options as there used to be.  

[Hogs_n_Logs]

On 12/4/2024 at 8:48 AM, MediumMouthBass said:

Are they worth the steep price they cost? To me no way, id rather buy 3-6 jerkbaits from other brands for the same price as there 1, the bass i fish for have no issue with the cheap Strike Kings, Berkley Stunnas, Rapalas, or Lucky Crafts. They are feeding for SURVIVAL, they arent inspecting every millimeter of a lure, and thinking "i dont know if this lure is expensive enough for me to bite it".

 

 

 

 

Not to say any of those are terrible baits by any means but the reason most "hyped" or "expensive" lures is not because the bass "want" it more than any other. I see this line of thinking time and time again. Lures are not items at the trough in the bass buffet, they are tools that are manipulated by the angler. The upside to the "best" lures is often that they have consistent + easy to impart ACTION that triggers bites, along with excellent fishability, and the combination of these results in higher efficiency of catching fish. In the same way that harbor freight snip clipper will cut stuff just fine, but if you are using that tool day in and day out 10/10 people will prefer knipex.

 

  Of course a bass isnt actively inspecting a lures minute details. Any hardbait is the same as a lump of wood/plastic/metal if it isnt moving. The difference between "great" lures and those that are simply good or medoicre is the ability of these lures to be fished consistently and efficiently with action that triggers strikes. The 110(especially the +1) and a handful of other jerkbaits stand above the rest. I have tried many, the 110, Jackall Rerange 110, and shimano world minnow offer incredible consistent easy to control action. I have also caught fish on a stunna and x-rap, but they dont FISH as well as the above. IME both the stunna and x-rap have too much water resistance and maybe a less consistent balance, so on the twitch they sometimes "drag" rather than dart. 

 

With all that said, the Jackall Rerange 110 is IMO the best fishing jerkbait around, has a better weight transfer system because it allows you to twitch up and not lose action, and is about 10USD cheaper than the 110. An absolutely killer technique you can use over heavily submergent vegitation on drop offs is start working the bait up towards the surface, which is not possible with other jerkbaits because the casting system weight will slide into the tail of the lure. 

 

 

[OkobojiEagle]

waiting for a Rerange 100...

 

oe

[KP Duty]

The '24 Bassmasters Classic was won with a Duel flat minnow...

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Duel_Hardcore_Minnow_Flat_SP_Jerkbaits_110mm/descpage-HMF.html

 

All time Bassmaster weight tally was set at Lake Fork a couple years ago.  He used a Vision 110 and an unnamed Duo Reslis jerkbait.  Rod was a 7' MLRB Tatula.

[Munkin]

Jerkbaits are the one bait that you have to carry a bunch of.  The bass always seem to want a particular bait that day. Overall I do best on LC Pointers than anything else.  The Vision 110 works great some days but not others. The 110 Jr has worked the best for me out of the MB line.  Last year I picked up some 110+1 Jr's to try.

 

Allen