The Best Cold Water Jerkbait?
The Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait is arguably the best jerkbait on the market. It works all year, but where it truly blows the competition out of the water is in the bitter cold months.
01. Perfectly Balanced Right Out of the Package
Most jerkbaits I have used need to be balanced with SuspenDots based on water temperature, hook weight, buoyancy, or other factors, but the Megabass Vision 110 suspends perfectly right out of the package. This is beneficial, because when the temperature is freezing cold and your fingertips hurt, you don’t want to be messing around with tiny SuspenDots. Also, when you are cycling through several color options trying to figure out what the fish want, you don’t have to weight each individual lure every time you tie a new one on.
02. Great Action with Subtle Twitches
This lure works great in cold water because you can make the bait dart while barely twitching your rod. All you need to do is tap the slack in your line to make this jerkbait dance. This allows you to twitch the bait without moving it very far. This is beneficial when bass are lethargic and want to look at the bait for a while before deciding to attack.
03. Hardware and Specs
This lure comes equipped with three Katsuage out-bard treble hooks in order to maximize hook up ratios. The hooks are very light wire, so they penetrate extremely well. However, be careful not to horse the fish to the boat, otherwise you will bend out the hooks. This lure weighs 1/2 an ounce and has a weight transfer system that helps with casting distance and balance. When you lift the lure with your rod to cast, the weight falls into the bottom of the bait giving you the ability to maximize your casting distance. Once the lure digs into the water, the weight falls into place causing the jerkbait to balance perfectly and suspend with the nose slightly turned down. This lure will dive to depths of 4 to 6 feet on 8 to 10 pound fluorocarbon line and will suspend at whatever depth you reel it down to.
04. Rod, Reel and Line Setup
There are two ways I like to throw the jerkbait and I prefer different setups for each style of fishing. The first is more of a power fishing technique, for which I use a baitcasting set up. The second is more of a finesse approach and for that I turn to a spinning set up.
Baitcasting Setup
When I am searching for fish I like to fish fast. If I am fishing quickly, I like to use the baitcasting setup, because it is more efficient. For this setup I like to use a 6 foot 9 inch, Medium Power, Moderate-Fast Action rod paired up with a 7:5:1 gear ratio baitcasting reel. On the baitcasting set up I use fluorocarbon line from 8 pound to 12 pound test. Be extremely careful not to horse the fish into the boat with this lure, because the hooks are lightweight. Once you hook into the fish you will have to play it a little, until you get it in close enough to grab. Keep this in mind especially when you are using 10 or 12 pound line.
Spinning Setup
I reach for my spinning set up when I need to drop my line down to 6 pound test, or the fish are suspended in a specific spot and I know where they are located. I use the spinning rod and reel when I need extremely light line, because the drag on a spinning setup can be dialed in more acutely than a baitcasting reel. That way when I hook into a fish on 6 pound line, I don’t break off when it makes the first run. I also choose to use a spinning rod when I know where the fish are and can slow down my presentation. When I don’t need to fish quickly, I choose the spinning set up, because I get the benefit of using lighter line when targeting specific suspended fish. For this technique I like to use a Medium or Medium Light power spinning rod, with any reel that has a smooth drag system. The drag is the most important part for this setup. Then I pair it with a 10 or 15 pound braid main line to a 6 or 8 pound fluorocarbon leader.
05. Favorite Colors
There are dozens of colors to choose from and each one has a specific time and place to be used. However, as a starting point I am going to give you my top three clear water colors and my top three stained water options.
Top Clear Water Colors
My favorite clear water colors are GP Pro Blue, Elegy Bone, and Ito Clear Laker. I have had success on all three of these colors when fishing high visibility lakes like Table Rock or the great lakes. GP Pro Blue is my favorite all around clear water color. Elegy Bone is my favorite clear water option when targeting smallmouth. Ito Clear Laker is my top choice when fishing clear water, but I need just a bit of flash.
Top Stained Water Colors
The colors I like to start with when fishing stained water are Mat Tennessee Shad, French Pearl US, and GG Deadly Black Shad W/O. I like to use the Matte colors in slightly stained water, because they put off a unique glow under water. This allows the fish to find the lure in off-color water conditions. I use French Pearl US when I need something a bit more natural. The all white bait is a solid color, so it will silhouette in stained water but look natural enough to imitate a shad. I turn to the GG Deadly Black Shad W/O color when the water is really murky, but I still need to throw a jerkbait. It is a dark color that silhouettes nicely, but also throws a lot of flash when the sunlight hits it to draw the fish’s attention.
Conclusion
If you are struggling to get bites on cold Winter days, tie on and try the Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait. It is designed perfectly to be used in cold water temps when nothing else will get bit, but experiment with it all year. This is a product that you will definitely want to incorporate into your repertoire.