So when I got the new Megabass I Slide 185 at ICAST this summer, I was pretty excited to get to play with their version of the newest wrinkle in swimbaits – glide baits.
Here’s what I really like about this new bait from Megabass:
- Cool action
- Magnetic undersides
- Trick turn
- Mid-range price point
- Fish finder
Slow and wide
Glide baits have been on the market a few years now, but their popularity definitely has grown the last year. Their allure comes from their wide drawing action. It’s almost like a really wide walk the dog action under the water.
The Megabass I Slide 185 exhibits a nice slow lumbering side to side sashay under the surface. It can be a little cumbersome to get comfortable in how the lure fishes. Because it won’t be like other swimbaits in your box. You can get it to go side to side by just reeling it ultra slow. But you can also give it a more subtle darting side to side with a disruptive reeling pattern. Reel half turns with a sharp stop and start. And you can get the bait to twitch and then dart off to one side and then back and off to the other side.
The bait weighs 2 ounces but has a neutral buoyancy system built into it. It will actually changes its response based on water temperatures. In our testing it was a very slow sinker on 20 pound monofilament line. It’s said to come close to floating in warmer water and become a bit faster sinker in colder water. We haven’t been able to test that as much yet but as with most swimbaits it’s a presentation where you are assuming the bass is looking up at it.
I tested it with and without a front clip on the line tie. I really didn’t have a preference and the bait works both ways.
Magnetic attraction
The engineers at Megabass developed a very cool internal magnet system that pins the hooks to the under side of the body as it swims through the water. I find that very intriguing and seems to keep the hooks tucked out of the way. I’ve been pretty cautious still throwing it around cover, so I can’t say if that helps with making it more snag proof, but it does keep the hooks quiet and out of site a little more.
Right turn, clyde
Often with hard swimbaits, you will get following bass. You can sometimes trigger those fish with a pause or turn of the bait. The Megabass I Slide is the first bait I’ve seen that can make a full 360 degree turn. Basically I was able to slow roll the swimbait back and forth, and then kill it abruptly and send slack back to the bait and it will turn all the way around past 180 degrees. Then when you go to start the bait back, it completes the circle and comes back to facing straight again. I’ve only had one follower and it wasn’t a very big bass, but I tried the pause and start move again and got his attention but I think as the water cools, this will become more effective for those slow metabolism bass.
Under priced in comparison
At $59.99, it’s not a cheap lure. In comparison to the other glide baits on the market that range anywhere from $24 to well north of $400, however, this Megabass glide bait is well priced. Dare I say affordable for a class of baits typically with price tags of more than $100.
Drawing power
Where this bait really excels for anglers is as a big bass finder. The wide side to side action in the water, like literally a couple feet to either side, can call fish out of deeper water in clear water situations. While you may not always get curious bass to bite, you can generally get them to expose themselves.
Several professional anglers have used S-wave action swimbaits to draw fish out to show them if big fish are in an area during practice. Then they come back later and catch them on another technique.
So if you’re a tackle enthusiast and been considering glide baits, you might want to check out this fun bait from Megabass. You can find them in 8 colors on tacklewarehouse.com and other tackle retailers who carry Megabass products.
