Megabass expands their jerkbait lineup with the VISION ONETEN+2, a new class of jerkbait that delivers the tournament-proven ONETEN action in the 12-foot depth range using 12lb fluorocarbon. Professional bass angler Chris Zaldain explains why getting deeper can mean more bass in a lot of situations. For one, bass often suspend off the edge of …
As Chris Zaldain left Palatka, Florida for the seven-hour drive to Lake Lanier, he experienced a bit of déjà vu. The road took him through Atlanta, up into the Georgia foothills, and he felt himself being transported “back to Northern California.” That told him much of what he needed to know and informed the choices …
Completely redesigned for 2019, the LEVANTE features material, blank, and component upgrades to deliver a new standard of lightweight, balanced power. 12 models cover the needs of discerning anglers, showcasing Megabass’ commitment to application-specific design and development in North America. Incorporating refinements to taper, balance point, guide positioning and ergonomics, the LEVANTE evolved through countless …
Megabass of America, the North American arm of Japan’s premier builder of high-end fishing tackle, is pleased to announce the opening of a new distribution center and corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA, in December of 2018. “In an effort to better support the dealers and anglers who drive Megabass’ growth in the North American market, …
Fishing the Fall Transition Bass fishing is an art and a science. Each year, our knowledge of the sport increases exponentially with new products, technology, and time on the water. However, one aspect remains the same; bass behavior and locations always change with the seasons. Understanding these underlying seasonal patterns are critical to becoming a …
Professional bass angler Chris Zaldain nails it when he says new school grubbing is a finesse swimbait rigged on a ball head jig. Unlike grubs, anatomically accurate baits like the Megabass Spark Shad closely mirror baitfish in appearance and motion while allowing anglers to cover the water column with speed and efficiency. Although they work …
Hollow-belly Frogs have been catching bass for nearly 50 years, but for much of that time, many anglers thought they were relegated to fishing in Florida around lily pads. However, about 20 years ago, some Western bass anglers began dispelling that particular myth. Tournaments started getting won with huge weights in California, particularly at Clear …
When most anglers pick up a lure off the shelf or from the tackle store pegboard, they’re looking at limited clues about its effectiveness. Does it have a paint scheme that resembles the local forage or otherwise triggers reactions? Does it share the general profile of their quarry’s favorite meals? Some will even shake the …
Heavy baits need to be fished on rods rated for heavy lure weights, but with a taper that allows for imparting fish-triggering moves. The rod needs to be mated with a reel up to the tasks of quick line pickup and robust gearing for maximum winching torque. Line choice can vary between heavy monofilament, fluorocarbon, …
Large schools of bass move offshore during the Post-Spawn and Fall patterns. One of the most effective ways to target these fish is to throw a deep diving crankbait like the Deep-SIX. In this video, Bassmaster Elite Angler Chris Zaldain talks about boat positioning and approach when targeting offshore bass.
Bass anglers often use jigs for pitching, flipping and casting to shallow cover. Kenichi Iida demonstrates how to employ a standard jigging technique with a swimbait, that seamlessly transitions in a horizontal swim retrieve using the versatile Megabass Dark Sleeper.
Take a closer look at the Kanata Jerkbait with Edwin Evers. Watch as he breaks down some of the features of this bait, including when he likes to fish it, and what type of rod and reel setup he prefers.
A good portion of bass feeding activity takes place on or near the bottom; crawfish and all sorts of baitfish make use of the lower water column for cover, shade, cool water and feeding opportunities. A jig and swimbait are two lure categories that produce big-time results in this zone. California native Chris Zaldain has …
The square bill can be one of the most effective baits in the spring for big bass. Megabass pro-Edwin Evers breaks down how he fishes the S-Crank square bill crankbait and the key areas he targets. Edwin Evers also covers S-Crank size selection, as well as some of his favorite colors for clear water.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBDrR4bQdSo
With more and more anglers casting big swimbaits, mechanics can be key to success. Come along as Oliver Ngy breaks down his casting mechanics when throwing big swimbaits. He covers the overhead “bomb” cast, the “roll” cast and also touches on skipping these big swimbaits under docks and structure. Suggested Setups: F10-711X ONAGER Baits: MAGDRAFT …
Professional angler Chris Zaldain has turned to the Magdraft swimbait in 6″ and even 8″ sizes to bring some serious weight to the scales throughout his tournament career. Find out why–and how–Chris fishes this unique swimbait for key bites in various situations, including the areas and cast angles he targets to elicit bites in community …
Megabass Pro Edwin Evers shares his insight on the X-80 Trick Darter and ITO Shiner, two sleeper jerkbaits that are go-to’s in the warmer months, and when targeting aggressive feeders. Both lures feature taller backs and shiner-like profiles that allow them to dart even harder than the Vision 110! Find out when and where pro’s …
“When bass go on the feed before and after cold winters, a bigger jerkbait can make for much better and bigger bass fishing! Kyle shares his best tips for upsizing your jerkbaits in these feed zones. Perhaps as important as the upsize, is the ability to cast these jerkbaits farther than others due to the …
Since its debut in 2013, the Orochi XX series has embodied the intersection between Japanese rod technology and North American bass fishing. Dedicated to inspiring American anglers to new heights, the Megabass development team constantly pursues new technologies to ensure that each rod continues to earn its place in angler’s hands. With the introduction of …
EVOLUTION IS BEAUTIFUL: NEW OROCHI XX RODS FOR 2018 Read More »
The compact profile and boot-tail design of the Dark Sleeper swimbait make it ideal for bottom contact applications. But unlike many swimbaits, the Dark Sleeper’s unique dorsal-fin shields the hook-point, making this presentation virtually weedless–perfect for targeting transitions where bass hide! Megabass Pro Edwin Evers shares a few of his favorite ways to fish the …
Sure, we all see on instagram that big baits catch big fish…but how do they do it? Trophy Bass Hunter Oliver Ngy shares the three primary retrieve styles he employs on the way to double-digit monsters, utilizing the Megabass I-Slide 262T. When do you use a straight retrieve? When do you employ reel action (sharp …
If all else fails, you’ve always got the drop-shot…but sometimes they just don’t want that traditional vertical presentation. In those cases, the Hazedong Shad in 3″ and 4.2″ is a limit-saver. Not only can you work the spot with a traditional vertical line-shake, you can also employ a slow, dragging approach to swim through the …
Drop-Swimming: Use Swimbaits to Elevate Your Drop Shot Game! Read More »
Even after 20 years of fishing professionally, there are still nuances to be learned in jerkbait fishing. The role of sound is one, and Bassmaster Elite angler and Megabass Pro Edwin Evers shares a few lessons learned fishing the Vision Oneten for the past decade, and introduces viewers to the brand new Vision Oneten Silent–including …
Edwin Evers, the 2016 Bassmaster Classic champion, hails from Oklahoma, which is decidedly jig country, and about 1,400 miles east of swimbait central. Nevertheless, he’s experimented extensively as swimbaiting culture has vaulted into the mainstream of the tournament scene, and while the big “tennis shoe” sized baits don’t consistently play a big role in everyday …
When I think of September bass fishing, I think of fishing around shallow targets. Of course, many anglers associate bass fishing with shallow cover, as a bass is an ambush feeder, but the thing that separates the average angler from the expert in dissecting shallow cover is understanding casting angles. One of the first things …
Megabass of America, the North American arm of Japan’s premier builder of high-end fishing tackle, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ryan Buttermore as National Sales Manager, effective September 1, 2017. Ryan joins Megabass by way of Dick’s Sporting Goods, where he was formerly a buyer in the fishing tackle department. Prior to his …
MEGABASS APPOINTS RYAN BUTTERMORE AS NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Read More »
Chris Zaldain shares his finesse jighead approach on Minnesota’s Mille Lacs, where his Spark Shad 3″ and Orochi XX Shaky Head powered him to a five-fish limit of 26lbs of smallmouth bass!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dprZXYYcbaQ
Thin, wiggly worms, soft stickbaits and little goby imitators are the workhorses of the dropshotting world, but when California pro Chris Zaldain heads north in the summertime to chase big brown bass, his number one tool on the end of his spinning rod is a small swimbait. There are times when he’ll fish them horizontally …
One of the keys in competitive bass fishing is learning to focus on catching better than average-sized bass. The skill level of anglers has accelerated at such a fast level over the past 10 years that having the ability to just catch a limit keeper size fish will rarely even cash you a check at …
The VISION ONETEN SILENT jerkbait brings deadly stealth to the undeniable performance of the VISION ONTEN, unleashing a fierce new weapon upon tournament waters. By consolidating the moving balancers of the original ONETEN into a single, fixed weight, the ONETEN SILENT is poised to strike from any position. In fact, by eliminating the dead space between tungsten spheres, …
Ever since bass anglers first learned to “walk the dog” with a cigar-shaped topwater, it has been the Holy Grail of bass bites, a way to call larger-than-average fish from a distance and force them to strike out of hunger, curiosity, territoriality or anger. While the early versions of these lures still work, seasoned pros …
Once the bass move out to their deep water summertime haunts, some anglers are lost. They flail around, fishing the same crankbaits as everyone else, and then wonder why their catches don’t add up at weigh-in time. Three-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Chris Zaldain has watched some of them deep cranking, and he knows why they …
Now that bass in many parts of the country have completed their spawning duties, it’s time to fatten up before they head offshore for the summer. That means they’re feasting on a diet of shad and bluegills, pinning their prey into confined spawning areas, and there’s often nothing better than fishing a roll walking popper …
The transition from pre-spawn, spawn, to post-spawn is not an exact science. When it comes to topwater techniques, these periods overlap and are far from definite. Geographical locations, the type of lake, water visibility, localized weather patterns and various other factors all make this unpredictable. One thing is for sure, though: The period immediately after …
One of the valuable byproducts of the passage of time is the fact that fishing myths are dispelled on a regular basis. Two of the biggest myths in fishing that have been proven incorrect are the belief that fish get inactive and won’t bite very well in the winter, and the idea that spawning bass …
Wide, powerful lip stiff-arms gnarly timber and submerged structure, allowing GARUDA to be deployed where other big baits so often foul. With rod tip held high and a slow retrieve, GARUDA is a monster wake bait ready to challenge the biggest fish in your waters. Drop your tip and speed up your retrieve, and GARUDA …