Small but Mighty, the Deadly Megabass Dark Sleeper (continued)

Don’t be afraid to mix up retrieves, and in general the warmer the water the more success I had swimming the bait, versus bumping the sleeper over structure. In Florida, our editor Wolbugger, fished the Dark Sleeper in warmer conditions, and in contrast to my experience in California, caught the vast majority of his fish on straight retrieves.

Even small bass usually inhale the Dark Sleeper

The Dark Sleeper is available in weights ranging from 1/4oz all the way up to 1oz. and I recommend fishing the same weight that you would normally select from your jig collection to target the same application. When the fish are on a reaction bite the larger 3.8” 1oz. version is good for fishing fast, and getting to the right depth quickly.

The Haze pattern showcases the details of the airbrush finish. As with so many Megabass products the refinement on this bait is exceptional

While the Dark Sleeper is able to draw strikes from both tight holding and suspended fish the one constant is that both bass straight up try and kill this bait during strikes.

Bites are not subtle pecks, and rarely did I hook fish on the lip with this bait. In most cases fish absolutely crushed the Dark Sleeper and hooked themselves deep in the back of their mouths.

Hookup ratios with the bait are quite good, and the soft material used in the body and fins is just solid enough to deflect from potential snags, but also forgiving enough that when struck the fins collapse easily allowing for solid hooksets. While this bait is more snag resistant than many other larger swimbaits it is by no means snag-proof, and I did get it hung up on submerged trees and bushes more than any other type of structure.

While the Dark Sleeper will catch numbers it also crush the Dark Sleeper

 
Price & Applications: The Dark Sleeper is an extremely versatile little bait, and whether you primarily fish it like a jig, or a tiny paddletail swimbait, all you need to do is tie it on and start fishing. The embedded jighead design takes rigging out of the equation, making this a great choice for anglers that are just starting to dial in their swimbait game. It may not feel as glorious as catapulting an I-Slide or large Magdraft, but the Dark Sleeper catches more fish.

Though the hidden hook design reduces snags significantly the Dark Sleeper is not snag-proof and I did hang up on submerged timber at times

Retailing for the price of a premium jig the Dark Sleeper is on the more affordable side when it comes to Megabass bait offerings, and with the recent introduction of larger 3.8” sizes and weights up to 1 ounce there are even more options to match the hatch and target fish at varying depths.

The Dark Sleeper takes all the rigging out of swimbait fishing, it is easy to fish and don't be afraid to mix up retrieves as the bait can be effective deep or shallow or fished slow or fast effectively, depending on conditions

In terms of durability the Dark Sleeper does damage from the micro teeth of largemouth, but I was surprised how well the tails and overall body integrity of the baits held up over time. In fact I didn’t have a single bait lose a tail during testing, which is also probably because there are few short strikes. The Sleeper’s finishes will take a beating, and the surface of the baits will rough up after just a few strikes, but as scruffy as they look over time these baits continued to remain deadly effective.
 

Ratings: (We've re-calibrated our ratings standard for 2008 and have included a key at the bottom of the following matrix as a guide):

Pluses and Minuses: