I caught two fish within sight of the launch ramp... and then it was four hours of cold and windy and savage tides and no more fish. The better of the fish was just under legal size, so it felt like a toad compared to the dinks I've been catching lately, but I'm calling it a toad for entertainment purposes
But I got to test out a new (to me) bait and I really like it. It's called the Dark Sleeper by Megabass and it's another in the hyper-realistic 3D soft baits that are becoming so popular. What sets this particular bait apart is the weight distribution and the unique weed guard.
Instead having all the weight in the nose, the Dark Sleeper's center of gravity is further back, which gives it a better glide angle when it's falling. It doesn't just dive straight down, it falls at more of an angle, which I think is more realistic. It also has a wide flat bottom surface, which makes the bait sit on the bottom in a completely natural way. It really does look like a fish!
The other unique feature is the hook is hidden in a slot built into the dorsal fin, which acts like a weed guard. I ran it through all kinds of nasty eel grass and it performed very well. In fact, this bait is perfect for beds of grass because you can either bump it along like a jig, or you can do a slow to medium straight retrieve and swim it just above and through the eel grass.
So I think this is a good bait, despite the fact that the bite shut off and I barely avoided the skunk!
Anyway, I got wet and shot video, so here it is!