Dark Sleeper 2024
Smokinal reply :
Who's tried this bait?
Is it as good as all the reviews say?
Is it this year's TRD?
I just ordered 2 in 3/8 and 2 in 1/2...can't respell the colors lol
All in 3"
Discuss
iabass8 reply :
It's a good swimbait.
they are super, super small baits. the 3/8 took me by surprise as to how small it was.
Smokinal reply :
On 2/17/2019 at 10:49 AM, iabass8 said:It's a good swimbait.
they are super, super small baits. the 3/8 took me by surprise as to how small it was.
Yeah, I wanted the 3.8" but it only comes in 3/4; which I didn't want
The 3/8 and 1/2 come in 3" but that does seem kind of small. Oh well, we'll try it!
primetime reply :
I have watched some you tube videos of the bait, and for some reason that hook hidden under the fin has kind of sold me on buying a few packs. I know that when I head to bass Pro this week to use some gift cards and pick up some stuff I truly need, I will end up buying some of the Darkstar swimmers and also some spark shad.
I have noticed that bass are charging the shorelines in alot of the ponds I stop at during the day in my travels with work, and they are feeding on small 2-3" bluegill and then heading back out deep. I see that as a perfect imitation to the little bluegill, and those colors look like they will be good in stained water. I have no doubt they will work, I sometimes will use that little Creme spoiler shad they have at walmart if I have a spot where the weeds are not bad.....Hiding the hook and not having to rig up an easy shiner or shad tail perfectly seems enticing. The creme bait and little storm weighted swimbaits catch fish, but I lack confidence in them. The darkstar looks to have a better action and can fish it through weeds and hopefully you hook up with most strikes.
I say good purchase. $6 for 2 quality swimbaits with a different look by a company known for quality is never a bad idea. I have also found small catfish in the throat of bass over the years, so I am thinking it is a good style to mimic both.
Jrob78 reply :
They look really good but I haven't had a chance to fish them yet. I will echo that they are smaller than I expected.
Derek1 reply :
Yeah they are small. All the videos I e seen say to fish it like a jig. The footage off it In the water looks pretty cool.
NorcalBassin reply :
I have quite a few and really like them. Been surprisingly durable for me as well, which was a nice surprise. They may have been last year's TRD since they have been on the top sellers list at TW for a long time, but if other people in your area aren't throwing them you could be in for a very pleasant surprise.
webertime reply :
On 2/17/2019 at 10:44 PM, primetime said:
I say good purchase. $6 for 2 quality swimbaits with a different look by a company known for quality is never a bad idea. I have also found small catfish in the throat of bass over the years, so I am thinking it is a good style to mimic both.
That's $6 for one. A pack of 1/2oz Keitech football jigheads and a pack of 3.3 or 3.8 SIF will get you basically the same bait with a way lower cost per bait price. I have some Dark Sleepers and they're pretty cool, but not revolutionary.
fishwizzard reply :
On 2/18/2019 at 4:59 AM, webertime said:That's $6 for one. A pack of 1/2oz Keitech football jigheads and a pack of 3.3 or 3.8 SIF will get you basically the same bait with a way lower cost per bait price. I have some Dark Sleepers and they're pretty cool, but not revolutionary.
Yea, I have some and like them, but every one so far that I have lost has been to hook-setting it into underwater wood. They are really nice for scoping out new, smaller ponds. You can move them pretty quickly while keeping them on the bottom and they don't seem to gather weeds/grass/muck much at all.
It's funny, if they were $5 per I would buy them 4-5 at a time but somehow that additional 99 cents gets me all worked up. I am going to try to replicate them myself with tungsten football jigs and 2.8" Keitechs but I am not convinced that it will be that much cheaper.
webertime reply :
On 2/18/2019 at 5:11 AM, fishwizzard said:Yea, I have some and like them, but every one so far that I have lost has been to hook-setting it into underwater wood. They are really nice for scoping out new, smaller ponds. You can move them pretty quickly while keeping them on the bottom and they don't seem to gather weeds/grass/muck much at all.
It's funny, if they were $5 per I would buy them 4-5 at a time but somehow that additional 99 cents gets me all worked up. I am going to try to replicate them myself with tungsten football jigs and 2.8" Keitechs but I am not convinced that it will be that much cheaper.
But you can change colors... that makes them a lot cheaper if you consider the cost of covering colors for a range of situations.
Choporoz reply :
Got some for Christmas. Only fished the 3/8 &1/2 so far. Got a few dinks, but haven't lost a bait yet. They come through cover pretty well. Not sure the action is any different than Sick Fish or Trash Fish, but the hidden hook is a nice touch. Not a lot of places I fish where an exposed hook is fun, so I think when the grass starts coming up, I'm going to appreciate these even more.
Dangerfield reply :
My brother in law caught this 40" northern dragging a 1/2oz Dark Sleeper in Shirauo and I caught this Smallmouth doing the same thing 10 minutes earlier on a 1oz Dark Sleeper in Wakasagi. Great baits, mine lasted 1/2 a season cause the rubber on the bottom wore thin from dragging and hopping. I haven't bought more cause I can do the same thing with a finesse swimjig.
fishwizzard reply :
On 2/18/2019 at 5:36 AM, webertime said:But you can change colors... that makes them a lot cheaper if you consider the cost of covering colors for a range of situations.
I am still trying to find a good tungsten football head for them. The Kietech ones look perfect but at like $3 per head it isnt much cheaper then just buying a Dark Sleeper.
CrankFate reply :
Ordered 3 real ones from Tackle Direct and 2 bootlegs off of Ali Express. Will be fishing them this season. You could get 4 bootlegs from China for the price of about 1 genuine Dark Sleeper and I bet they still work.....
MrPeanut reply :
I like them. I imitate small bluegills and perch a lot in the weeds, so the hidden hook is a nice touch compared to a small swimbait/jighead.
RHuff reply :
I saw Edwin Evers talking this bait up on the Bass Pros a couple of weeks ago. He was hopping it along the bottom.
FryDog62 reply :
These lures are excellent, especially in and around cover... for a variety of species. But they fish SMALL and rise in the water column on retrieve. I started out with 3/8 and 1/2 oz, but now almost exclusively use 3/4, and occasionally 1 oz. But yeah, they work..
stinkychzman55 reply :
a small finesse type swimbait that gets CHEWED like crazy in pretty much every water i've ever fished it. super small gap in the hook. i've lost way too many big fish with this bait. love to throw it but it seems to always lead to dinks.... or heartbreak when i hook a good one.
FryDog62 reply :
On 2/24/2019 at 8:42 AM, stinkychzman55 said:a small finesse type swimbait that gets CHEWED like crazy in pretty much every water i've ever fished it. super small gap in the hook. i've lost way too many big fish with this bait. love to throw it but it seems to always lead to dinks.... or heartbreak when i hook a good one.
Not arguing with you on the hook up ratio, everyone’s results will vary... but I haven’t found that to be the case.
I frequently switch off between a Dark Sleeper and a Keitech on a wide gap swimbait hook, and if anything it seems like the DS has slightly better hook ups (both are pretty good for lures designed to go thru cover).
Due to its small size a lot of times they really inhale and choke it. I haven’t caught many short fish with it either, but have only used it one season...
CrankFate reply :
Got 2 in the mail today. Besides being tiny, they taste a bit salty.
NYWayfarer reply :
I like the idea of the hidden hook. $6 for one soft plastic is a bit steep though. Hope they last more than a few catches.
Drew03cmc reply :
I have yet to catch anything on them, but the one time I've slung them (damned ice) I love the action and they skip forever. Great for creeks in the 3/8 and 1/2oz sizes. I can't wait to grab a few more for use this summer.
Anyone who thinks 1/2oz is too big for a small creek hasn't weighed their spinnerbait and trailer, jig and pig, chatterbait and trailer or their 1/8oz head and 3.5" craw. All are at or in excess of 1/2oz, easily.
Choporoz reply :
On 2/26/2019 at 11:06 PM, Drew03cmc said:I love the action and they skip forever.
This is a good selling point. I am reluctant to skip open hooks under docks because of ropes and other hazards. I fish these a lot more confidently around snaggy environments.
Whistle reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 8:06 AM, CrankFate said:Ordered 3 real ones from Tackle Direct and 2 bootlegs off of Ali Express. Will be fishing them this season. You could get 4 bootlegs from China for the price of about 1 genuine Dark Sleeper and I bet they still work.....
I am curious how the bootlegs from Ali Express worked for you compared to the genuine ones.
TBAG reply :
I have a few 3/8 but like others said, they're really small. I've never fished them but hope to try some next season.
QUAKEnSHAKE reply :
On 2/24/2019 at 8:42 AM, stinkychzman55 said:a small finesse type swimbait that gets CHEWED like crazy in pretty much every water i've ever fished it. super small gap in the hook. i've lost way too many big fish with this bait. love to throw it but it seems to always lead to dinks.... or heartbreak when i hook a good one.
The hooks are a little of a disappointment for "Megabass" name on them. I had a lot of missed strikes and checked the point of the hook, not that sharp. I now sharpen all out of package sleepers and that helps greatly. Also the length of cast you can get on a 1/2-1oz size (150'+)makes for more difficult hookset with stretchy lines 20-25 feet down on the bottom.
-------
I have noticed I get a lot of strikes on the fall with the lighter size 1/4-3/8 vs the heavier sizes.
Ive used a few colors and doesnt seem to matter.
It was my best "new" lure last year.
HenryPF reply :
On 1/2/2020 at 10:14 PM, Whistle said:
I am curious how the bootlegs from Ali Express worked for you compared to the genuine ones.
I used the Ali Express ones all last year - they are exactly the same thing. How it swims, casts, skips, durability, etc. I see no reason to buy the *real* ones.
I have a lot of pike where I fish, so I lost around 8 of em - I don't like the use a wire leader so I bought the knock offs instead. Very happy I saved a ton of money.
They are only $1.50 now - Hengji Dark Sleeper Knockoffs for 1/2 oz
GreenPig reply :
On 2/26/2019 at 7:44 AM, CrankFate said:Got 2 in the mail today. Besides being tiny, they taste a bit salty.
Pro Tip: Never taste test a lure that's attached to a rod.
bigjean663 reply :
I’ve used and lost a lot of these and they’re still one of my favorite swimbaits or lures in general. Like most others have mentioned, the hooks leave something to be desired. I’ve lost many a nice fish and even some smaller ones when the lure gets thrown out of the fishes mouth. The hook isn’t the strongest either. I’ve thrown mine parallel to some lillies and such and had to really pull on it to get it out of some thicker pads and grass. Never fails, the hook bends. Even just a little bit and you’re in a bind. I’ve caught most of my fish on the 3/8. The most productive color for me is the Donko. I’ve used it on the Sabine River here in Louisiana and Texas and thrown right behind my father in law and got the fish he missed. It most definitely catches fish and they’re fairly durable. I don’t mind buying one or two here and there just for the numbers of fish I’ve caught.
CrankFate reply :
On 1/3/2020 at 2:57 PM, GreenPig said:Pro Tip: Never taste test a lure that's attached to a rod.
Good point!
Or bad point depending on how you look at that statement.....
FryDog62 reply :
On 1/3/2020 at 2:35 PM, HenryPF said:
I used the Ali Express ones all last year - they are exactly the same thing. How it swims, casts, skips, durability, etc. I see no reason to buy the *real* ones.
I have a lot of pike where I fish, so I lost around 8 of em - I don't like the use a wire leader so I bought the knock offs instead. Very happy I saved a ton of money.
They are only $1.50 now - Hengji Dark Sleeper Knockoffs for 1/2 oz
Admittedly I’m clueless on this issue, but how can they legally sell a knockoff?
MN Fisher reply :
On 1/9/2020 at 8:20 AM, FryDog62 said:Admittedly I’m clueless on this issue, but how can they legally sell a knockoff?
They can't - but you try regulating China...
JediAmoeba reply :
On 1/9/2020 at 8:20 AM, FryDog62 said:Admittedly I’m clueless on this issue, but how can they legally sell a knockoff?
Who is to say they are "knock offs"? They may be the exact same lure just being sold by another party. Seems to happen a lot with Chinese gear.
Dwight Hottle reply :
On 2/23/2019 at 11:48 AM, FryDog62 said:These lures are excellent, especially in and around cover... for a variety of species. But they fish SMALL and rise in the water column on retrieve. I started out with 3/8 and 1/2 oz, but now almost exclusively use 3/4, and occasionally 1 oz. But yeah, they work..
From my experience I agree just buy the 3/4 & 1 oz size.
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