Kenta Kimura’s Simple Megabass Dark Sleeper Modification
When most bass anglers first encounter the Megabass Dark Sleeper, they assume that it’s either a swimbait or a jig.
For two-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier and B.A.S.S. Open winner Kenta Kimura, it’s something different altogether: One of the best squarebill replacements he’s ever found.
That lesson really hit home during a top finish on Alabama’s Lake Neely Henry, when he located quality fish on riprap, but knew he’d have to follow other anglers.
“Everybody was throwing a squarebill,” he recalled. “I knew that I needed something else. You couldn’t drag a jig because it would get hung up, so I caught some fish by flipping the Dark Sleeper. When it would hit the bottom, I’d pop it and let it go down again. It glides down and doesn’t hang up. If you give it tension to let it fall, it automatically goes down at the correct angle.”
An advantage that the Dark Sleeper possesses over finesse techniques that others might have tried is that it’s a true power bait. Kimura fishes it on 20 pound test fluorocarbon because “they eat the whole thing and since it has a jig hook you can hit them very hard.” He fishes it on a 7’ medium-heavy or heavy jig rod and said that he boat flips everything up to about 5 pounds.
Because he’s usually fishing the Dark Sleeper in less than 5’ feet of water, he relies most frequently on the 3/8 ounce model, which is 2.4” long, and typically leans toward shad or baitfish colors. No matter which size he uses, however, or where he fishes it, he makes a simple modification to ensure maximum hookups. Check out the video below:
