Megabass ITO SHINER

In the winter, some Midwest finesse anglers spend part of their outings wielding a suspending jerkbait -- especially when they are dissecting a massive flat. In cold-water seasons of the past, some of these anglers became enchanted with the effectiveness of the Megabass ITO Vision ONETEN, Vision ONETEN Jr., and ITO Vision ONETEN+1.

The ITO Vision ONETEN Jr. is the one that most finesse anglers wield on their spinning rods. It is 3 ¾-inches long, weighs three-eighths of an ounce and dives to a depth of two feet. To get this bait deeper than two feet, finesse anglers wrap a twist or two of fly-tying lead wire around the front hook. Their aim is to weight it so that it falls at a rate of one foot every four seconds, and when the water temperature changes, it will necessitate adding or decreasing the amount of lead wire that is wrapped around the hook. These finesse anglers also predicate the fall rate on the disposition and depth of the bass

In addition to the junior version, some of these finesse anglers have been known to use the ITO Vision ONETEN, which is 4 1/3 inches long, weighs one-half of an ounce, and dives to a depth of six feet. A few of them use the ITO Vision ONETEN+1, which is 4 1/3 inches long, weighs one-half of an ounce, and dives to a depth of nine feet. The ITO Vision ONETEN Magnum, which is 5 1/8 inches long and weighs three-quarters of an ounce, is too hefty for any kind of Midwest finesse applications.

Megabass has a new suspending jerkbait, which is called the ITO SHINER. And it might interest some finesse anglers. It is 4 1/2 inches long, weighs a half of an ounce, and has a little larger profile than the OneTen. It dives to a depth of six feet. It is endowed with a tungsten weight-transfer system, which makes it easier to cast, and it also increases its side-to-side movement by 30 percent compared to its siblings' side-to-side movement. The folks at Megabass described the action that it generates as a high-pitch roll and erratic lunge.

It is bedecked with three No. 4 Katsuage out-barb treble hooks. It is available in the following 11 colors: Elegy Bone; GG Illusion Tennessee Shad; GG Perch; GP Sexy Shad; GP Pro Blue; Ito Natural; Kohoku Reaction; M Ozark Shad; Table Rock SP; MG Western Clown; and Wagin Hasu 2.

The major drawback to using the ITO SHINER and other Megabass jerkbaits for most Midwest finesse anglers, who tend to be a frugal lot, is that these baits are extremely expensive. The ITO Shiner retails for $25.99.