I’ve been infatuated with Japanese fishing tackle for as long as I can remember. The innovation and attention to detail they put into their baits is second to none, and I truly believe it results in more bites. I’m always looking for new fishing lures that can give me an edge over the competition, and I recently came across a bait that does just that. The Duo Realis Versa Pintail 5.0 is a one-of-a-kind soft plastic jerkbait that I believe will be the next big thing. This bait is 5 inches in length and packed with innovative features that help it out perform others in its class.
VERSA PINTAIL BUILD
The Duo Realis Versa Pintail Soft Jerkbait is built using two different materials. The top half features a heavy weighted plastic, while the bottom half features a lightweight material. This gives the bait a low center of gravity for increased stability and enhanced rolling action. This bait can be fished in a variety of ways, however my favorite is rigged on a lightweight jig head. Using a slack line and subtle shake of your rod tip, this bait creates a natural swimming action that closely mimics a fleeing baitfish. The flat sides on this bait creates a heavy body roll that produces a unique flashing action bass aren’t used to seeing.
While this bait undoubtably performs on a jig head, it’s also designed to be fished on a weightless Texas rig as well. This bait works flawlessly around heavy cover due to its enticing shimmy action that occurs as the Versa Pintail falls slowly through the water column. The designated hook pocket allows you to bury the hook directly into the body of the bait, making it completely weedless. You can also leave the hook slightly exposed using the upper hook slit for a slightly better hookup ratio. Along with this baits flawless action, it also features Duo’s original shrimp scent making this bait the ultimate fish catcher.
MY FAVORITE FEATURES
I fish bass tournaments all over the country, and one lure I always have tied on is a jig head minnow. This style of bait is extremely versatile as it catches bass from coast to coast. I use a variety of soft plastic minnows depending on the size of bass, forage and other factors. While there’s tons of soft plastic minnows on the market today, they aren’t all created equal. One of my favorite features, and one that sets the Versa Pintail apart, is its heavy body roll. The majority of soft plastic minnows have little to no action, resulting in less strike-drawing power. The enhanced action of the Duo Realis Versa Pintail is great for calling in big bass from long distance, and its quickly become my go to minnow whenever I’m fishing around big bass in clear water.
VERSA PINTAIL APPLICATIONS
I’ve been fishing the Duo Realis Versa Pintail for the last several months. Throughout my time experimenting with this bait I’ve found a few scenarios where this bait truly performs. I’ve only had the pleasure of using this bait over the summer, and two of my favorite applications include fishing schools and brush piles. The larger size and enhanced action does a great job at calling some of the bigger fish out of the school and getting them to commit. This is a super effective technique especially later in the summer once the schools have received lots of pressure.
Another one of my favorite ways to fish the Versa Pintail is over brush piles. As water temperatures increase, fish tend to migrate offshore to both schools and brush piles. As the schools receive more and more pressure throughout the summer, lots of these bass move to less pressured locations such as brush piles and other types of submerged cover. These fish have received tons of fishing pressure over the last several months, and getting them to bite can often be difficult. Throwing a larger finesse presentation such as the Versa Pintail is a great way to pull these fish out of cover and get them to react. I typically throw this bait on a 3/16-ounce jig head and slowly twitch it over brush and other types of submerged cover. If the cover is super thick however, I’ll often throw this bait on a weightless EWG hook and let it glide over the brush.
This bait isn’t just effective in the summer however, you can catch bass on the Versa Pintail throughout all four seasons. This bait is one of the most impressive minnows I’ve seen to date, and its something I almost always have tied on. If you’re looking for a high performing soft plastic jerkbait with unique action and intense drawing power, look no further than the Duo Realis Versa Pintail.
