VMC’s new Hybrid Swimbait Jig is “the perfect swimbait head,” said tournament bass fishing pro and champion Jacob Wheeler.
“It’s the real deal. I’m really pumped about it,” said Wheeler, a Rapala Pro who for the past two years has been dominating the top ranks of tournament bass fishing. “It is phenomenal.”
The hook on the new VMC® Hybrid Swimbait Jig features a wider gap to maximize hook sets and a hybrid bend for extra strength. It’s 1X strong and made from Hi-Carbon Steel with a forged shank.
“That hook style – for me and many other pros – is a huge, huge, huge deal for keeping fish hooked up,” Wheeler said. “I just don’t seem to lose them on it.”
Many attributes combine to make the new jig’s VMC hook “absolute money” for swimbait fishing, Wheeler said. “For one, the diameter is perfect. It’s not too thick, so you don’t have to use it on too heavy a rod. And it’s not so thin that you have to worry about it bending out.”
Furthermore, he said, “it penetrates really well.” “It’s sticky sharp” and features a “good-sized” barb. So when you do set the hook and you get it past the barb, you’re not going to have a worry about getting that fish in the boat.”
The lure’s jig-head features a 60-degree-angle line-tie and 3D holographic eyes. It’s not painted.
“I like that plain lead head,” Wheeler said. “That’s the most natural color you can have. That lead-gray head, for me, matches up with more colors than any other for swimbaits.”
Another feature of the VMC Hybrid Swimbait Jig’s jig-head is a wide-diameter spring keeper to securely lock soft plastics in place.
“When we were filming a promo video in June, I caught like 12 or 13 bass off the same swimbait body,” Wheeler said. “And I could have caught more on it, but I only took it off because I wanted to try another color.”
The VMC Hybrid Swimbait Jig come in four sizes: 3/16 oz. (2/0 hook, 4 per pack); 1/4 oz. (2/0 hook, 4 per pack); 5/16 oz. (3/0 hook, 4 per pack); 3/8 oz. (3/0 hook, 3 per pack); and 1/2 oz. (4/0 hook, 3 per pack).