If there’s a bait I can catch a big largemouth on in a foot of water, I absolutely love it. Such is the case with the SPRO Cover Jumper, the latest addition to the ever expanding vibrating jig market. What the Z-Man Original Chatterbait started, countless companies have tried to capitalize on. Some create cheap knock-offs, while others bring high quality products with a little something new to the game. I’ve found the latter to be the case with the Cover Jumper.
SPRO Cover Jumper: First Impressions
There were a few things that caught my eye right away with the Cover Jumper: the bait comes with a soft plastic trailer, the hook is massive, the blades are painted to match the heads and skirts, the skirts are hand-tied, and the weights are stamped on the bottom of the head. This thing came straight out of the gate firing on all cylinders. In my hand it felt solid, like a quality bait that could take a beating and keep right on keeping on. So, I headed out on the water to find out.
On The Water
I took this bait out a few times during the pre-spawn in search of a big female in shallow water feeding up before going on bed. I went with the Nasty Shad color for testing, a dull chartreuse and white with a gold blade. This bait showed up really well in the off color to muddy water that I fished it in.
On the first trip, I caught a decent keeper that caught the hook right in the top of the dome: this thing has a seriously nasty hook on it. In my most recent trip, I caught a good one close to 4 pounds that was sitting in a foot of water right next to the bank.
During those two outings (and the few hundred casts I made with this bait in between) I have found nothing to complain about. The hook is stellar, the blade starts kicking as soon as the bait hits the water, and all the components including the clip are topnotch. This is a great bait. Let’s look at some more of why that is.
SPRO Cover Jumper Features Breakdown
The Hook
I can’t stress this enough: The hook is of paramount importance on a bladed jig. I don’t care how many bites a bait can get, if the hook flexes, bends, or breaks, it’s trash. Well this one is far from trash. I don’t know if the 4/0 Gamakatsu Nano Alpha Jig Hook could pull a car out of a ditch, but I’d like to see it try. I know it can handle anything a bass angler is going to put it through on the water.
The Paint Job
With heads and blades custom painted to match each other as well as the skirt, these are some really pretty baits. There are 11 color choices in all, from bright red to white to green to translucent. And each has its own unique head and blade color, some blades are even sprinkled with metal flake. These are some of the most color coordinated vibrating jigs that I’ve ever seen, from the tip of the blade to the end of the included trailer.
The Clip
The main weak point on a bladed jig is usually the line tie. A cheap clip can turn an otherwise good bait into a heartache waiting to happen. But if you beef it up too much, you can mess up the action of the bait. I like the one SPRO went with on the Cover Jumper. It’s small, but made of a fairly heavy-gauge wire, and the connection points are bent over well and secured.
The Weight Indicator
I really like the little weight indicator stamped on the head of this bait. You’re starting to see more companies doing this, and I’m here for it. I can’t stand it when I go to reorder baits and can’t remember what size I’ve been using. It may not seem like it would make that big of difference, but a 1/2-ounce bladed jig is a completely different bait than a 3/8-ounce jig in how fast or slow and how shallow or deep you can fish. Just take a peek under the hood of this one if you’re ever curious and the weight is easily identifiable.
The Trailer and Trailer Keeper
Including a trailer with the Cover Jumper is a nice touch. The head of the trailer has a cavity in it to help you when threading the soft plastic on the hook, and there’s a pre-positioned hole near where the two legs start, for the hook point to exit. These are intended to help you rig your trailer perfectly every time. Naturally, the bait as a whole will outlast the trailer. I found that the wire trailer keeper did a good job of holding both the complimentary trailer as well as a soft plastic craw I used with the bait.
A Hand-Tied Skirt
Thanks to a hand-tied skirt, the Cover Jumper will last quite a while. I have had the rubber collars rot on some vibrating jigs in the past, leaving nothing but a naked metal conglomeration laying in the middle of a pile of silicone skirting. That’s frustrating, but it won’t happen with this one thanks to the strong thread holding it together.
Final Thoughts
I haven’t found many vibrating jigs made by anyone other than Z-Man that I’ve been all that impressed with. This one, however, I like a lot. The action is great and it starts vibrating as soon as it hits the water. Attention to detail is evident throughout, with the hand-tied skirt, painted blades, painted heads, and stamped weight indicators.
The two most important things are top notch, too: the hook and the line-tie clip. The added trailer is the cherry on top. It all comes together to make a fantastic vibrating jig, one that’s worth the $11.49 price tag. If you want to try one of these out for yourself, they come in 3/8- and 1/2ounce sizes and are available now.
