Megabass i-Slide I Slide 262T Glide Bait Product Review

Lure Review

The i-Slide 262T's Long Journey En Route to Earning Our Ultimate Award (continued)

Design/Ergonomics: Megabass of America's i-Slide 262T isn't really that big of a bait in length or weight, yet somehow it feels bigger and heavier than it actually is. Maybe it's my tumultuous history with the bait that weighs everything down. Maybe it's just the bait's cost and jdm appeal. If you're into the technical aspects, this bait is actually designed to suspend in 50 to 60 degree water and can be modified with aftermarket weight strips to customize sink rate. Simply changing out the split rings will have an affect too. But this is true with most higher end baits. It doesn't take much to affect sinking and suspension behavior.

Megabass of America's i-Slide 262T retails for a cool $94.99

Price & Application: Megabass of America's i-Slide 262T retails for a cool $94.99 at your favorite, authorized, and reputable dealer. For a seasoned big bait angler, this can be an everyday glide bait. It is big and heavy and takes some conditioning to build up the wherewithal to throw consistently, but most importantly, it gets bit.

Ratings:

Megabass i-Slide 262T Ratings (?/10)
Construction/Quality	Nobody does packaging like Megabass and packaging is part of the fun with this big bait.	10
Performance	Somewhat finicky bait that relies very much upon the condition of its tail	8
Price	Another premium bait from Megabass with a premium price tag	7
Features	Quality hooks, but should be packaged with a spare tail	7
Design (Ergonomics)	Roughly 5 core colors, but many more if you care to search around	7
Application	When you want the thrill of that big bite, this bait really delivers on that level of excitement	8
Total Score		7.83
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable! For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus	Minus
+ Has a wide glide action	- Easily gets out of tune if the tail is bent
+ Stock hooks are deceivingly sharp - in a good way	- Does not come with a spare tail

Conclusion: This story concludes with my purchase of one more i-Slide 262T to replace the one that left me. The more I thought about that lost bait, the more I started to think it may not have just been my questionable leader size (20lb Super Natural is thin for a 20lb line), but perhaps the mojo of not using an officially licensed Megabass fishing rod. I changed the leader on that Hollow Ace to 30lb Super Natural, and mounted the DR-Z2020XHL on my Megabass of America, Black Jungle, F10-76XBJ Super Red Demon. Initially, I considered using my Megabass of America F10-711X Onager to continue my journey with i-Slide 262T, but see, that bait predates the Onager in Megabass's lineup and I was worried it might not respect its younger cousin. I needed a stick capable of reigning in that prima-donna attitude of the i-Slide, and the Super Red Demon was just the stick to do that.

Vindication! Finally, the rod, reel, line, tail, and stars aligned for a nice i-Slide 262T fish!

It took me about half a dozen casts to get accustomed to casting the i-Slide 262T again on yet another new combo. Turns out the Super Red Demon's rear handle is just a little short for two handed casts with big baits. I don't recall thinking that of the rod before, but it's been several years since I've used it. A few hours into the day, I was in a groove casting the bait for good distance when finally on one retrieve about halfway back to the boat, I received a massive hit. I responded in kind laying into the fish. This time, my knot, leader to hollow braid connection, rod, reel, all worked in unison as the Super Red Demon flexed and basically said, "I got this." As the adrenaline rush filled my veins, I unconsciously let out a guttural growl that had Zander leaping from the front deck to the back, adjacent to my position, with the net in hand. That was a hit and hookup five years in the making! As it turned out, that was not the only fish that first day back with the bait. All it took was the right line, rod, and reel and a lot of patience and persistence, and the respect to store the bait properly in between trips. My only disappointment? That my lost 262T wasn't also in the fish's mouth.

With her secrets unlocked, the i-Slide 262T has delivered big hit after big hit

At one point, I tucked the Super Red Demon under my arm and dropped the i-Slide into the water right next to the boat as I adjusted my neck gator. The bait descended a foot or two in the water in a perfectly horizontal position and almost right away, a two pound bass swam right up next to the bait in a challenging posture. When the i-Slide did not respond, the bass swam around and nudged it nose to nose. Zander and I's jaws just dropped to the deck. When I picked my rod back up and tugged the line to make the i-Slide move a bit, the 2lber was unimpressed and just kind of swam off in disdain. On my very next cast, another fish bumped the bait but failed to really hit it. It was probably another small fish coming up to challenge the bait. Unbelievable.

Our story with the i-Slide 262T is now complete

Though it is not a custom-made swimbait the i-Slide 262T still has a regal feel to it and carries a certain reverence that commands you treat it with some respect.

I now remove the tail at the end of each fishing trip to carefully store it when not in use, but my thoughts continually return to my first i-Slide 262T. She was a GLX Silver Salmon. I replaced her with a Tarpon pattern and there are other patterns for this bait that are phenomenal limited editions that I'd love to have but would be too fearful to throw for fear of losing. That's actually why I purchased the Tarpon. The tarpon is more generic and easier for me to throw, yet if it too were to become difficult to acquire, I'm not quite sure what I'd do.

Sometimes, it's not the end result that makes a piece of tackle special, but the journey of getting to know its ins and outs. That's how Megabass of America's i-Slide 262T earned our Ultimate Enthusiast Award.

Sure, i-Slide 262T is a little high maintenance, but fish it on the right rod, reel, line, and if applicable, leader, at the right time of year, and you're likely to be rewarded in ways you did not expect. That's what finally happened with me. I didn't properly respect her at the outset, and it took several years for us to get on the same page, but once we did, I couldn't put this bait down no matter how sore my shoulder grew from casting her all day. The adrenaline from those hits more than made up for any sore muscles or joints and now, it will no doubt become one of my go to, true big baits to throw in review of future sticks worthy of its reverence. Sometimes, it's not the end result that makes a piece of tackle special, but the journey of getting to know its ins and outs. Once you do, the rewards can be priceless. That's how Megabass of America's i-Slide 262T earned our Ultimate Enthusiast Award.

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