Buttoneye
Jerk Weedless Bait Kit Specifications |
Type |
Soft plastic Jerk bait |
Length |
5.5 inches |
Kit
includes |
7
different color scented plastics, 2 buttoneyes, and 1 Mustad Megabite worm hook |
MSRP |
$8.20 per kit |
About Cotee: Founded in 1983, Cotee Bait Co. is headed
by President and founder Steve Marusak. As an angler and design engineer,
Steve concentrates on bringing the fishing community innovative products through
research and manufacturing.
Impressions: The Cotee Buttoneye minnows profiles are similar to other
suspending plastic jerkbaits out there, but with the added benefits of Cotee's "button" eye design. The scented plastics have a slit on the
bottom and two holes on each side near the front of the jerkbait. The
plastic minnows come in attractive colors for varying conditions. The Buttoneye
rattling frame is the most innovative portion of the entire minnow assembly. The frame has two
raised eyes on each side and snaps directly onto any
offset/J-bend worm hook. Inside of the frame is a sound chamber that
contains one bb to produce a subtle sound in the water, as well as add some
weight.

The Buttoneye Jerk baits come in
multiple effective colors
The Buttoneye kit comes with 7 scented plastic
minnows in various proven colors, two buttoneyes - one red and one yellow, and a
sharp Mustad Megabite worm hook. When rigged together, the Buttoneye
becomes a weedless suspending jerkbait.
Complete Rig
for Buttoneye Jerk Tests |
Rod |
Quantum
Tour Edition PT (PTS664F) |
Reel |
TICA
Libra SA2500 |
Line |
6
lb. Sufix DNA |
Real World Tests: As water temperatures begin to reach optimum levels
bass move up from the depths to shallow water to hunt and spawn. During this
period jerkbaits, especially soft jerkbaits, can be very effective. As the fish are more active and
suspended getting your lure to the right zone will ensure better chances of
catching more bass. We set out to test the Cotee Buttoneye Jerk weedless
bait on those roaming bass.
How to rig: The Buttoneye was designed to be rigged in seconds.
There's no fussing around and it's so simple you will be fishing in a few quick
steps.
To rig the Buttoneye jerkbait, simply tie your favorite knot onto a
J-bend/offset hook, snap on the Buttoneye, insert the Buttoneye and hook into
the slit of the plastic jerkbait, and finally place the hook through the plastic for weedless applications. That's all!

The Buttoneye frame snapped
securely onto the J-bend hook
Fishing around heavy structure: When
fishing around heavy vegetation or structure, the one thing you need to be
concerned about is getting snagged. That's where the Cotee
Buttoneye can come in handy. Rigged weedless and without any additional
weight, make your cast into or near the edge of the vegetation. Once the Buttoneye lands start twitching it, with
short pauses between each pull, and
continue to repeat the procedure all the way in. If fishing right in the vegetation use
a continuous twitch. If fishing on the edge or open pockets you can let
the bait sink to your desired depth and let it suspend, then twitch again. The
movement right after the sudden pause will usually entice fish to strike.
Fishing around light structure: If the
vegetable or structure isn't too heavy, weight can be added. How much
weight will determine how fast you want the Buttoneye to drop. You can use
a split shot for a slow descend, and at the same time jerk the lure to give the minnow
some life. Heavier weight can be added to get the lure down to the bottom
quicker. Once it reaches the bottom start twitching the Buttoneye Jerk.
This mimics a baitfish feeding off the bottom and is very attractive to bass, so
be ready to set the hook. You need to be extra careful because sometimes it is
difficult to react quickly to strikes as your line is already transmitting
vibration from knocking on and around the lake floor.

The Buttoneye fits nicely into the
slit of the soft plastic jerkbait. It will prevent any slipping that you
would experience when threading it the traditional way
Fishing in deeper waters: Fishing in deeper
waters will require the use of heavier weight to get the Buttoneye soft jerkbait
into the strike zone. Even though the other techniques mentioned above
still apply, we wanted to test the lure in even deeper applications. At this point you can rig
the Cotee weedless jerkbait a few different ways - Texas rig, Carolina rig, or
Texas rig with the weight pegged at the nose of the minnow. We found the lure
effective at deeper depths, but it definitely is best suited closer to the
surface where it can be worked more aggressively.
Durability: The
Cotee Buttoneye jerkbait consists of the soft plastic body and the "button" eye
design. The durability of the soft jerkbait is in actuality very good, and
didn't rip or tear even when pulled from snags. or stretched by hand. The real
durability test came when the jerkbait was inhaled by bass after bass,
and still remained in top form.
The Buttoneye, the actual eye frame that buttons
into the soft plastic, is not as durable unfortunately. One of the frames broke the first time I
was snapping it onto the hook that came with the kit. The point of
weakness, after more analysis, is where the Buttoneye frame is joined.
When trying to snap the Buttoneye onto the hook the force broke this section in half. This could have been 1 out of 100, but that cannot be determined at the moment
because the test kit we had only contained 2 units. I will obtain more eyes and
conduct more tests and update this section in the future.

When rigged the Buttoneye Jerk is
great for working through structure
The Design: This soft bait has many benefits in that it gives a
more real life-like action when twitched or jerked in the water, features a pre-scented body
that is designed to entice fish to hold on longer for a better hook set, and the buttoned down jerkbait will not slip off your hook like
any other traditional
hooking style would. The button design is easy to use, quick to install, and will hold your jerkbait
in place no matter how hard your jerk this bait.
Ratings:
Cotee
Buttoneye Jerk
Ratings (?/10) |
Construction/Quality |
The
soft jerkbait is very durable, but the buttoneye frame is weak(look for an
update in the future) |
6 |
Performance |
Great actions when twitched and jerked at all levels of water. Rigged
weedless and can be fished around heavy structure without snagging every
time |
8 |
Price |
The
suggested retail price is high, but we have found retailers selling them for
much less |
7 |
Features |
The
"button" eye feature will ensure your bait will not slip off your hook.
The scented bodies make the bass hold onto the bait longer |
8 |
Design
(Ergonomics) |
An
innovative design that's easy to use and effective |
8 |
Application |
Can
be fished around structure and at different depths. Very flexible bait |
9 |
Total Score |
7.67 |
Pluses and Minuses:
Plus
Minus |
J
Easy to rig |
L
Fragile button eye frame |
J
Effective and innovative design |
|
J
Flexibility |
|
Conclusion: With Summer just around the
corner, the bass are becoming more aggressive and it's time for some spawn time fun in the sun. Soft jerkbaits are very effective at this time of the year where the bass are
often suspended and will go out of their way to aggressively strike. This innovative
design by Cotee brings anglers the actions of a soft plastic jerkbait along with
additional new benefits. The Buttoneye Jerk weedless bait is easy to rig, the
plastic is buttoned down to ensure it will not slip off your hook, scented
minnow bodies, a rattling chamber all are welcome features. Combine these
enhancements with a very flexible fishing experience in terms of the depth and technique
you can employ and you have a lure that is worth looking at. The only major down side to our test unit was that one of the
eye frames from the kit broke. We will be sure to take a higher sample of
the Buttoneyes to provide a more accurate review shortly, but aside from that the Cotee Buttoneye
one
very innovative and effective lure.
