Yep, I fish with a range of soft plastics a hell of a lot these days, indeed I was talking to a lad the other day about the first time I ever saw a (very good) Irish angler rock up and bang three good bass out right in front me on a MegaBass XLayer - what the hell is an XLayer I was soon asking! Now look at me. I never, ever go out bass fishing without at least a “healthy” selection of soft plastics in one of the two washable lure boxes I always carry at my side. Then I start thinking about the rabbit hole that is trying to imitate crabs and prawns and I realise how much there is that I don’t yet know…………..

But I do love a really good, shallow-diving hard lure, and I have loved this kind of hard lure ever since I first got my mitts on a cotton candy colour IMA Komomo SF-125 some years ago now (summer 2009 to be precise). I have a vivid memory of a bass very nearly beaching itself on a shallow reef because I went to lift the lure out of the water after the retrieve. I know I yelped, and I also know that ever since then I have had a bit of a thing for very shallow-diving hard lures - which I then like even more if they cast really well and cover plenty of water for me. I guess that we all fish a lot of shallow ground for bass, so hard and indeed soft lures which swim nice and shallow are always going to make a lot of sense to us bass junkies.

I know and accept the various arguments for many of the bass we catch being hooked close in, but for a bunch of different reasons I am personally more drawn to lures which cover me as much water as possible. I dread to think how many big bass have been caught on the Tackle House Feed Shallow 128 for example, but there’s no getting away from how expensive they are now, plus they aren’t exactly the best casting shallow-divers out there. Of course you can argue that with the bass these lures have taken that this obviously doesn’t matter a lot of the time, but still I am more drawn to lures like the IMA Komomo SF-125 and the IMA iBorn 98F etc. Go looking and there are a good number of really good shallow-divers these days from a bunch of different tackle companies (MegaBass, IMA, Duel, Tackle House, APIA, Savage Gear etc.)

The larger 11.5cm/20g Savage Gear Gravity Shallow

Have you ever heard of the Savage Gear Gravity Shallow? Yes I work with Savage Gear, and yes I know the lad who designed these two hard lures - 10cm/14g and 11.5cm/20g. I understand the argument that the shape isn’t far off the deadly IMA iBorn lures, but I know how the bloke actually arrived at the slightly higher body sides which gives such a good degree of stability. He came at the Gravity Shallow from his (very stable) Gravity Pencil lures which are so popular in the Mediterranean area especially. I really, really like the Gravity Shallow hard lures, and I like them even more that they are at a much lower price now (both sizes can be found for under £10 in the UK). I know how good the components are, and I really like the interesting range of colours. As I said, yes I work with Savage Gear, but I have always said that when “we” make gear that I want to fish with because it catches me fish, I will do so.

The smaller 10cm/14g Savage Gear Gravity Shallow

Bloody hell these things absolutely fly. The smaller 10cm/14g version of the Gravity Shallow has caught me plenty of bass over shallow ground, and I can also fish the rod tip and slow right down to get an incredible “wiggle” which I have always been a sucker for (I have always believed that bass love a wiggle). The larger 11.5cm/20g version gets out there like an IMA Hound 125F Glide does, but of course it swims a good bit shallower. Not so shallow that you can’t fish it in bouncier conditions, but also not at all too deep that you can’t fish it over shallow ground. It’s not a Hound Glide and it’s not meant to be, but I have used a hell of a lot of different shallow-divers and these Gravity Shallow lures are right up there at the top of the tree when it comes to covering a hell of a lot of water. They also catch bass which is obviously rather helpful. You all have a good weekend and I hope you are enjoying a bit of rather lovely weather which bloody hell we don’t half deserve!

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Longest casting, very shallow-diving hard lures?

© Henry Gilbey 2023