COVER SCAT

The deps COVER SCAT is a high-density Japanese soft plastic lure developed specifically for weightless presentations around cover.

Despite its compact appearance, the COVER SCAT has a bulky body made from material containing 40% salt. This gives it enough weight for long-distance casting without an additional sinker.

Its unusual body shape resembles a compact crawfish, with extra volume toward the rear and small stabilizing fins on both sides.

These fins help the lure maintain a nearly horizontal posture as it falls through the water.

The body also includes a deep hook groove, a protective cup around the offset hook's bend, and a small protrusion designed to conceal the hook point. Together, these features help the lure pass through vegetation and other cover with fewer snags.

The COVER SCAT is available in four sizes: 2.5, 3, 3.5, and 4 inches.

Its combination of casting distance, controlled falling action, and underwater walking movement makes it different from conventional stick worms and craw-style soft plastics.

The COVER SCAT has become closely associated with a distinctive Japanese bass fishing technique often called bottom jerking.

Rather than relying on a traditional Texas rig or a heavily weighted bottom bait, anglers fish the COVER SCAT without an added sinker.

Its high-density material allows it to reach the bottom efficiently while retaining a compact, natural profile.

Once on the bottom, short rod movements can make the lure dart and walk from side to side, resembling a crawfish escaping along the lakebed.

The technique is particularly associated with Japanese bass fishing in lakes such as Lake Biwa, where anglers often target bass around bottom structure and cover.

The COVER SCAT is also effective during the initial fall. Its stabilizing fins help maintain a horizontal posture, allowing anglers to present the bait naturally around bushes, submerged vegetation, pilings, and other vertical structures.

The lure demonstrates how Japanese anglers can develop highly specialized techniques around a seemingly simple soft plastic design.

The most characteristic COVER SCAT presentation is a weightless bottom-jerking technique.

Anglers rig the lure on an offset hook without adding a sinker.

After casting, they allow the bait to fall naturally on a controlled slack line. The stabilizing fins help it maintain a horizontal posture with a subtle rolling movement.

Once the lure reaches the bottom, anglers use short, sharp rod movements followed by pauses.

These movements make the COVER SCAT dart or walk underwater, imitating a crawfish moving across the bottom.

Maintaining some slack in the line helps produce a more natural side-to-side action rather than simply dragging the bait straight toward the angler.

The pauses are important because bass may strike when the lure stops or begins falling again.

The COVER SCAT can also be pitched directly into cover and allowed to fall vertically.

Recommended offset hook sizes vary by model:

• 2.5 inch: #1/0 to #2/0
• 3 inch: #3/0 or larger
• 3.5 inch: #3/0 or larger
• 4 inch: #6/0 to #7/0

Anglers should adjust their hook choice to the actual hook dimensions and lure size.

Both the horizontal fall and bottom-walking presentation are central to the COVER SCAT's design.

• Weightless bottom-jerking presentations
• Underwater walking action along the bottom
• Fishing around submerged vegetation
• Targeting bass near bushes and heavy cover
• Vertical presentations around pilings and other structure
• Long-distance casting without an added sinker
• Crawfish-oriented bottom presentations
• Fishing with a compact, high-density soft bait
• Alternating short rod jerks with pauses
• Situations where a stable horizontal fall is important

The deps COVER SCAT is different from many conventional American soft plastics because its design is centered on a specific weightless presentation.

While traditional stick worms are often fished with a slow fall, subtle twitches, or bottom dragging, the COVER SCAT combines a heavy, compact body with a distinctive underwater walking action.

Its 40% salt content provides substantial casting weight without requiring an external sinker.

The small stabilizing fins help maintain a horizontal falling posture, while the hook-concealing body features allow the lure to move through cover with reduced snagging.

Its most recognizable presentation involves short bottom jerks that cause the lure to dart from side to side, resembling a fleeing crawfish.

Although the COVER SCAT is available through US dealers, the specialized fishing approach associated with it makes the lure a particularly interesting example of Japanese bass fishing innovation.

For American anglers familiar with weightless stick worms, the COVER SCAT offers a different way to fish a compact soft bait along the bottom and around cover.