alarios15 Posted January 17, 2018 Report Share Posted January 17, 2018 I'm looking for a larger wake bait to add to my collection. Debating between the 3:16 wake jr. and mattlures bluegill meat head. Any experience with one or both that you guys would like to share would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance! FardahG and brushhawg1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angryjohn Posted January 17, 2018 Report Share Posted January 17, 2018 Got the meat head but it's been iced in since I got it. Very ice lure but almost heavy enough to punch threw the ice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick S. Posted January 18, 2018 Report Share Posted January 18, 2018 I’m not an expert in any way but the Wake Jr. has been awesome for me. Sitting, waking, twitching, doesn’t seem to matter. Just gets bit for me. Justin156 and gcopple 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthefisherman Posted January 18, 2018 Report Share Posted January 18, 2018 My brother owns a shallow diver(?) meathead that can be made to wake if fished at the right speed. It's a bulky bait that moves a LOT of water and has some serious resistance bringing it in. I can't imagine it being much different than the actual wake model. Comes in at 8 in and 4.5 oz.Don't have experience with the wake Jr. but I always imagined it to be finessier than the meat head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodkitty Posted January 18, 2018 Report Share Posted January 18, 2018 (edited) From my limited experience with both baits: I wouldn't rule out owning or test driving both and just seeing what works best for you. They're kinda different baits. Even though MSRP is close, you can regularly find an MH for around $60 and a WJ for approximately $110 on the black markets. And if either bait doesn't fit with your style, you can expect to get close to your money back depending on the condition after your trying them out. Edited January 18, 2018 by Bloodkitty northeast_trev 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoppabass Posted January 18, 2018 Report Share Posted January 18, 2018 I don't have a meathead but I am tempted cuz they have a cranking version. The wake jr. is not for the impatient. Alot of hits come on the pause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alarios15 Posted January 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Thank you everyone for your comments! Will be in the look out in this forum for both baits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angryjohn Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 I picked mine up here see them in the 50-70 dollar range. Some are nib and priced that way. brushhawg1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeepinItReelFishing Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 (edited) I have both. The Meathead is a larger profile lure. Its bigger in all respects. Additionally, it has a lot more travel to its joints and is a true 3 joint bait vs the 2 joint + tail of the Wake Jr. As such, the Meathead has more movement on a straight retrieve....more S-like. I love the shallow diver as it is totally a wake bait at slow speeds....stays right on top. But, give it a few fast cranks and lower your rod tip and it will dive down anywhere from 1-3ft. In that respect its the more versatile of the two lures. The Wake Jr. has a much tighter action, and due to elements of the construction and/or resin used it has an audible 'knocking' sound of the retrieve, whereas the Meathead is quiet. If you ever envision a situation where you would want to wake a lure at a very high speed for reaction purposes, the Wake Jr. can do that due to the fact that the newest version will not dive (vertical lip). (Matt also makes a dedicated wake version of the Meathead as well). Also, the Meathead is significantly heavier than the Wake Jr. with the Jr. coming in at 3.15oz vs about 1oz more for the Meathead. Both are very nice lures and I use mine interchangeably. There isn't much swimming action out there on the Meathead (I plan to do a full review come spring), but in my last video I have a snippet of its action in the water as seen at the 21:00 minute mark. -Carl Edited January 24, 2018 by KeepinItReelFishing aholodnick, drewmoniz, Morph808 and 7 others 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alarios15 Posted January 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2018 Thanks Carl. I was not aware that mattlures had a wake bait until I saw your video. I think now I might want to get the shallow diver instead of the dedicated wake mattlures meathead considering the versatility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynem Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 The shallow diver Meathead will surface wake pretty well at slow speeds. Or reel faster and you have a shallow cranking bait. In that sense it is similar to a Deep Crank Slammer (great bait but none of mine really crank very deep) in that you can either wake or crank them depending on your retrieve speed. I usually start out the day with that type of bait tied on one rod. If the fish show a lot of preference for the wake retrieve, I'll switch to a true wake bait. But often where I fish I want the ability to wake it over shallow weeds and then dive it when I get to the weed edge all on the same cast. Both the 3:16 Wake Jr and the Meathead are proven baits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Posted February 5, 2018 Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 I don't have any experience with the Meat head. To me the Wake Jr. is a topwater bait. I have two of the older versions, not familiar with the newer one. It can be cranked down but it doesn't swim well like a Pat's Perch for example, I'm sure people have got bit doing that but it just doesn't look right to me. That said as a top water it is top notch. Besides waking it , I also like to deadstick and twitch it. Sometimes I will try to get the bait to clack while it's setiing still. When it's on it is definitely one of the best top water baits out there, just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimbape Posted March 20, 2018 Report Share Posted March 20, 2018 (edited) I have fished the wake jr both OG and new, along with both a wake meathead and a shallow cranker. I have caught fish on the new wake jr and it is just as the others explained it, more of a wake bait than being able to crank down, but I use 20# copoly and it can get down a few feet. I use suspenstrips on the meathead i own so it is a heavy floater, still yet to get bit though. The wake jr seems to be the most popular or productive 316 (hard)bait out there, unless some guys aren't letting the cat out of the bag lol. Still want to try a real deal and that baby wake from 316. Edited March 20, 2018 by swimbape Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggfeast Posted March 20, 2018 Report Share Posted March 20, 2018 Personally prefer the new style Wake JR the most. The older style one gets bit as well, but I’ve had a noticeable difference in bites on a steady Wake retrieve. Bigger and more bites on the new style. Fished a meat head a bit but had no bites on a steady Wake and sold. Maybe my style is more fitting with the 2pc style wake? Not sure, but I know you won’t go wrong with a new style wake JR Primus and IsaacM619 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsaacM619 Posted March 20, 2018 Report Share Posted March 20, 2018 I have fished both. The Wake Jr (new version) is definitely a more versatile bait. You can wake it with little to no noise, you can slap it and create all kinds of noise. You can also crank it down and get some amazing strikes. The meathead is more "natural" of a bait. It does wake with an S like motion. You can also slap it around and it stays silent. The meathead does move more water and has a bigger presence. Both have their place for sure. If I had to only pick one, wake jr wins. Justin156 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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