2026.10.15 2026.10.18

Megabass Dog MAX SW: A 130 mm Topwater Pencil for Pelagics and Seabass

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The moment a pelagic blows up on a surface lure is the most exciting moment in fishing. For that kind of topwater fishing, Megabass’s Dog MAX SW is one to watch. At 130 mm and 33 g, it hits a sweet spot for targeting pelagics and seabass from shore. Here is where it should shine.

Megabass’s DOG-X series is one of the company’s signature pencil-bait lines, dating back to its early years. The Dog MAX SW is the big 130 mm / 33 g version built for saltwater. With a wide side-to-side “walk the dog” and big slides across the surface, it imitates small baitfish fleeing on top – an obvious candidate for autumn pelagic season.

Contents

Specification
Three technologies
Where to use it
Basic retrieves
Pencil, popper or diving pencil?
Tackle
Colours
Things to watch
When I would tie it on
Summary
Read next

Specification


Length	130 mm
Weight	33 g
Type	Floating (sliding / walking)
List price	2,200 yen (excl. tax)
Colours	14
Released	September 2026

For a shore-cast pencil, 130 mm and 33 g is a good balance of distance and presence. Lighter, and it struggles to reach far out; heavier, and its action on the surface gets sluggish.

Three technologies

1. Tandem Inertia Balancer System for big slides

Two balancers inside move side to side with centrifugal force. Even small rod movements make it change direction by more than 180 degrees and slide widely across the surface. Pelagics feed by chasing baitfish fleeing on top – and a big sideways slide reproduces exactly that fleeing bait.

2. Sonic Knock System for sound

Metal-ball balancers knock against each other, producing a shock wave and a knocking sound with each rod movement – making fish below the surface aware of the lure.

3. Water-Through Gill for splash and feeding sounds

Deeply cut gills under the head and a centre keel grip the water, stabilising the action while producing sounds and heavy splashes like a fish feeding. The hook eyes are swivelled, so the hooks resist twisting during the fight – fewer lost fish on hard-pulling pelagics.

Where to use it

1. Autumn pelagic boils

The clearest use: when pelagics are driving bait to the surface. In those moments a lure that stands out on the surface often gets eaten faster than a sunk jig. Do not cast into the middle of the boil; cast ahead of the school’s direction and slide it across in front of them. That is the basic way to fish a pencil.

2. “Calling up” fish on days without boils

Even without boils, pelagics may be cruising under the surface. Then you can use the Sonic Knock and splash to call fish up from below. Surface lures are often thought of as something to throw only when fish are showing; I think of them as something to throw to bring fish up too.

Search the surface with the first few casts at dawn; if nothing happens, switch to jigs or sinking pencils to search deeper. That order tells you quickly what depth the fish are at.

3. Topwater for big seabass

For autumn-to-winter seabass eating gizzard shad and big mullet, the 130 mm volume fits too. (See Japanese seabass in autumn.)

Basic retrieves

Rod action	Lure action	When
Repeated short jerks	Walk the dog, head swinging side to side	The basic retrieve; keep a steady rhythm
Bigger jerks	Big slides across the surface	To imitate fleeing bait
Jerk and pause	Moves, then stops	Gives a following fish time to eat

The trick with a pencil is to keep the rod tip low and “snap” the slack line. If the line is too tight, the lure will not swing its head – it just comes straight towards you.

Pencil, popper or diving pencil?

Lure	Strength
Dog MAX SW (pencil)	Slides widely across the surface; gets ahead of boils
Popper	Sound and bubbles on the spot; stop-and-go at a pin-point
Diving pencil	Dives just under the surface trailing bubbles; works on rough days too

My view: pencil to search widely, popper to stop and tease at a spot. With those two, you can handle most topwater situations. (See also the Tackle House Feed Popper.)

Tackle

Item	Guide
Rod	9’6″-10′ seabass or shore jigging rod that casts up to about 40 g
Reel	4000-5000 size, high gear
PE	1.2-2
Leader	Fluorocarbon or nylon, 25-40 lb

A pelagic’s first run after it hits on top is very strong. Check your drag before you start. (See how to set your drag.)

Colours

Fourteen colours covering the saltwater standards – chartreuse, sardine and mullet patterns. I choose chartreuse for dawn and stained water, and natural sardine colours for clear water in daylight. Fish see a surface lure from below, so a colour with a clearly defined belly is also worth considering.

Things to watch

At 130 mm it is too big on days with tiny bait such as whitebait.
Distance drops in a strong headwind.
On a surf beach in big waves, the action gets disrupted.
Working a pencil takes practice – learn on calm days.

When I would tie it on

Birds diving and bait pushed to the surface.
Dawn, when you do not yet know what depth the fish are at.
Jigs are getting no response and fish seem to be looking up.
Bait of 10 cm or more – sardine, shad, gizzard shad.
Light wind and a fairly calm surface.

On days with tiny bait or a rough surface, do not insist on topwater – search deeper with jigs and sinking pencils. Surface lures are the most fun when they work, but they choose their conditions. Accepting that is the key to enjoying topwater.