Spooks
By Stan Fagerstrom
Product Review Editor
Feb. 12, 2008
There’s something special about Spooks.
I’m not talking about some scary, white-sheeted critters that might hang around the graveyard south of town. The Spooks I have in mind are those bass busting baits that carry the same name.
It always surprises me when I run into bass fishermen, some with considerable experience, who have never thrown a Zara Spook. And many who have thrown it admit to never having learned exactly what to do with these wonderful lures. I had one in my own tackle box for years before I finally learned how to manipulate the darn thing so it would catch fish.
The most effective method is using a technique called "Walking the Dog.” The majority of bass fishermen undoubtedly have heard the term. Even so, many don't know how to do it properly or haven't had much success when they tried.
Eyeball a Zara Spook up close and careful and there's nothing about the cigar shaped plug that seems all that exciting. There's no lip to make it dive or wiggle when you start reeling. But what an expert angler can do with this bait through rod and reel manipulation has to be seen to be believed.
The "Walking the Dog" technique is done by twitching the rod tip to make the lure dart to one side. A half turn of the reel is taken at the same time. Then the user takes another half turn on the reel and twitches his rod tip again. If the timing is just right, the lure darts back in the other direction.
Today there’s a whole family of Spooks. They come in a variety of sizes. I’ve got a suggestion in that regard. Study what the PRADCO folks who market them have to say about these fabled lures if you’re just learning how to use them. Some models are easier to make do their thing than others. The Internet provides the easiest way to get information that helps. The address is www.lurenet.com.
One of the newer Spook models is the SwayBack Spook. I had never thrown this particular model before I had the good fortune to run into Jeff Samsel at the ICAST show in Las Vegas last summer. Jeff is public relations coordinator for PRADCO lures. Jeff told me that the SwayBack is the easiest of all Spooks to manipulate properly.
“The SwayBack,” Jeff said, “incorporates some unique features to meet specific needs. It has a slightly higher pull point which makes it very easy to work.”
I got some of these new baits shortly after the show. Jeff knew what he was talking about. You’ll have less difficulty getting the lure to do what’s required than with some of the others. You’ll note something else about the SwayBack: It comes with a feathered rear treble. Now and then bass will really hammer a lure so equipped.
I speak from experience when I say I also find the Super Spook easier to make do its fish-catching dance than the original model. If you’ve had trouble making your Spooks “Walk” the way they should, try throwing this one.
Jimmy Houston, the popular TV angler and a former winner of the Bass Anglers Society Angler of the Year award, had a hand in the design of the Super Spook. "The Super Spook", Houston said when it was introduced, "took an all time favorite lure to a higher level. The eyes, the hooks, the flashy look and the ease with which it works make it one beautifully bad Spook."
If you know what the original Zara Spook looked like, imagine one that is 15 per cent bigger all the way around. It's the increased size that's the primary difference between the Super Spook and the original bait. You'll also note the lure has three sets of treble hooks. Smaller Spooks have only two trebles.
Some experts say having the third treble hook is one of the reasons the lure is easier to walk along the surface. The third hook provides an extra keel of sorts.
The original Zaras were often used by saltwater anglers, especially along the Texas coast. Every now and then one of those big, strong saltwater fish tore Spooks apart. The original Spooks were made by joining head and tail sections. The manufacturers of the Super Spook got around that problem by welding the bait in two side-by-side pieces.
The mention of sound reminds me of something else some of the Spooks have going for them. It's a distinctive rattle. A couple of my Super Spooks are so equipped. When I listen closely I hear one “talking” as soon as I start walking it back.
Don't fool around throwing the Super Spook on light line. This is a heavyweight lure not designed to catch dinks. You'll need line sufficient to absorb the shock of repeated casting. The Super Spook is a sizeable lure. It is 5-inches long and weighs 7/8ths of an ounce. I won't throw it on lighter than 14-pound line. It handles just fine on 17 or 20-pound.
What are the best times of day and conditions for throwing a Spook? It took me awhile, but I finally learned to let the fish make that determination for me. Early on I restricted my Spook use to quiet water and usually just early or late in the day.
I almost always did this prior to attending the Bassmasters Classic at Alexandria Bay in New York State decades ago. The first day of that tournament I rode as the press observer in Bobby Murray’s boat. Murray, of course, is the Texas pro who had already won the first Bassmasters Classic at Lake Mead. I had also been at the Lake Mead event and I knew just how good an angler Murray was.
There was a severe thunderstorm the morning I was paired with Murray. BASS officials held up the tournament launch. The water was still plenty rough when they finally let us go. So what’s the first lure Bobby throws into the waves smashing into the shoreline? It was a Zara Spook!
I caught myself thinking the Texas bassin’ expert was out of his mind. It was me who had the mind problems. I say that because in less than a dozen casts a nice bass came sizzling up to smash Murray’s Spook.
I’ve never forgotten what Bobby shared with me that morning. I mentioned to him that I’d been surprised to see him throwing a Spook into rough water. He told me one of the best catches his twin brother Billy had ever made with a Spook was when conditions were similar to what we had going that morning in the New York Classic.
That’s why I made that comment earlier about letting the fish tell you what they want. Since that morning with Murray I’ve thrown the Spook any dang time I feel so inclined regardless of weather or water conditions. Now and then it has provided some surprising results.
As I’ve said a blue jillion times, no one lure catches bass or most other game fish every time out. It applies as much to the baits that make up the Spook family as it does to the others. But I’ll also say something else---few baits will leave a deeper impression in your fishing memory book when they do.