Spook

[Brett's_daddy]

So upon numerous recommendations that i add a Spook lure to my top water arsenal i see that there are several different models of spooks...which one is best? I am initially thinking that the Zara Spook would be best because it's got the right size at 4-1/2" and it's silent (already have a knocker in my Sammy's so wanted to be different) but reading reviews lot's of people like the Super Spook Jr. too. Not really sure which one i should get so some helpful advice would be appreciated!!!

[jr231]

Sometimes you can find them in a discount bin ! I would get both. Sometimes they don't want the larger presentation (which seems to be the new custom) 

I swap the hooks on mine. I like VMC. But get the ones you Like, and that are in your budget. 

A spook is Definitely a good tool to have in the bag ! 

[Choporoz]

I have a few...by far the best one for me is the full (regular?) size in clear.  Looks like a gimmick at first, but it is my best producer.

[Brett's_daddy]

I'm not fishing any deep clear waters though so not sure a clear would be the best choice for me. But what about the different models...Zara Puppy, Zara regular, Super Spook, Spook Jr. etc., etc., which are best?

[the reel ess]

I have 2 full-size Spooks in some kind of shad pattern with no knocker, a Spook Jr bass pattern with knocker and a Chug'n Spook Jr frog pattern with knocker. The Jrs seem far better at drawing strikes to me. My large ones are silent lures, but this is supposed to be a bait for covering a lot of water so one would assume fish need to locate it. How does that work? For me it doesn't. 

Full disclosure: I live in an area with very little "clear" water. It's mostly stained to tea color around here. Baits that make some commotion work better for me. Another great topwater for me is the Chug Bug. It pops and/or walks depending on your retrieve. 

I think color is very overrated for hard bait topwaters. And the hooks on the Jr size are very good quality.

[jr231]

They all catch fish . I asked this similar question about a jitter bug vs the jointed jitterbug and the best answer I got was 

"Let the fish tell you" 

[Brett's_daddy]

15 minutes ago, Yeajray231 said:

"Let the fish tell you" 

Great, I'll take one shopping with me and have him show me which ones he likes...lol.

[jr231]

I meant get some and use them . And then you know which works best. .for you. Lol 

 

[MIbassyaker]

I like the super spook jr. best. 

I find the puppy hard to walk; If I'm using a bait that small, it will be a popper or propbait, not a walker.

[jr231]

I like this guy ^   . Don't know him personally but he always has somthing good to say

[Brett's_daddy]

12 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

 

I like the super spook jr. best. 

I find the puppy hard to walk; If I'm using a bait that small, it will be a popper or propbait, not a walker.

 

What about the regular Zara Spook...any insight on that one?

[Molay1292]

The Zara Spook is 4.5" and is the original plastic model, made to resemble the older wooden Zaragossa.   Super Spook is a 5" bait with three hooks and heavy hardware.   Super Spook Jr. is 3.5"  and the Zara Puppy is 3"

If it were me I would buy a bone white and a black shore shad in the Spook Jr. and start there.  The size is good and those two colors will cover a lot of fishing.  Get familar with the way the bait moves in the water, the sound it makes and then you can adjust to a bigger bait, one that spits, or has rattles.   

Great baits that don't break the bank.

 

[Brett's_daddy]

Some people have recommended the silent spook (Zara) as the fish don't always like/want a loud knock so should I get both the Zara and the Super Jr.?

[rippin-lips]

There's no right answer as with most 'xxx lure' questions. Conditions change daily and even hourly. Sun gets brighter,baro pressure rises,clouds move in,ect. Some days they want it silent, and some they don't. Some days they want a larger offering, and some they don't. Some days they want a certain pattern, and some they don't. Some days they don't want a walking 'spook' type bait at all, and some they do. That's all a part of fishing. Figuring out what the fish want on that given day. If it was that easy it wouldn't be much of a challenge. We'd all just tie on a 'insert color' spook each time we went out and catch 20 + fish that day. 

[Hog Basser]

I like the Heddon Zara Spook personally.  Catch in clear and muddy water equally well.  I used this frog pattern in a creek with great success recently and you can see the white/blue one tied on behind my broken rod in the second pic in dirty water.  I use all different colors and have tried other brands too, but I keep coming back to the original Heddon.  I love the walking action, it just flat out draws bites for me.  

[tcbass]

I own a ton of Spooks in different sizes but didn't catch a ton. Switched to a KVD Sexy Dawg (KVDs version of a Spook) in perch and started killing them and haven't stopped. I bought 2 spare and don't take my Spooks out anymore. I don't know what it is, the way it walks, if it's easier to walk, but the KVD is the best Spook type bait I've ever tried, albeit I haven't tried a ton. 

[MIbassyaker]

10 hours ago, Yeajray231 said:

I like this guy ^   . Don't know him personally but he always has somthing good to say

All I have to share are half-baked preferences, not expertise!

 

10 hours ago, Brett's_daddy said:

What about the regular Zara Spook...any insight on that one?

It's great! My tastes on most baits run toward the smaller side, that's all.

 

7 hours ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Some people have recommended the silent spook (Zara) as the fish don't always like/want a loud knock so should I get both the Zara and the Super Jr.?

I'm sure in some places and some times it matters a lot. I personally have never noticed a difference where I fish between silent and rattling/knocking versions of, really, any lure. Even the classic silent spook isn't strictly silent -- it splashes around, the hooks jangle, etc  

4 hours ago, tcbass said:

I own a ton of Spooks in different sizes but didn't catch a ton. Switched to a KVD Sexy Dawg (KVDs version of a Spook) in perch and started killing them and haven't stopped. I bought 2 spare and don't take my Spooks out anymore. I don't know what it is, the way it walks, if it's easier to walk, but the KVD is the best Spook type bait I've ever tried, albeit I haven't tried a ton. 

Cool. never tried it. I should.

[jr231]

@MIbassyaker you got some pretty good stuff tho dude I've seen your posts for awhile before I joined ! 

[Catt]

Super Spook XT

[Brett's_daddy]

53 minutes ago, Catt said:

Super Spook XT

I'm not fishing saltwater though.

[Catt]

2 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

I'm not fishing saltwater though.

Big Bass

[rangerjockey]

In nearly 35 years of throwing it I don't think the knocker matters one way or the other.

Buy a couple regular and a couple spook jr's. As far as color I'm not sure it matters any but I like bone, black shore minnow. clear and a color we call Christmas Tree in the ozarks, although I'm not sure what Heddon calls it.

 

The spook has a different profile than a vixen or a sexy dawg  or a dog x ect.. some days they want it.some days they want something else.

I throw the saltwater model some too.

[webertime]

Bone super spook.  A top producer up here.

[DubyaDee]

I'd get a super spook jr in bone or a simple shad color. That'll get your confidence up in the spook line up and you can go crazy with size and color combo's. The Jr model already comes with a feather tail too. 

My favorite is the one knocker spook in bone, then I'll add my own feathered treble.

If you get the original spook, I'd suggest adding split rings to the hooks. 

 

 

[GORDO]

19 hours ago, Hog Basser said:

I like the Heddon Zara Spook personally.  Catch in clear and muddy water equally well.  I used this frog pattern in a creek with great success recently and you can see the white/blue one tied on behind my broken rod in the second pic in dirty water.  I use all different colors and have tried other brands too, but I keep coming back to the original Heddon.  I love the walking action, it just flat out draws bites for me.  

is that a veritas? if so i have broken 4 of them.