Fishing a Zara Spook 2025

DSpayde reply :

Been wanting to give these a try, but I am having a hard time "getting it to work" right. Can someone give me the 10 cent instruction version? Thanks in advance.

8-)

jerbs reply :

snap your rod downwards, let it set for second. snap it again, let it set for second. repeat....wait till you feel the rod load when you get blasted, then set the hook.

Braid can help too(due to low stretch), but it gets hung up in the hooks much easier. I usually use braid w/ a mono leader.

skillet reply :

When you "snap" your rod, make sure there is slack in your line before you "snap" it again. It is one of those things that takes a little practice. When you get it down pat (it's like rideing a bike) you can't forget it. You can get a cadence going, reeling and jerking and not even be thinking about it. Good Luck with it !!!

As Ever,

skillet

cart7t reply :

Skillet gave pretty good instructions. That's definitely a bait that takes some time to learn to work right. Sorta a walking, chewing gum and patting your stomach at the same time. Anytime the fishing is really slow I'll pull the bait out for nothing other than practice just to stay in tune. Good dog walkers can walk a spook completely around an object.

Raul reply :

Wanna hear some advice from an old fart ?

Put your spook in the tacklebox you have for those baits that you will never use again, like I said, being an old fart I fished the spook for many years, it took me quite a while of practice and time before I could make it walk right.

A Sammy will shorten 10 times all that time it takes to make the spook walk right, in no time you 'll be walking the dog like a champ with a Sammy.

skillet reply :

Cart7,

I've heard Jimmy Houston is really good at going around or under something. Are you one of those folks. For some reason I never had the problem of walking a bait in a straight line, like falling off a log . Could you give some pointers on going left or right ???

As Ever,

Red reply :

i read on here somewhere i think, that after each "snap" point your rod tip back at the bait...that creates the slack you need before the next "snap"

i wouldnt mind hearing soem tips about walking it "around" objects either

Cliff

JKLOCK reply :

Here's a pretty good video on Walking the Dog with a Sammy.

http://www.fishingworks.com/fishing-videos/Bass-Fishing-Videos/?ID=17

Also, here's an article on how to Walk a stick bait.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/fishing/article/0,13199,1069239,00.html

Hope this helps a bit.

SeniorBasser

Maxximus Redneckus reply :

I have a 6 foot pistol grip devoted only to topwaters its a lot easier to snap the lure without having a long handle

S I G M A reply :

try a sammy... they are so easy to walk its ridiculous

mike bat reply :

the swayback spooks are easy as well .... i put a o ring on the front of that bait then tie the line to the o ring this helps that bait sway back and forth easyier ....

Painter Dude reply :

Quote
the swayback spooks are easy as well .... i put a o ring on the front of that bait then tie the line to the o ring this helps that bait sway back and forth easyier ....

Please clarify! When you say o-ring are you speaking of the rubber o-rings or are you talking about a split-ring :-?

Chris at Tech reply :

If you're just learning how to do this, I'd recommend a 6ft baitcaster. Shorter rods are easier to learn the technique on, and once you have the basics down, it's easier to do with 6'6" and 7' rods.

Start simply. Cast it out and let it sit. Give the rod a downward twitch with your wrist. If the bait comes straight forward, you didn't have enough slack in the line. Try again with a bit more slack. If it 'walks' sideways, you had enough slack. Now the trick is establishing the cadence between twitching with your wrist, and reeling in just enough line.

You can also experiment with different amounts of slack, and different twitching to see the effects. You can get the lure to glide gently, pop, swing wide, walk narrowly, etc.

Chris at Tech reply :

Quote

Quote
the swayback spooks are easy as well .... i put a o ring on the front of that bait then tie the line to the o ring this helps that bait sway back and forth easyier ....

Please clarify! When you say o-ring are you speaking of the rubber o-rings or are you talking about a split-ring :-?

I'm sure he means a split ring.

1) not sure how the heck he'd get a rubber o-ring on there

2) setting the hook with a rubber o-ring would bring back the end of the line with the lure likely missing

Bassin_Fin@tic reply :

2) setting the hook with a rubber o-ring would bring back the end of the line with the lure likely missing

Avalonjohn44 reply :

I learned on the spook and didn't consider it overly difficult. I have not fished a sammy yet, but found that a Cultiva/Owner Tango Dancer is a very easy bait to walk, and it very well made. And cheaper than the sammy.

Jeff P. reply :

I'll just throw this out there, from personal experience.

I couldn't figure out how to walk the dog for a long time. I just couldn't seem to get the coordination right in order to keep a steady walk going. Then, I switched hands and started using a LH reel, and it was immediately a piece of cake. If you have a spinning rod with the handle on the left, you might give this a try to see if it makes walking the dog easier for you too.

bass109 reply :

great tips

llPa1nll reply :

Quote
I learned on the spook and didn't consider it overly difficult. I have not fished a sammy yet, but found that a Cultiva/Owner Tango Dancer is a very easy bait to walk, and it very well made. And cheaper than the sammy.

I must agree I dont find the Zara Spook hard to work at all thought it was rather easy actually. It has easily become my favorite topwater lure and when fishing topwater my confidence goto bait. I use a 5:1:1 Abu Garcia 4601 C3 reel, lined with 15lb Pline CXXXtra Strong Line, on a Castaway Topwater Bait Special rod 6ft 6in medium action. I believe that adding a split ring on the front of the Spook might actually interfere with the action. Im convinced that you do want to have some stretch in the line and I think Braid doesnt give you that so I wouldnt put it on my topwater rig, since Fluro sinks faster than Mono I wouldnt use that either. I fish LH reels but I usually hold my hand on the reel pretty stationary and with the the other hand jerk the rod and in doing so make a circular motion that revolves the reel around the non moving reel handled hand. probably doesnt make any sense but Id have to make a video of it or something. Lastly REMEMBER THE PAUSES!!!

.dsaavedra. reply :

what me is that i cant twitch it downward. i fish from a v-hull jonboat so the hull that i stand on is below water level a little and the high walls prevent me from jerking down. or i will fish from the shore and that can be hard to twitch downward too. how can i walk without twitching downward?

hope i didnt just thread jack :-[

Bassin_Fin@tic reply :

Quote
what me is that i cant twitch it downward. i fish from a v-hull jonboat so the hull that i stand on is below water level a little and the high walls prevent me from jerking down. or i will fish from the shore and that can be hard to twitch downward too. how can i walk without twitching downward?
hope i didnt just thread jack :-[

You dont have to truly twitch downward,just down at an angle 7-9 o'clock or 8-10 or vice versa if your left handed.I learned at an early age fishing from shore and had done most of my fishing in my life from shore.I too fish from a johnboat, not as deep as a v haul and walk no probs.Tip: a shorter rod 6'-6'6" can help.

cart7t reply :

Quote
Cart7,
I've heard Jimmy Houston is really good at going around or under something. Are you one of those folks. For some reason I never had the problem of walking a bait in a straight line, like falling off a log . Could you give some pointers on going left or right ???

As Ever,

I learned from tips from the best, Charlie Campbell.

You actually have to half step the bait in order to walk it around something. The half step also works good if you want to walk down the side of a dock and constantly bang the dock on each twitch. It involves catching the bait halfway through the walk when it's going in the direction you don't want it to go and popping it real fast to bring it back. It takes a lot of practice and concentration while you're doing it. One tip is to slide a piece of heat shrink or surgical tubing over the line eye and punch it towards the bottom of the eye so the line is on the bottom side of the eye. This helps pull the bait down better and makes it react and move the way you want it too. If you just tie off to the eye the line basically runs straight off the front and it's harder to get that head wagging down which is what really gets the bait working good. Some guys actually worked a little file into the screw eye and made a notch in the line eye to help keep the line down low. I never did that for fear of abrasion and break offs.

In the early versions of the spook we used to drill out the rear weight and epoxy over the hole to free up the rear of the bait. Heddon later changed the baits to make that not as necessary.

cart7t reply :

Quote
I have a 6 foot pistol grip devoted only to topwaters its a lot easier to snap the lure without having a long handle

Yep

skillet reply :

Thanks one heck of a lot cart7!!!! The proverbial light bulb just went on over my head ;D. I finally understand the cadence you need to keep it going to one side. Just need the practice .

Fishing from the bank as much as I do, I have a problem getting the rod low enough. I'm 6'4" tall and still have a problem with even 6' rods. I've got a 5'6" rod that works great for walking baits from the bank. I've got a Dalton Special that I've had forever and IMHO it is the best walking baits hands down (never used a sammy :-[). Had to quit using it for fear of loosing it (don't think they make them anymore, unless one of can tell me different)...

As Ever,

skillet

jerbs reply :

Quote

Quote

I learned from tips from the best, Charlie Campbell.

You actually have to half step the bait in order to walk it around something. The half step also works good if you want to walk down the side of a dock and constantly bang the dock on each twitch. It involves catching the bait halfway through the walk when it's going in the direction you don't want it to go and popping it real fast to bring it back. It takes a lot of practice and concentration while you're doing it. One tip is to slide a piece of heat shrink or surgical tubing over the line eye and punch it towards the bottom of the eye so the line is on the bottom side of the eye. This helps pull the bait down better and makes it react and move the way you want it too. If you just tie off to the eye the line basically runs straight off the front and it's harder to get that head wagging down which is what really gets the bait working good. Some guys actually worked a little file into the screw eye and made a notch in the line eye to help keep the line down low. I never did that for fear of abrasion and break offs.

In the early versions of the spook we used to drill out the rear weight and epoxy over the hole to free up the rear of the bait. Heddon later changed the baits to make that not as necessary.

NICE! cool trick 8-)

I know a few retaining walls that need a little bangin', ;D

Chris at Tech reply :

Quote
what me is that i cant twitch it downward. i fish from a v-hull jonboat so the hull that i stand on is below water level a little and the high walls prevent me from jerking down. or i will fish from the shore and that can be hard to twitch downward too. how can i walk without twitching downward?

I've recently gotten much better in walking the dog while holding the rod upright. It's just easier to learn when you can point the rod down. Any docks around that you can fish from? Take a few casts from there and try to get the cadence down while twitching downward. Once you know what to do, you can easily adapt to fishing the spook with the rod upright.

mayassa reply :

Great now I have to try this out after work tonight... give me a reason to leave early

jb_adams reply :

The best bait color for these type baits is clear.....trust me! If you add a feather trailer style trebble hook, that's even better.

I love the Zara Puppy but the hooks are too small and you have to reel as fast as you can and don't let one ounce of slack in your line becuase the barbs won't hold a decent bass.

8888

Fishing a Zara Spook 2025

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