Going Old School With a Tried and True Swimbait: Sunrize
Tackle's Hammerhead
(continued)
Weedlessness:
Because of its jig-like design and stout construction, the Big Hammer Swimbait
is a really effective lure to fish in submerged weedbeds. In fact, this was the
primary method with which we fished this bait and the reason we chose the 1/2
ounce version. The flat shape of the jighead lends well to the bait's ability to
swim through weeds though it is not perfectly weedless. In addition, because of
the exposed hook, the Big Hammer Swimbait will hang up, at times, in the weeds,
but a quick rip of the rod tip is usually all that's needed to free it. Hence
the reason for the heavy tackle we used as well.
Two of the other colors we chose for our review, Prizm Shad and
Rainbow Trout
A closeup of the Prizm Shad color
Durability: The plastic used to mold
the Big Hammer Swimbait bodies is soft, but not as soft as other plastics we've
used and is therefore, surprisingly durable. However, at such a low cost to
acquire, stocking up on extra swimbait bodies, is not a huge expense. Our
jigheads held up very well too though one or two of our heads had the eyes fall
out in our utility box. A dab of Crazy Glue is all it took to re-fasten the eyes
to the jigheads.
A closeup the Red Diamond color
A closeup of Rainbow Trout
Application & Effectiveness: The 1/2
ounce jighead and 5" body Big Hammer Swimbait was effective for us fishing in
depths from ten to twenty feet where we metered weeds, humps, or other
underwater anomalies. It can be crawled at a slow pace along the bottom and
through weeds, or hopped through structure to entice strikes. We imagine the
smaller sizes would be very effective in and around visible structure in more
shallow water applications. In all its permutations, this is about as versatile
a lure as there is today.
A detail shot of the Hammerhead Jighead
Another look at the Hammerhead Jighead's solid Mustad Ultra-Point Hook
|
Sunrize
Tackle's Big Hammer Swimbait Ratings (?/10) |
|
Construction/Quality |
There's really not much to these baits,
but we were very satisfied with the construction and quality of our
Big Hammer
Swimbaits |
8 |
|
Performance |
Wonderful swimming motion and very good
durability from a soft plastic bait |
8.5 |
|
Price |
A very affordable way to sample the craze
that has become the swimbait |
9 |
|
Features |
Good, solid Mustad Ultra-Point Hooks and
unique, square swim tail but really not much else to these baits |
8 |
|
Design |
Probably too many colors for a sane person
to decide, but wonderful to have the choice. Vividness of colors, in
hand, was not quite as we expected, but still very good |
8 |
|
Application |
The only limits are your own imagination |
8 |
|
Total Score |
8.25 |
