LockJaw
Specifications |
Type |
Lipless crank + Blade bait |
Material |
Metal alloy |
Colors/Patterns |
3
available |
Weight |
.4oz |
Size |
2in
(3.5in including blade) |
MSRP |
$6.95 |
Impressions:
When I was younger and
just learning how to fish lures I was often frustrated by how often my lures
would hang up in submerged trees or rocks. I was told something from a
tournament fisherman that I never forgot, he simply stated “no snags, no fish.”
Since then imposing structure has become my friend. These once imposing
structures seem to have a magnetic attraction not only for fish but also my bass
boat. The problem is that I overly depend on plastics for these scenarios. I am
positive that I could catch more fish in and around structure if I could run a
crankbait or speed trap in and out of the structure, and often times I have been
lucky enough to not only evade the nasty snags, but also pull out a fish from
the heavily wooded or vegetated prime spot. But more often than not I end up
pulling up a “stickfish” or hydrilla salad.

The LockJaw lure is only available
in one size, but does come in three different patterns
The
Lockjaw is specifically designed to target these prime, but not so easily
accessible fishing spots. When I initially looked at the lure’s design the first
thing that came to mind was “mousetrap.” Here was a lure with a 100% hidden hook
sandwiched between the body of the lure. I originally thought that once the fish
bit the lure a spring would drive the hook upwards. In actuality the design is
much cleverer than that. Rather than have a potentially dangerous mechanism
eject the hook upwards it is the simple pressure on the line during the retrieve
that exposes the hook on contact. The Lockjaw doesn’t really fit into any one
lure category. Unlike a lipless crankbait the lure has no exposed hooks, weights
to shift movement side to side, or rattles to generate noise. The best way to
describe the Lockjaw is a combination of a lipless crankbait with an in-line
spinnerbait, all rigged like a weedless plastic.

|
Exactly what type of lure is the
LockJaw? A cross between a lipless crank, an inline spinner, and a weedless
rigged plastic
|
Field Tests: To
test the LockJaw we searched for heavily weeded areas in local lakes and on the
California Delta. We found a number of lakes that had recently experienced great
reductions in capacity, resulting in the exposure of once completely submerged
trees. These tree graveyards were the ideal testing ground for this new lure.
Complete
test Rig for fishing the LockJaw |
Rod |
Kistler Crank Bait Composite KCBCM7 |
Reel |
Daiwa TD-X |
Line |
12 lb. Trilene Big Game
30lb. Power Pro Braid |
We decided to fish the LockJaw with both mono and
braided lines to see if there was any difference in terms of operation of the
hidden hook design. For all tests we used a Daiwa TD-X paired with a Kistler
Crank Bait composite (KCBCM7) rod.

A spring on the outside of the
lure releases the hidden automatic set hook when a fish strikes the lure
Casting: The
LockJaw is available in three colors
(Green-Orange, Silver Shad, & Brown-Gold) and all three are the exact same size
and weight. Weighing in at .4oz this lure is easy to cast a good distance with a
simple flick of the rod tip. We found it equally as easy to cast the lure with
both mono and braided lines. Since the lure is primarily designed to target
heavily weeded areas it is more important to achieve casting accuracy to target
specific areas rather than focus on long distance casts.

|
A underbelly view of the lure
shows the spring loaded hook holder |