March 30, 2012

The Triggerfish - Worth the hype?


The lure called the Triggerfish by Think Tank Lures is unlike anything I have ever used.  I remember seeing a video for this about two years ago and I honestly didn't know what to think.  Billed as a "steerable lure", I was pretty skeptical until I watched the video.  This thing can really do some neat tricks.



I finally got the chance to try them for myself.  Think Tank Lures sent me two of their lures for this review, both were the new colors they just released. I have used it for a few trips and feel like I finally know how to work this thing.  After about five minutes of fishing with it, I was about give up on it and throw it in the closet.  I stopped and actually read the package on how to use it and things went much better from there, I can now do all the tricks.

They claim that their "revolutionary Z-Trieve steering technology allows you to fish in places you never thought possible".  It's true.  Unfortunately, I didn't have any cool overhanging branches or dock pilings to run it under, but nonetheless - it was awesome to steer it sideways along grass mats.  I can see so many possibilities for this bait and will keep it in my box for the perfect situation.  I did catch a few fish on it, but not in the places I thought I would, it was mainly in open water as I zig-zagged the bait back and forth every few seconds.


It was really different fishing this bait.  You reel with your rod tip up and reel in the slack until the bait is moving where you want it to. The key is keeping the line out of the water at all times. Leading the bait in one direction with your rod will make it go as far as you want it to, and at any angle.  If you want to switch directions, just stop and the unique head design will make it go the other way.


There are a few other actions as well, you can make it do a Barrel Roll, Crippled Dive, Jumping Minnow and Diving Chug.  I tried all of these, but like the steady zig-zag retrieve the best.  Watch this video to see how they do it.


The bait itself is 5/8oz and 4.5" long and comes in a bunch of colors, including the new ones that were just released.  They recommend to use braided line up to 30lbs or Mono between 6-12lbs for best performance.  I found that it is much easier to work the bait with braided line.



Price/Value: 4
$12.99 for a topwater doesn't seem that bad when you look at others out there, and there really isn't anything else quite like this.
Durability: 4
The paint looks really good and durable.  I made a few errant casts and caught some fish and so far so good on the paint.
Performance: 4
I'm not going to lie....this takes some work to get it right.  It's not some bait you just cast and wind, but when you put in the time, it can do some cool tricks.  It's not going to be my most-used bait, but it will have it's time and place.
Innovation: 5
I can't recall giving out another 5 for innovation in this copycat industry, but this bait deserves it.
Availability: 3
It is found a few places online; including TackleWarehouse and ThinkTankLures.com

Total Score: 20  - Must Have!



4 comments:

Jon Whiting said...

Thanks for the review, I have seen these before but have been a bit skeptical. I just might have to check them out after all.

Anonymous said...

It definitely works!

Anonymous said...

What color works the best on clear & stain water

TBRINKS said...

I like any of the ghost patterns for clear water

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