Ben Hudson – “Blue Collar Bassin’”
TheBassCast.com
Instagram: @Ben_Hudson_Fishing
“A true game changer lure?”
The Perfection Lures “Sure Hook up” series shaky head
[print_link]
As an angler living in Lynchburg, Virginia, the same hometown as FLW pro David Dudley, I was one of the first people to hear about the Sure Hook-up series by Perfection Lures. I watched a Facebook Live with David Dudley when he revealed his invention to the fishing community. While impressed and intrigued by the design, I was also a little skeptical about the baits main claim – its ability to stand up in any condition. I usually am skeptical with new lures that make stern claims, though if David’s bait did what he claims, it could be a true game changer bait. I decided to put it to my own test though and try it out for myself over the past few months to see if this bait was the real deal.
As I said, The Sure Hook-up shaky head by Perfection lures claims to do something better than any other shaky head and that is ALWAYS stand up. It comes with 2 leg wires out of the back of the jig head, which are made out of titanium, and have rubber tips to absorb vibration and keep the fish from feeling the wires. It also has a football head shape jig head and flat on the bottom to assist in standing up with the legs. The design seems brilliant at first glance, but how does it perform on the water? David Dudley tested this bait in an Olympic sized swimming pool at Liberty University when developing this bait to achieve this feature, but my main question was still; how does the bottom surface of a pool compare to the real bottom of a lake?
I went out to test the Sure Hook-up series on Smith Mountain Lake during the spawn. My biggest test for the Sure Hook-up shaky head was to use it for spawning fish. If the jig did truly stand up, then it would be the perfect bait for spawning bass, as the hook would be facing straight up into the fishes face at all times and make getting a hook up a lot easier when he picks the bait up out of anger. I came away very impressed with how the fish were hooked. Every fish I caught came hooked very well, right in the top of the mouth in the thickest piece of meat. I used the Sure Hook-up shaky head rigged with a 5” Zoom Lizard in green pumpkin color, and I believe this is now the GO TO setup for sight fishing spawning bass in clear water.
I also used the shaky head for targeting fish around docks that were not locked down spawning. I came away truly believing that this shaky head will stand up better than any other shaky head on the market. I was also skeptical that the legs would take away from the finesse presentation that is characteristic of a shaky head, by adding more material to the bait and making it less natural. However, the way the bait sits in the water the legs tend to disappear in the ground and with the bait sticking straight up, the bait becomes the main focus and makes the jig head and legs less obvious than I expected.
I was also impressed by the hook. The Sure Hook-up shaky head comes with an ultra-sharp hook straight out of the package. I was able to land a 4lb largemouth off the bed on the shaky head by myself, giving me confidence that this bait and hook can easily handle catching larger sized bass and keep them pegged. I was also impressed at how it kept from getting hung up better than other shaky heads, as the legs pulled it over obstacles instead of other shaky heads rolling and getting hung up. I even caught a crappie on the shaky head with Zoom trick worm on it at the James River and it was hooked as well any bass, even with the crappies infamous paper thin mouth.
I did find some downsides to the bait, however. I found that with the legs and football shape, this shaky head does not skip under docks as well as other jig heads for me. I could get it to skip still, but it didn’t skip for me as well as other shaky heads I’ve used in the past. I’ve also had other people who have tried the bait claim that the line will get tangled around the legs frequently and lose casts because of it. However, while I had that happen once or twice during the months I’ve been using this lure, I did not find it a problem that caused me to miss bites or lose casts.
With all the shaky heads on the market, the Sure Hook-up series is clearly a first of its kind with many possibilities and great features. I came away very impressed with it and will absolutely be purchasing more of them and trying different baits on it. I don’t believe it will replace all my other shaky heads though as the other models will still have a place in my fishing arsenal. The Sure Hook-up series by Perfection Lures is a great shaky head and I highly recommend it for any finesse fishing lover. A fisherman looking to get a few more bites should definitely try this bait. David Dudley and Perfection Lures definitely have a product that will help put more fish in your livewell.
