Lure Review: Triggerfish Steerable Topwater Lure
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| Testing Ground |
ThinkTankLure’s announcement of a “steerable lure” back in 2011 at iCast was met with a great deal of enthusiasm and press coverage. Tackle Tour, InFisherman, Field and Stream, plus several other websites covered this unique topwater bait. However, since then, I haven’t heard much about the Triggerfish. Fortunately, I was able to get in touch with the folks at ThinkTankLures and I have a brand new review on this exciting topwater lure.
Design
ThinkTankLures has basically taken the Walk-the-Dog concept to a new level with the Triggerfish. The head swings from side to side, acting as a weight to change directions of the lure as needed. Line tie is on top of the lure, not by the lip, unlike many other hardbaits. The Triggerfish features two sets of treble hooks, like most poppers and topwaters, along with a prop at the rear for greater topwater action. Finally, the Triggerfish comes in a huge selection of excellent colors. One I prefer is the Ayu Shad color, but there are many others (20 total!) for anglers to choose from.
Action
Here’s where the real fun with the Triggerfish lies-in its unique, steerable action. I’m not going to go into super detail on how to best retrieve this lure (ThinkTankLures does a fine job on their website complete with instructional video), but I will assure you that it isn’t too hard to figure out. Don’t expect this to be a straight cast and crank lure. Rather, you’ll actually take near complete control of the various directions the lure heads, using short snaps of the line to change the weighted, swinging head direction. It may sound similar to the concept behind a Zara Spook and walking the dog, but it’s taking this to a whole new level. I thoroughly enjoyed the steerable aspect of the Triggerfish. As you can see in my YouTube video below, you can easily change directions and get the lure into some pretty tight spots, or just around various bits of interesting cover. There have been a few reviews online where people discussed having a hard time using the lure-this is simply not the case if you follow the instructions on the website! It’s important to note that this is definitely not a lure to fish in weedy, the duel treble hooks will make your life miserable fast! The lure doesn’t respond like a normal hardbait, instead, it lays on its side in the water, churning up a wake with its rear prop on retrieve.
Durability
With sharp VMC hooks a solid paint job, the Triggerfish is definitely not one lure that I was worried about in the durability department. Errant casts on my part occasionally sent the lure bouncing off hard cover, but with no noticeable effect on the lure’s performance or finish.
Price
At $12.99, it’s not the cheapest topwater bait on the market. However, the high quality components and unique design really make this price look like a bargain.
Summary
I can’t recall having as much control and fun while fishing a bass lure as with the Triggerfish. The ability to control a lures direction on a topwater bait is awesome. It may not be the best topwater bait for every condition, but when you need a topwater bait to work its way around cover, or in a style rarely seen by fish, the Triggerfish is a must-have. I hope other anglers out there will have as much fun as I’ve had with the Triggerfish. Next stop? Silverwood, for early morning striper boils with ThinkTankLure’s Triggerfish-photos to come soon hopefully!
Design
ThinkTankLures has basically taken the Walk-the-Dog concept to a new level with the Triggerfish. The head swings from side to side, acting as a weight to change directions of the lure as needed. Line tie is on top of the lure, not by the lip, unlike many other hardbaits. The Triggerfish features two sets of treble hooks, like most poppers and topwaters, along with a prop at the rear for greater topwater action. Finally, the Triggerfish comes in a huge selection of excellent colors. One I prefer is the Ayu Shad color, but there are many others (20 total!) for anglers to choose from.
Action
Here’s where the real fun with the Triggerfish lies-in its unique, steerable action. I’m not going to go into super detail on how to best retrieve this lure (ThinkTankLures does a fine job on their website complete with instructional video), but I will assure you that it isn’t too hard to figure out. Don’t expect this to be a straight cast and crank lure. Rather, you’ll actually take near complete control of the various directions the lure heads, using short snaps of the line to change the weighted, swinging head direction. It may sound similar to the concept behind a Zara Spook and walking the dog, but it’s taking this to a whole new level. I thoroughly enjoyed the steerable aspect of the Triggerfish. As you can see in my YouTube video below, you can easily change directions and get the lure into some pretty tight spots, or just around various bits of interesting cover. There have been a few reviews online where people discussed having a hard time using the lure-this is simply not the case if you follow the instructions on the website! It’s important to note that this is definitely not a lure to fish in weedy, the duel treble hooks will make your life miserable fast! The lure doesn’t respond like a normal hardbait, instead, it lays on its side in the water, churning up a wake with its rear prop on retrieve.
Durability
With sharp VMC hooks a solid paint job, the Triggerfish is definitely not one lure that I was worried about in the durability department. Errant casts on my part occasionally sent the lure bouncing off hard cover, but with no noticeable effect on the lure’s performance or finish.
Price
At $12.99, it’s not the cheapest topwater bait on the market. However, the high quality components and unique design really make this price look like a bargain.
Summary
I can’t recall having as much control and fun while fishing a bass lure as with the Triggerfish. The ability to control a lures direction on a topwater bait is awesome. It may not be the best topwater bait for every condition, but when you need a topwater bait to work its way around cover, or in a style rarely seen by fish, the Triggerfish is a must-have. I hope other anglers out there will have as much fun as I’ve had with the Triggerfish. Next stop? Silverwood, for early morning striper boils with ThinkTankLure’s Triggerfish-photos to come soon hopefully!
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