Introducing the Super Zara Spook

With the unbelievable amount of fishing pressure on our nation’s lakes and rivers, popular lures are having to undergo slight changes to continue to appeal to gamefish year after year and in every situation. This is especially true in the ultra-clear waters of highland reservoirs, where bass and other species can see with precision to pick apart our lures with ease and disseminate them from the real thing.

No lures provides a better example of this than the Heddon Spook series of topwater lures. I pride myself in being an expert at the walk-the-dog technique, and I can typically coerce bites out of spotted bass on my home waters in central Arkansas from late April to November on my favorite One Knocker Spook patterns. However, there are periods of time when I can land right in a pile of schooling fish, and my Spook will go unscathed! These are the moments that led to the creation of the all-new Super Zara Spook.

Certain extra challenging situations, such as clear water with no wind or waves, call for a topwater lure with minimal disturbance or sound to coax bites from educated bass. The Super Zara Spook features a fixed weight in the tail to give off zero sound, but still offers the unique slide across the top that Heddon Spooks are known for. In addition to making this Spook silent, we added upgraded black nickel hooks, a split ring on the nose, feathered treble and some of the best clear water paint schemes in the fishing world.

The decision to bring this lure didn’t just arise from stubborn bass on tough lakes, though. It came from a sense of frustration that began with upgrading an original Zara Spook while prepping tackle before a tournament. The original Zara Spook that is in the Heddon line boasts a large frame for easy casting and is silent as well, but it lacks modern hooks and hardware that come in handy for wrangling big bass in tight situations, so I would routinely add split rings and black nickel hooks.

Well, as I remember the night before a big team tournament a few years back, I was unscrewing the hook hangers to add my split rings and hooks, and I slipped slightly, sending a silky grey treble hook into my palm. It was after this mess-up that I knew we had to create a modern version of this awesome silent topwater lure. Hence, the Super Zara Spook is born from a hook to the palm!