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Creature Fever: The Zoom Super
Hog Is A New Take On An Old Favorite
(continued)
  Casting:
With
the compact nature of this bait, it casts pretty well despite the bulk at the
tail. The overall package is a bit trimmer than say, a full size Sweet Beaver,
so it won't have quite the wind resistance of a bulkier offering. Trying to cast
in a decent crosswind means you obviously have to compensate a bit, but it's
definitely not anything out of the ordinary. Something to consider, is that most
anglers likely won't be casting this bait anyway! It can certainly be thrown on
a variety of rigs, but it really shines during flipping, pitching, and punching
applications, which of course do not require a standard casting motion. In these
scenarios, the bait is easily slipped into small holes and pockets with minimum
drama. Regular Brush Hogs can sometimes hang on or wrap around cover when trying
to probe into small openings, but since the Super Hog lacks those long, limber,
sticky legs, it gets right in there much easier without grabbing onto things.
The Super Hog makes a great jig trailer! I prefer to cut about 1/2” off the head
before sliding the bait onto the jig hook.
Retrieving:
Due
to the compact design of the Super Hog, it crawls through cover and structure
easily. I not only fished the bait in cover, but also utilized it on open banks
and around rip rap. It fished exactly as I expected it to, with no abnormal
characteristics noted. In open water, simply fish it like you would a jig.
Dragging, hopping, and shaking this bait all work very well depending on the
mood of the fish.
Upon the
retrieve, the tail produces a nice amount of action. I personally don't know why
anyone wouldn't split the tail on these baits, and I always did just
that. To be honest, splitting the tail doesn't increase the action a ton, but
the separation does make for a bit more attraction. When pulled or shaken, the
pincers and especially the side flaps undulate nicely giving off a very lifelike
appearance independent of each other. For even a slight bit more appeal, the
arms of the bait can be cut where the bottom portion rejoins the main body.
The arms of the Super Hog act as little stabilizers, helping the bait to not
roll over completely on it's side while at rest. The arms can also be separated
at the bottom joint (as shown) for a hint more action.
Durability:
The
durability of these baits was satisfying. I've always been happy with the robust
nature of the Zoom baits I've fished, and these are no different. You certainly
can't expect a soft plastic with any kind of a lifelike feel or action to be
durable all day long, but these usually last long enough so that you feel like
you're getting your money's worth out of each bait. The plastic is a nice
firmness that remains durable while still retaining a natural feel and action.
When weedless rigging, skin hooking the hook point is easy and it actually stays
buried quite well.
Out of 3 packs, 2 baits had small imperfections.
Price &
Applications:
A pack of 10
Super Hogs will set you back a very affordable $3.99. This is a great price for
a productive, good quality bait. With so many plastics costing over $5.00 a bag
(for less baits) these days, it's refreshing that these remain wallet-friendly.
As for
applications, the Zoom Super Hog has some nice versatility. You can Carolina rig
it, Texas rig it, use it as a jig trailer, or heck, even drop shot it. There are
also some more uncommon variations, like fishing it weightless, or even
inserting a nail weight into the body for ultra shallow water or bed fishing
situations.
Ratings:
(We've
re-calibrated our
ratings standard for
2008 and have
included a key at
the bottom of the
following matrix as
a guide):
|
Zoom
Super
Hog
Ratings
(?/10)
|
|
Construction/Quality |
Not a
super
high
quality
bait by
any
means,
but they
are
certainly
built
well and
will
work
just
fine for
most
people
in most
situations.
A couple
of our
test
baits
had
imperfections
in the
plastic;
not a
big
deal,
and
something
I've
seen
even on
baits
costing
several
dollars
more |
7.5 |
|
Performance |
When
shaken
or
pulled,
the tail
portion
produces
quite a
bit of
action,
even
when
only
very
light
tip
action
is
given.
It's
also an
easy
bait to
slip in
and out
of cover |
8 |
|
Price |
A
pretty
darn
good
deal at
$3.99
for 10
baits |
8.5 |
|
Features |
Good
features,
but I
wasn't
exactly
blown
away
since
this is
basically
just a
Brush
Hog
that's
been
optimized
for
flipping,
pitching,
and
punching |
7.5 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
Strictly
from a
design
standpoint,
the
Super
Hog is
smartly
built
for
probing
thick
cover.
The
compact
size
allows
it to
slip
through
small
holes
without
grabbing
on to
cover
which
was a
common
problem
with the
standard
Brush
Hog. The
plastic
body is
also
very
durable
without
being
too
hard, so
these
baits
hold a
hook
very
well and
generally
last
through
several
fish |
9 |
|
Application |
Just
because
these
are
geared
more
towards
fishing
in
cover,
don't be
afraid
to fish
these in
open
water on
a
variety
of rigs.
They
make
excellent
jig
trailers
as well |
7.5 |
|
Total
Score
|
8.0 |
Ratings
Key:
1 =
terrible
: 2 =
poor : 3
=
lacking
: 4 =
sub par
: 5 =
mediocre
: 6 =
fair : 7
= good :
8 =
great :
9 =
excellent
: 10 =
unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus
Minus
|
|
+ Good
quality
overall |
- We
found a
couple
of minor
defects |
|
+ Nice
durability |
- Only
available
in 1
size |
|
+ Plenty
of
quality
patterns |
|
|
+
Lifelike
action |
|
|
+ Very
affordable |
|
This solid fish fell victim to the Super Hog crawling through rip rap
Conclusion:
Just like the
original Brush Hog, the Super Hog as a whole is quite an appealing bait.
Optimized for flipping, pitching, and punching applications around cover, it's
compact design allows it to be fished easily in tight spots. This bait provides
the necessary action with a good amount of bulk, which in turn keeps it a bit
more appealing to larger fish. Though the design is quite simple compared to
others on the market, sometimes simplicity catches the most fish. Looking at
some of the crazy designs that are available out there, it makes me scratch my
head and wonder if they are created to fool more consumers than fish! Despite
the vast selection of creature baits that are currently available, the good ole
Brush Hog, and now the Super Hog, are 2 baits I will always have filling a void
in my worm binder.
Looking for the Zoom Super Hog? Try
Tackle Warehouse
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