LockJaw Lure review page2

Lure Review

The patented "automatic set hidden hook" distinguishes the LockJaw from the competition (continued)

The design is such that only pressure inwards will release the hook. A wire on the left side of the lure acts as a spring holding the hook in place. When a fish comes and strikes the lure from any angle, as long as there is pressure inwards on the wire, the hook will discharge. There is no spring mechanism to drive the hook upwards, instead it is the pressure on your main line that instantly exposes the hook. Exposing the hook doesn't really drive the point into the fish, it is the fish itself that snags the hook. Imagine a weedless rigged plastic, and what happens to the lure when a fish attacks the bait and exposes the hook point. The cleverly designed LockJaw does something similar within a lipless crankbait profile.

Once a fish strikes the lure the hidden hook instantly pops up as a result of pressure on the line

Mechanically the lures design is quite ingenious, but the real question is how well does it actually work? During the tests we fished the lure in and out of weedy areas with a steady retrieve. The Colorado style blade tail helps give the lure some flash and action, but for the most part the lure comes straight back with little side to side movement. We found that a slow to medium retrieve was best, as a fast retrieve would cause the lure to rotate strangely when swimming. It is also possible to pause during retrieves to mimic an injured baitfish. Strikes feel like "thumps" followed by the fish actually setting themselves. With the lockJaw a hookset is possible, but not really necessary. When retrieving the lure the fish that commit to the bait will find themselves instantly set when the hook point is exposed. If you want an even quicker hookset or want to really expose the hook high then braided line is the way to go, as the line has no stretch and can instantly transmit any tug on the rod.

The bottom line is that the lure works. While some anglers may think that the design is gimmicky, the fact is that it is effective where other hardbaits simply cannot go. The profile is small enough to penetrate the thickest structure, and because there are no exposed hooks of any kind it really is difficult to snag this lure. When run through thick weed the blade can pick up some vegetation, but cleaning the lure is quick and easy. During our tests most fish were hooked in and around the lip area, making it easy to remove the lure safely. The one flaw of the lure is that because there are no exposed hooks at the rear of the lure, smaller fish as well as fish that short strike are not as likely to stick.

A bass hooked on the lip of the Green-Orange pattern LockJaw

Durability: The finish on these lures is quite good and while the paint can be scratched when bouncing off rocks, the overall finish remained in excellent shape over the course of our tests. The LockJaw makes use of a quality bearing which facilitates smooth rotation of the blade tail. This was a good choice considering a cheaper wire swivel would be much easier to jam when running through vegetation. Then there is the hook mechanism. While the wire spring will certainly come into contact with plenty of structure during retrieves it is very unlikely that anything can bend the wire in such a way that the mechanism will fail. Overall the LockJaw is well designed, and equally well constructed.

The single hook is easy to avoid when lipping the fish, yet another reason why this lure is so "kid friendly"

Applications: Besides being able to catch fish during retrieves through nasty structure we found another effective way to fish the lure.....vertically. The LockJaw can be fished over rocky humps or even submerged trees just like a spoon, but with the added confidence to really get into the structure below your finder because there is no treble hook to snag. This also means that you can take your time to jig the bottom without trepidation. When fishing the lure vertically we grew partial to using braided line since strikes were better translated when fishing deep.

Another major benefit of the LockJaw is that it is the most child friendly lure we have tested to date. Nothing ruins a child's fishing experience more that getting stuck with a razor sharp treble hook. On the LockJaw once the hook is locked into the spring mechanism it stays hidden until a fish strikes. This makes it possible to teach kids how to fish a lure without fear of snagging up every cast, or hurting themselves.

Most fish were hooked right around the lip

Price & Availability: The lockjaw is a new product, and may be difficult to find in your local store. Each lure retails for $6.95, and are also sold in packs of 3 (one in each design) for $17.95. The easiest place to get your hands on the lure is direct from the manufacturers own e-tail site. Currently three patterns are available, but we would love to see the lure offered in additional shapes and profiles. The key feature of this lure is the hidden hook design, as well as the ability to target fish holding in the even the thickest structure. Now that the design is done we imagine it is feasible that LockJaw will expand the hidden hook into new branded products, or possibly even license the patented feature to other manufacturers. But for the time being the only way to fish the patented design is with one of the three available patterns.

LockJaw Ratings (?/10)
Construction/Quality	The LockJaw is built out of quality materials and while they could have used a plastic molded body they went with 100% metal for increased weight and durability. The paint finishes focus more on triggering colors over realism	8.5
Performance	The lure does exactly what it is advertised to do. It catches fish where others cannot, and is a very safe lure for kids to fish. The only area where we saw a weakness was in short strikes or strikes by smaller fish that would hit the lure on the rear and not apply enough pressure to the spring to disengage the hook. These shorter strikes are not rewarded with fish like you normally would with a crank with a treble hook at the rear	8
Price	While the lure may be difficult to buy locally they are readily available direct from the manufacturer. For $6.95 a piece the lures are a reasonable price for an innovative new product.	8
Features	The strength of this lure is the patented new hidden hook feature. This feature expands the ways in which to fish the lure...targeting fish that normally would have been unreachable with a blade or crank style lure	9
Design (Ergonomics)	A unique design is ergonomically very good and the most kid friendly lure we have seen to date. Once engaged the hook remains hidden until a fish strikes	9
Application	This lure is excellent when targeting bass in and around structure. We found additional uses for the lure in vertical jigging applications	9
Total Score		8.58

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus Minus
J Innovative patented design	L Only one size available
J Truly weedless	L Short strikes are not rewarded
J Can be fished multiple ways	L May be hard to buy locally
J Ability to target new areas with a new type of lure fish haven't seen before
J Finally, a "new" idea

Conclusion: The LockJaw is a "new" lure in just about every sense of the word. There isn't another product on the market quite like this hybrid bait. No matter how you characterize this product the fact is that this bait can catch fish where other lures simply are not effective. The LockJaw penetrates even the thickest structure, and when paired up with braided line it is possible to haul these fish back to the boat through just about anything without fear of losing your catch or your lure to an undesirable snag. When it comes to fishing with kids or newbies the LockJaw is an ideal choice. A miscast doesn't mean a lost lure, and because the LockJaw better navigates structure anglers new to the sport will spend less time dealing with frustrating snags, and more time casting, retrieving, and catching fish. By effectively fishing where others cannot you increase your chances to catch more fish that in all likelihood have not encountered anything quite like the LockJaw before.