scotth Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 heard some good things about lucky craft sammys (walk the dog type bait) today. went to the local dick's sporting goods and found they were 17.99 (ouch)..however, did find some identical looking baits from Matzuo for......2.99 !!!! will they work the same? will they catch fish like the 17 dollar sammy? i don't know, but for 3 bucks, i'm willing to find out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bterrill Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 No, they won't. Remember this is a topwater lure. If you can stay out of the tops of trees, you should be able to catch a few hundred fish on one. Sammy 100 (only size you need) is 14.99 retail for regular non metallic colors- cheaper still on Ebay. Generally, you get what you pay for. Sammy is specially weighted to cast and splash down in a certain way. I can cast a Sammy 100 about 60 yards with 15 lbs test braid if I need to . I like to use the lure to stay out in front of my noise when water is clear and streams are rocky. There are other Walk the Dog lures out there and some will catch fish fine walking the dog. Sammy excels with it's subsurface tail bob getting strikes when the lure just sits there after splashdown. The glass rattles are subtle for those days when fish flee the noise of louder topwaters. Varying the retrieve speed and cadence pauses until you get bit. None of the others cast as far or drift less in the windy than Sammy 100. That's important when you want to zing them softly right next to a laydown, or skip the lure under low hanging branches- another thing Sammy 100's weighted bullet shape excels at. I use a Super Spook JR and Rapala Surface walk when I want more noise (tick-tock). Always replace the hooks with Gammie round bends. Replace hooks often. 2007 was an awesome year for the Sammy 100. 2008 was ok, and 2009 has been somewhat dissapointing minus a few 17-19" fish deadsticking the thing. Well worth trying everytime out because huge fish will hit when they ignore other offerings. Here is an article I wrote back then: Sammy, the Fish that Walks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark K Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 Sammies cast a country mile, which can be a life saver on the Kank. They also glide a long way on a pull. The hooks are reasonably sharp. They look great too. It's a damn fine lure. Still to this day i believe they use the price tag as a selling point. I saw the Matzuo bait you are talking about. Thats a nice loooking lure too and I would certainly try it. My favorite overpriced japanese lures are made by Owner. The hands down winner is their popper, the Gobo-Pop. My all-time favorite lure. Their slider is called a zip-n-ziggy. http://www.ownerhooks.com/pages/products/lures/topwaterbaits/zipnziggy.htm A more subtle presentation. I also really like the Skitter Prop and the Excalibur (the name escapes me at the moment) lure. All taht said. fish a topwater a lot and you will catch lots of fish on any topwater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonn Graham Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 IMHO, the 100 is the best size. I don't think you will like the 85 as well. The smaller sized 85 does not walk as easy - probably due to the shorter length of the bait. Plus, the 100 just gives off such an awesome "vibe". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotth Posted September 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 i think i'll stick with the 3 dollar baits til i get better at "walking the dog" retrieves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonn Graham Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 Scott: The thing is when you are learning to walk the dog, the Sammy is the easiest to learn with. This is due to the design and weighting of the Sammy. While you can become good with the $3 walkers, the Sammy will speed up your learning progression. I take a client and can have them walking the dog with a sammy in about 20 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bterrill Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 I don't buy the LC metallic finishes, because they chip and charge an extra 2$ or so for it. The things are like 5 or 6$ in Japan. As many fish as you are catching, definately start carrying some size 4 Gammie round bends. Or you will. be. sorry. Also, the big splash can be beneficial. It sounds like a bass whacked something off the surface, and can inspire competition strikes. Skipping it silences the landing, if you are kerplunking. Jonn's right, the Sammy 85 is pretty awful. Catches fish, but the glide is akward. The Sammy 65 might be worth a try if downsizing needs to happen, I've caught some nice 18"'s on it last year. Have you seen fish swimming the zig-zag underneath the bait yet? It has not been a Sammy year in Indiana, good to see your success up there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve S. Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 It has not been a Sammy year in Indiana, good to see your success up there! Even the bass have had to cutback in this economy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm M Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 I've got no complaints from the fish about the Sammy 85 I toss them, got in at a baitshop closing sale. Spittin Image Shad works well in the same situations for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonn Graham Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 The spittin' image is an excellent bait for me as well, though hard to find around my parts. Another very good walking bait is the Zara Spook Jr. About the same size as the Sammy 100, but has an incredible sound when walked across the surface. Matter of fact, when it comes to sound, I much prefer the Spook Jr. over the Sammy. In addition, the Spook Jr. is much cheaper than the Sammy. But, be careful when you buy a Spook Jr. Some come with good hooks, while others come with pure crap hooks! If you purchase one with bad hooks, switch them out right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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