SpoolTek Lure Review [Top Pros, Cons and Video]
- By: Tony Acevedo
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Inshore Fishing, Lure Reviews, Product Reviews, Retrieving Lures
One of the most popular lures I’ve seen pop up in recent years is the SpoolTek Lure. The SpoolTek Lure is a plug/swimbait combo lure that deploys a steel leader connected to your hook upon the hookset.
SpoolTek Lures commonly resemble mullet and other baitfish. They are great for catching fish around structure or that have rough/toothy mouths because the steel leader doesn’t break like mono and fluorocarbon leader would.
This is one of my go-to lures for snook because I don’t have to worry about them rubbing through my leader or breaking me off on structure like docks and rocks.
This article will show you how the SpoolTek Lure works and the top pros and cons I’ve found while using this lure.
How the SpoolTek Lure Works
I touched on this a little bit earlier, but the SpoolTek Lure has a unique design. The steel leader is attached to lure’s hook which both sit inside a cavity in the body of the lure.
When a fish eats your lure and you set the hook, about 12 inches of steel leader deploys away from the body of the lure and leader line connection. This steel leader line keeps your fish on the hook and away from your leader, keeping your leader safe.
Once you’ve caught and released your fish (or put him in the cooler), you roll the steel leader and hook back up into the body of the lure using a spool-switch in the lure’s head.
Note: the steel leader takes quite a bit of force to deploy from the body of the lure, which prevents the hook from unnecessarily deploying without a fish on the line.
Top SpoolTek Lures Pros
I’ve used SpoolTek Lures extensively now and feel like I’ve gotten a good feel for how this lure performs in the water. There are a lot of great things about these lures that other lures and baits don’t offer.
The top pros I’ve found using the SpoolTek Lures are the following:
- Steel Leader – There is no doubt about it, the steel leader is stronger than any mono or fluorocarbon leader I could use. I catch more of the fish I hook using the lure because of it and it is one of my favorite lures to throw around bridges, docks and other structures.
- Combo Hard Plastic/Soft Body – I love the fact this is a combo hard plastic head/soft plastic body lure. It offers strength at the top of the lure and where your leader is but also has fantastic action because of the soft plastic body. The head has a rattle which makes a sound fish love. The soft plastic bodies are also replaceable and come two to a lure pack.
- Very Realistic Look – These lures are very detailed and have a great profile in the water. They look exactly like mullet and other baitfish. Predator fish seem to notice the lure’s appearance much more than your basic swim bait or plug.
- Varying Sizes – These lures come in many different sizes. This allows you to change your fishing tactics depending on the type of fishing you’re doing. I like to throw small four-inch SpoolTek Lures on the flats and will use nine-inch ones when fishing bridges and inlets.
Top SpoolTek Lure Cons
There are definitely some things I am not crazy about when it comes to the SpoolTek Lures. There are some things that every angler should keep in mind before buying an army supply of these lures as well.
The top cons I’ve found to using SpoolTek Lures are the following:
- Price – These lures are not cheap. They can cost anywhere from $15-25 depending on the size of the lure and where you buy it from. It definitely hurts when you lose these lures to the sunken rock or bridge piling.
- Tough to Clean – the cavity that holds the steel leader and hook is tough to clean and takes a bit of housekeeping to do it correctly. You need to make sure you get freshwater inside the lure cavity and let that cavity dry out before reeling your steel leader and hook up into it. Failing to do this will result in a rusty hook and ruined lure.
- Head Cracking on Structure – These lures are fairly heavy and can be cast relatively far and hard. When fishing around structure like bridges, this can result in you smacking the head of your lure against concrete and cracking it.
SpoolTek Lure Review Video
This video gives you my full take on the SpoolTek Lures and what I think you should consider when using or buying them.
Check it out here:
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Conclusion
SpoolTek Lures can be great for targeting mean fish, but they are also expensive.
Still, this is a lure I think every angler should keep in their tackle box and can be deadly in certain situations.
This lure is great around structure and is still one of my favorites for pulling big snook out of heavy cover.
If you’ve used this lure, let us know how it did for you by commenting below.
Tight lines!
See our guide to seven fishing lures you can fish anywhere here
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Great review of these lures. Picked up a couple to try, but haven’t fished with them yet. Highly endorsed by Capt. Dave Pomerlou, ‘The Mad Snooker’ as a killer Big Snook lure. Killer price is the biggest con, but if they work, and last OK, well, so be it. In maintenance, I plan to pull leader out, give it a good dunking in freshwater with a few drops of soap in a bucket, rinse in plain water, and air dry.
Wouldn’t some fish oil like gulp help with the rusting ?
Dan, you would still have salt inside, I would think.
I was thinking that to fill it up with oil before you used it ,then after you washed it out and dried it . I got some of the fish oil that I sprayed on a lot of my lures ,and haven’t had rusty hooks or hardware on them in a long time .
It would be worth a try. If nothing else the scent is a big plus. I think anything petroleum based would/could melt the hard plastic front end. At $20 a pop that would seriously suck, LOL!
Great tips! Thank you Tony
No problem Gary!
Good stuff as always, Tony. I’m a sucker for new lures and have 4 inch silver dagger fatty that I’ve got a few snook on. 1/2 ounce is about as heavy as I go with my light gear, so the 4 inch model is perfect. I don’t use it all that often, but will put it on when I get into a school of ladyfish to keep my fluoro leader from getting all nicked up. I still prefer the action and toughness of the Zman paddletails which I use for subsurface fishing most of the time.
BTW, I’m writing a guide on kayak fishing in Citrus County, and will give Saltstrong a big plug in it.
Thank you for the great feedback and support Gary!
As always great review. When you fish the lure what line size and tackle do you use?
Hey Pablo,
It really depends on the size of the Spool Tek you are using and the type of area.
If i’m using this 6 or 9 inch one, i’m usually fishing it deep around structure so I will go with a 7 to 8ft MH spinning rod with a 4000 to 5000 class reel with 30 to 50 lb braid and 50 to 60lb leader. They claim you can get away with going lighter on your line and leader since it deploys the steel leader, but that doesn’t keep your line from breaking at the lure or if it rubs on structure.
If i’m using the smaller 4 inch one, I’ll use my typical inshore setup 7’6 MH spinning rod with a 2500 to 3000 class reel spooled with 10-15lb braid and 20 to 30lb leader. If I’m out in the open flats i’ll go on the lighter side with my mainline and leader. If fishing closer to docks, mangroves, and structure i’ll go with the heavier line and leader.