Super Spook Jr. vs. Badonk-A-Donk Topwater Test (Round 1)
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
Many people swear by the Super Spook Jr…
But is the Badonk-A-Donk actually a better topwater lure?
I’m on a mission to find the best topwater lure backed by results, not marketing or hype, and today, I’m testing out the Heddon Super Spook Jr. against the Bomber Badonk-A-Donk.
In my last topwater test, the Super Spook Jr. beat out the LIVETARGET Hollow Body Mullet pretty handily.
Will it be a repeat winner?
Check out the video below to find out.
P.S. Watch the entire video because after I filmed the conclusion, I did some bonus casting and had an incredible encounter with a snook!
Super Spook Jr. vs. Badonk-A-Donk [VIDEO]
Click here to join the Insider Club
You can get the Super Spook Jr. from our shop here
As always, my goal is to make this experiment as accurate as possible.
I had two setups with the same rod, reel, leader, and line, and the only difference was that one setup had the Badonk-A-Donk and one had the Super Spook Jr.
I switched setups after every three casts, and I drifted down some shorelines and fished for about an hour in total.
Here are the results:
Super Spook Jr. vs. Badonk-A-Donk Results
Fish Landed:
- Super Spook Jr.: 1 trout
- Badonk-A-Donk: 1 snook
The Super Spook Jr. landed a smallish trout, while the Badonk-A-Donk landed a nice sized snook.
The Super Spook Jr. also had a nice redfish on before he got off and got blown up by that nice snook at the end, so all in all I’d say it was a tie for fish landed.
Castability: The Super Spook Jr. seems to cast a little farther than the Badonk-A-Donk.
Skippability: These lures both skip nicely and there wasn’t a clear winner.
Ease of performing the “walk the dog” retrieve: The Badonk-A-Donk was actually easier to retrieve and it does tighter turns.
The tighter turns make it easier to work slowly, while the Super Spook Jr.’s longer turns mean that you can fish it a little faster and cover more water.
Conclusion
After this first round of testing, there was no clear winner between the Badonk-A-Donk and the Super Spook Jr.
They’re both easy to use and catch fish, and I recommend them both.
I’ll definitely be doing some more experiments with them to see if there’s a clear winner in some aspect.
You can get the Super Spook Jr. from our shop here.
Have you used these two lures?
What did you think?
Do you have a favorite?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who loves using topwater lures, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
P.S. Want access to our best fishing spots and tips, plus discounts to our online tackle store? Click here to join us in the Insider Club!
Related articles:
Related categories:
STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Suggestion for topwater is Rebel ‘Jumpin minnow’ either 1,000 or 2,000 series. Color if You can get them is chartreuse or chrome.
Thanks for making time to leave the suggestion! I have not yet tried that lure so I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for it.
i have them both and love them both…i have found the badonk-A-donk has worked better for me when water is little rougher…been crushing the spook jr using on calm water twilight timeframes. Question, concern that sometimes i may be walking dog too fast??? do you change speeds on retrieval?? thanks
I always change up retrieves with all lures to continually try to figure out what they are responding to best.
Hey Luke, When fishing Top Water lures, do you recommend letting the lure sit once in a while during your retrieve???? Also, do you recommend these lures in windy conditions, or switch to a chugger????
Yes, I do trying. pausing the lure during the retrieve on occasion to see if it triggers a bite.
I like these style topwaters for windy conditions too. The chuggers can certainly work great then as well.
I fished both lures this am. I got some Super Spooks from the SaltStrong store as I had previously been fishing the Badonk – A- Donk. I found the Super Spook A’S more erratic with a little deeper sound to the pop. For me (I don’t have too much topwater experience) the Badonk in easier to walk the dog. I do note that the lures fished were NOT the same color. I fish a bone Badonk and the color is more white yellow – then a more pinkish Spook.
Thanks for making time to leave the helpful comment David!
Great video Luke. What camera are you using to get the closeup on the big snook hitting that spook at the end? Thats a great shot!
That was our big camera (camcorder) that has a pretty good zoom… I can’t recall the exact make and model.
great video..
Thanks Keith!
Thank You for the video. Most of the videos I have watched recently showing topwater techniques have the angler ‘running’ the dog and not ‘walking’ it. Both will work with the slower ‘walking’ the dog much more successful. Walking the dog takes much more experience and match of equipment. Rebel Jumpin Minnow is my topwater choice 1,000 or 2,000 series.
Yes, the walk vs. run is a good way to illustrate the retrieve speed… the walk is slower with wider turns while the run is faster with more narrow turns. Both can work great so it’s smart to try some of each to see what the fish respond to best.
I personally use the spook and spook jr. During rougher conditions I use the super spook. I ALWAYS have plenty of strikes and good size. I catch bigger Trout during windier conditions, for some reason they seem to zero in on the super spook. I like the bone and red and white. I catch plenty of other fish besides, I mainly concentrate on Trout I also use the slam shady bomber with a 1/8 oz. weighted hook and skim it across the top water, during the commotion from the lure it really attracts some big fish. Give it a tray when the tide is really ripping.
Thanks for making time to leave the helpful comment Kenneth!
Love the video as well as all I have watched. One thing that was different in the test was the bait color. Do you think that would matter at all? Have you tried the saltwater Livingston Lure Walking Boss? Keep up the great work.
It seems like color is not very important for topwater lures… since the fish are looking up at it against a light/bright sky, they mostly just see a silhouette.
I have not yet tried the Walking Boss.
Can you show how to perform the walk the dog movement in a video?
Hey Steven, check this tutorial out!
How To Use Topwater Lures To Catch Redfish & Trout
great video…one i watched to get timing & action with topwaters!!!
Here’s a video we made for the Super Spook Jr. retrieve which includes some cool underwater shots with above the water overlay: https://saltstrongdev.wpengine.com/articles/heddon-super-spook-jr-review/