DAIWA PRODUCT FOCUS: Daiwa Tournament Pro Spike – Darren Weda

Need a decent size light tackle lure that casts well, dives deep and hangs in the zone? Well look no further, Daiwa’s Tournament Pro spike is here to answer all your needs.

THE DESIGN

Based on the original Spike released in the 90’s Daiwa’s new Tournament Spike has been revitalised with a few little tweaks and a much bigger colour range for us anglers to chose from now. Designed by Toshi Namiki one of Japan’s premier Bass fishermen the Spike was designed specifically for getting down deep fast and staying in the strike zone for longer.

The spike is fitted with a weight transferring internal rattle, which aids in casting distance but also sends out a resonance whilst being retrieved.  The Spike is a 53mm suspending hardbody lure fitted with Daiwa’s super sharp size 10 DTreble Saq Sas trebles, and is designed to be used on most of our light tackle sportsfish.

APPLICATION

Designed as a casting lure, the Spike is at home where ever you are most likely to get those slightly larger 50-60mm baitfish, whether it be fresh or saltwater systems. The realistic look and action of this lure plus its superb suspending ability lends itself to fishing around structure for bream, bass and estuary perch, as it gets down deep quick and the large bib makes its really easy to walk through some pretty serious timber.

Another thing the Spike’s are very good at is ploughing through the mud and sand of flats. Its a very popular technique used by lots of bream anglers when using cranks like Jackall chubbies etc. Well I have found that the Spikes work just as well, they dive deep, cast a long way and really kick up a lot of sand making them very noticed on the flats by big fish.

Being a deep diving lure it is very versatile, and I like to use it as a good all-round searching lure. I can fish it through structure, on flats and or on deeper steep banks etc. This reduces the need for changing lures constantly and gives me more time in the water.

CASTING

Thanks to its larger size and relatively heavy weight the Spike casts great. Won’t get much more casting distance out of a suspending bream lure than this. The lure has a internal ball bearing that moves all the way to the rear of the lure when casting, helping it spear through the air, but the ball then cleverly drops into a chamber for the retrieve where it helps keep the lure level and sends out some extra fish attracting resonance.

RETRIEVING

Straight out of the box the Spike swims nice and straight, unlike some other similar extra deep diving hardbodies which always seemed to need need tweaking.

The Tournament Spike lends itself to a few different retrieves. The good old slow roll works well, especially if it is coming into contact with the bottom but not necessary. I found this slow roll excellent with the bass. It also twitches really nicely, giving a slightly erratic side to side movement which the bream love.

CONSTRUCTION & FINISH

The Tournament spike is all Daiwa quality, something which they definitely pride themselves on and what makes anglers stick with their products. The finish and paint job is superb, along with all the terminal tackle.

Daiwa have really picked up their game with lure colours over the past few years. With all their lures coming in a really good range of bright and natural colours and the Spike is no exception. With 13 different colours to chose from I am sure you will find one that suits your application whether it be in the salt of the fresh.

DURABILITY

The finish of the Spike has seemed to hold up very well, paint finishes are quite thick and seem to be quite chip resistant. The standard hardware is all quality as to expect from Daiwa. The standard size 10 trebles are a bit beefier than the smaller Daiwa sas saq trebles found on the DC’s etc, and these definitely hold up to a lot more punishment and last longer before needing replacement.

PRICE

Daiwa’s Tournament Spike is retailing for around $21 at most reputable tackle stores.

CONCLUSION

The Spike has become one of my favourite lures to use now especially when chasing bream in all scenarios, or bass around structure. I find the slightly larger profile actually helps to catch bigger fish, I think it may that little bit too big for the smaller bream etc and helps to get more attention form the bigger ones.

The spike has definitely found a permanent spot in my tackle bag, and tends to be one of the “must” lures i have tied on before a comp or bream session. With the big range of colours and the decent price tag I think alot of people will be changing from similar extra deep diving hardbody lures to the Tournament Spike.

PROS & CONS

WHERE TO BUY

Daiwa’s Tournament Spike can be found at all tackle stores that stock Daiwa lures, or most of the