I don't know about you but to put out 16 bucks for a sammy 85 when I can buy a spook for 5 bucks is hard for me to do. Are the Sammys that much better then the Zara's as far as action goes in the water or is it just curb appeal? :-/

I fished the Zara Spook for a long while and it is a very good bait. But I switched to a Sammy 100 and couldn't believe how easy it was to "walk the dog" compared to the Spook. Also, it just flat out catches more bass for me. To me it is worth the extra money. And it is a topwater bait, so you are have a much better chance of not loosing it than say, a crankbait.

to me, this is like a pop-r/g-splash comparison.

they're both good baits and both have their place and time.

if you go sammy, the 100 & 128 sizes are better walkers than the smaller sizes, imo.

Spooks have probably caught more bass than all LCs combined.    

If you want to try a KILLER lure for a cheaper price:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_45146_100005003_100000000_100005000_100-5-3

Walks and acts like a sammy.I cant tell the difference.

I am not a big fan of the bass pro baits but let me tell you it is one dynamite machine!

If you want to try a KILLER lure for a cheaper price:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_45146_100005003_100000000_100005000_100-5-3

Walks and acts like a sammy.I cant tell the difference.

I am not a big fan of the bass pro baits but let me tell you it is one dynamite machine!

Only thing I dislike about it this lure, is its crap hooks.

If you want to try a KILLER lure for a cheaper price:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_45146_100005003_100000000_100005000_100-5-3

Walks and acts like a sammy.I cant tell the difference.

I am not a big fan of the bass pro baits but let me tell you it is one dynamite machine!

Only thing I dislike about it this lure, is its crap hooks.

agreed.  

Topwaters are the only lures that I go top of the line with almost everyone of them. The reason is there is usually a huge difference in the cheap stuff and expensive stuff, as opposed to soft plastic baits, spinnerbaits, jigs, etc...

Also, you will almost never lose a topwater, as long as your line has no nicks and your drag is set correctly. I've been using the same Rebel Pop-r for 4 years! It has caught probably 50-60 fish. I had to replace the feather three times. I certainly do not own crankbaits for that long!

Spooks have probably caught more bass than all LCs combined.

I fished the Zara Spook for a long while and it is a very good bait. But I switched to a Sammy 100 and couldn't believe how easy it was to "walk the dog" compared to the Spook. Also, it just flat out catches more bass for me. To me it is worth the extra money. And it is a topwater bait, so you are have a much better chance of not loosing it than say, a crankbait.

That is a really good point, never thought of that one.

I have both in my topwater box. I'll use the super spook before any sammy. But ill take the sammy over the spook junior. The super spook seems to walk the best for me, and is one of the easiest lures to cast far/accurately.

They have always worked about the same for me. The sammy is a little easier to walk but I am probably not buying anymore of them.

I learned to walk the dog with a sway back spook.  When I switched to a Sammy it became much easier to walk, and I started catching fish regularly.  I'll be the first to say when something is a better alternative at a cheaper price, but this ones not even close.

Spooks have probably caught more bass than all LCs combined.

more people own spooks than LCs

pick up a sammy

I fish the 100 sammy instead of the spook nearly exclusive. I like them that well.

Spooks have probably caught more bass than all LCs combined.

Geez...

Anyhow, I carry both but haven't used a Spook in four, maybe five years.

The Sammy is far superior in every way.

Now, having said that, if it's all about cost, the Zara Spook is a proven producer.

8-)

Oh come on, now. Now you're just being silly. I know you have your favorites (which are better than everything else in every way ) but the Spook is ancient and was producing fish when the Sammy was known only to God.

I have a few Sammys and they are nice, if expensive lures. But they they don't produce any better for me than my Spooks. And at their premium price, I would expect them to do so. So I can hardly consider them better. Prettier, yeah.

I've got a few G-Splashes, too. But they don't hold a candle to my Lucky 13s. I'd take a Lucky 13 over a LC G-Splash any day.

This is one area where LC has NOTHING that is substantially better than what Heddon has been prodicing for decades.

I use spooks alot and have never had a problem walking the dog on one don't know how another lure does it easier when the spook is almost effortless. Just real in steady and twitch as you reel it automatically goes side to side for me. Can't imagine a bait doing any better. Realism is over rated for a bait that is moved fast across the surface in my opinion so I have a hard time figuring why they are far better.

I started a thread just like this last year so here's my two cents for what it's worth.

Both baits are good and both have their place where one will outperform the other given various circumstances.  The differences would be very small as to one catching more fish than the other.  Let's face it, when the topwater bite is hot, you can throw just about anything that mimics a meal and it will produce a strike.

If it's cost that worries you, throw the Spook.  I have more Spooks than Sammys for that reason alone.  If I could afford more Sammys, I'd have more Sammys because they seem to cast further, the action is A LOT more erratic than the spook.  The Sammy has an up & down motion with the walk the dog retreive vs a simple side-to-side retreive like the Spook.  Don't belive me?  Try the two side by side and you'll see the difference.

I think water clarity makes a difference as well as fishing pressure.  The Sammy just looks more lifelike in clear water (especially the jointed version) and on my lake, lot's of people throw the Spook so I'd rather have something a little different than the rest.

I've had a lot of luck with a clear Zara puppy last year for locating bass.  It would produce savage strikes because it's small and the clear body worked well in clear water.  The issue is the barbs on the hooks suck so replacing with better hooks of the same size is an option.  I lost more fish than I caught with those hooks.

So, it all boils down to price, water clarity, and "what's everyone else throwing" in my opinion.  Both are great baits and both work well when the bite is good.