Zerek Rocker Vib Packaging
Lipless crankbaits are one of those staple lures that we all carry but don’t often think much about in the cold winter months. This can be a mistake though as there are days when the bass, in spite of the chilly weather, will absolutely crush these lures.
With that in mind, we picked up some of the new Zerek Rocker Vib’s to give a go around some of our local waters.
You may have never heard of this company before but they are making inroads into this country with a variety of hard baits that are value priced. The Rocker Vib for example, can be had for approximately $5 which puts it on the low end of scale for this style bait. These lures are 2-3/4 inches weighing in at 7/16 oz. While there are only a handful of colors for the time being, all of them feature a detailed profile, etched scale patterns and 3D eyes.
So what is the difference between the Zerek and your favorite lipless crank? Honestly, we had the same question and the only way to answer that was to get it on the water to see how it performed. Personally, I tend to prefer the smaller lipless cranks and use them at least 80% of the time. That fact not withstanding, I was looking forward to getting the Vib tied on to see how it performed.
Zerek Rocker Vib Action
My first impression came on my first cast and was only reinforced on each subsequent toss. I was expecting the Vib to achieve some awesome distance but it didn’t. If anything, it just doesn’t cast as well as some of the smaller, lighter baits in this class. Not that it’s a complete dog, but I certainly expected more in this area.
So how does it perform in the water? Again, adequately. This is a rattling bait and it is noisy—almost to the point of annoyingly so. I can’t speak for the fish, and to the reason they chose to hit it, but if I were a betting man, I would put my money on it just made them angry enough to take action rather than eat. Either way, it did generate strikes so the motivation for those hits doesn’t really matter.
Zerek Rocker Vib Construction
The hooks are sharp but did exhibit dulling fairly quickly. I don’t know about the rest of ya’ll but I’m constantly checking my hooks ‘cause losing fish from dull ones isn’t on the top of my list for fun. We’re not inferring that this happens immediately—it doesn’t. However, it did happen sooner than in other lures.
The Rocker Vib’s that we obtained all ran true out of the package and other than the hooks having to be replaced, have held up fairly well. There is some scraped off paint but that isn’t unusual for this style of bait since the fish tend to mouth the entire bait on a strike.
While some lipless cranks have a very tight, fast wiggle, others have more of a medium paced, wider wobble. The Zerek exhibits a fast wobble that is somewhere in the middle. This provides immediate feedback to your hands which never leaves you guessing as far as what the lure is doing in the water.
Another area that some folks don’t really focus on when using this genre of bait is how much slop will absolutely kill the action. For the Zerek, it is about what you would expect. It is somewhat resistant to muck but the action can be killed by picking up weeds. On a scale of zero to ten with zero being the least resistant and ten being the most, the Rocker Vib would be around a six.
There really isn’t much more to say. The Zerek Rocker Vib is capable, adequate, predictable and value priced. It deserves a look if you’re wanting something new that the fish haven’t seen before.
| Zerek Rocker Vib | |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating |    |
| Value priced and worth a look, not spectacular | |
See ya’ on the water …