It’s often said, “Summertime is buzzbait time!” Yes, summertime can be a great time to throw a buzzer but don’t limit yourself to the dog days.
We’ve been using the Jackall Firecracker High Impact Buzzbait for a several months now and have caught fish with it from spring to fall. We still haven’t put it away because it’s still generating strikes.
The Firecracker has some interesting design features that give it a unique sound that seems to either goad bass into biting by irritating them or by drawing them in from a distance. Whatever the motivation is for hitting this bait, the result is the same—heart racing, explosive strikes.
You just never really know when a buzzbait is going to be effective. You may have this bait pigeon-holed to a specific time of year or time of day but we’ve caught fish using buzzbaits almost all year long. Most of the time when fishing a buzzer, you’ll know whether or not they’re going to hit it within a hour or so.
Feature Rich Design
The Jackall Firecracker has some stand out features. One is the 1.4mm wire used for the frame. This wire is very stout which keeps this bait running true right out of the package. You can tune it or straighten it if it gets bent but we haven’t had to do that more than a couple of times.
Jackall uses a bent wire design which keeps the head and the hook slightly lower in the water as you retrieve it which increases your hook-up ratio because the fish don’t have to come clear to the surface to get the bait. They can suck it under without having to completely expose themselves.
The main blade on this bait is a standard size with round ninety-degree fins. Behind the blade is a nut and in front of the blade is a small bead. This combination almost eliminates the typical break in time to get that perfect squeak. I’m showing my age but I remember hanging buzzers by the antennae on my truck as I was driving for days just to get that sound. That isn’t necessary with the Firecracker.
The skirt material has some nice color combinations and is high quality. The head has a nice design as well as a matching paint job so that the business end of the bait all matches. The hook is an Owner Cutting Point Hook that is sticky sharp out of the package and holds fish well.
The Firecracker is named appropriately due to the extra prop that is placed under the main blade on the shaft. It makes contact with the big blade, which rotates clockwise, while the small prop rotates counter-clockwise. This produces a distinct clacking sound unlike other buzzbaits.
To say that the Jackall Firecracker is one of the loudest buzzbaits on the market is not hyperbole or overstatement. This bait will wake the dead.
Loud and Effective
The Jackall buzzer casts very well for its weight and gets up on plain fairly easily. It’s available in 3/8 and 1/2. It can be fished on braid or mono with mono being our personal preference due to its somewhat compact design.
Most of our fish have come running it through sparse cover or over submerged weeds. It comes through most cover well and bounces off of surface obstructions nicely. But you will have to clean it if vegetation gets between the beads and blades.
The trailer keeper on the Firecracker is on the small side and will allow soft plastics to slip after some use. We always use a drop of glue on our trailers and that will solve that issue.
Our hook-up ratio has been better than average with the Firecracker as opposed to other buzzbaits. Surprisingly, we needed to add a trailer hook to this bait. Yes, we’ve used a variety of soft plastics with it but haven’t experienced the typical short strikes.
As Fun As It Gets
Although the Firecracker isn’t the least expensive buzzbait out there, it isn’t the most expensive either and for what you get in terms of design, quality of components and effectiveness, it is our opinion that it is priced reasonably.
Yeah, summertime is buzzbait time but with the Jackall Firecracker High Impact Buzzbait … summertime is just the tip of the iceberg.
| The Jackall Firecracker High Impact Buzzbait | |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating |   |
| A compact, thunderously loud buzzer | |
See ya’ on the water …
