LIVETARGET Sunfish Hollow Body Review
Time to throw away your frogs?
After some intense video clips and winning the ICAST Best of Show Soft Lure award, the LIVETARGET Hollow Body Sunfish came with quite a bit of build-up. However, come November the bait will enter a market flooded with soft-bodied topwaters at price point close to $4 higher than most. Due to a heftier price tag, consumers will undoubtedly look for the Sunfish to truly set itself apart and live up to the hype.
I took the bait out for a test run and a few features really stuck out to me.
– Walks and hops
– Casts a mile
– Excels in sparse cover
Walks and hops
The Sunfish is easier to walk than a typical frog. The crescent body shape makes for perfect walking action straight out of the box. Depending on how you twitch it, the bait has several different actions. Longer twitches gives a wider walk. Quick twitches gives a very tight walk. The bait has a very side-to-side walking action. You can twitch it eight times and only cover a foot of water, if you want.
The most unique aspect of the bait is the forward twitch. If you twitch the bait while it’s facing forward with no slack, the half-moon shape of the bait causes it to ramp upwards. The bait hops out of the water. It really looks like a dying bluegill on the surface is giving a last ditch effort to flap its tail and move.
Casts a mile
This bait is heavier than most frogs on the market. It has a streamlined and sealed body that can be launched a mile. That’s good because it helps to throw past your target and work it back.
While it’s not a major issue, something to note is that because of the Sunfish’s weight there is no quiet entry into the water. The flat profile makes it so when the bait hits the water it makes a large splash.
Excels in sparse cover
Like a hollow bodied frog, the LIVETARGET Sunfish is meant to be fished in vegetation. The bait doesn’t seem to have a large enough profile for bass to really key in on it over large mats. However, when dragged over a hole or break in the mats, the bait could be fished for an extended period of time in the small area.
The bait seemed to excel around sparse cover like lily pads or scattered clumps of milfoil. These types of vegetation offer the bait a chance to walk at peak performance. This bait would be a great alternative when the fish aren’t active enough to eat a buzz frog. You can really pick where you want the bait to go by the force of a twitch. For example, if you land a cast too far to the left of your target, simply making a couple large twitches to the right combined with short ones to the left will probably get it there.
It can also work around laydowns and docks. Fishing areas with ample cover where you are trying to eliminate water is ideal. Pitching to small laydowns or isolated cover would be tough to do as it’s difficult to get a quiet entry.
The verdict
The LIVETARGET Sunfish breaks the mold of most hollow-bodied topwaters. It has a different action and profile that could be the key to triggering fish. A frog is probably the first choice in thick vegetation but in more sparse cover the bait is a nice alternative. If fish are short striking a frog or not active enough to chase a buzz frog, the Sunfish may be what bass are looking for. At the current price point, the Sunfish may not be the best choice as your primary lure. However, having it around for certain situations would be worth it.
Pros
– Walks great
– Casts a mile
– Great hookup ratio – the double Lazer Trokar hooks go into the top of the mouth every time
– Ready out of the box – no need to bend hooks or trim legs
– Accurate paint schemes – There are 12 colors to match the bream anywhere
Cons
– The hooks are so sharp they occasionally dig into the hollow body
– The flat profile creates a large disturbance upon impact with the water
– $13 is higher than similar baits
Details
Company: LIVETARGET
Lure: Sunfish Hollow Body
Colors: 12
Sizes: 3-inches (7/16-ounce) and 3.5-inches (5/8-ounce)
Hooks: Custom dual Lazer Trokar hooks
Price: $12.99