Lure Review: Speed Freak

New spinnerbait designed to run fast and stay in the water

Speed thrills, especially in bass fishing.

Bass anglers who like to “burn” a spinnerbait through the water live for that hard knock. So many times, though, they become frustrated by “blowouts” when the spinnerbait loses its track and clears the surface to mess up the fast retrieve.

Mike Tamburro, a lifelong Toronto, Canada, resident, and the folks at Freedom Tackle Corp., which he started in the early 2010s, have made a new spinnerbait that eliminates that problem with a “downwinged” shaped head that forces it to dive rather than lift. There’s more than that to the new aptly named Compact or Full Frame Speed Freak.

“The real reason we created the Speed Freak was based on need,” Tamburro said. “There are times, you know, where you like to burn spinnerbaits. We designed it for the faster you want to go, the faster it dives.”

Use at different speeds

That characteristic makes it appealing even to bass anglers who love to s-l-o-w  r-o-l-l a spinnerbait because the configuration of the head keeps it down.

“If you crawl it slowly it has less lift than traditional spinnerbaits,” Tamburro said. “You can do it at different speeds and keep it down.”

The Compact Speed Freak can be utilized most efficiently in open water while the Full Frame runs well in heavy cover.

It’s like a loaded Ferrari. It’s made to do the job at a favorite waterbody near you. That keel head spinnerbait also features a 2-barb super sticky “bait keeper” for soft plastic trailers and a proprietary collar to increase skirt flair, both adding appeal to the artificial lure.

The coup de grâce for Freedom Tackle Corp.’s new spinnerbait is the uniquely shaped Kilter blade. That blade sets the Speed Freak apart from the rest of the field. It adds vibration and flash, as evidenced in the patented blade’s erratic action on the Mischief Minnow introduced in 2022.

Catchy blades

Why add the Kilter blade? Tamburro believes bass often get accustomed to willow, Indiana and Colorado blades. The Kilter blade is an oblong shape.

“All (other) blades are concentric,” he said. “We have a great blade. This puts out a lot of sound. A lot of flash. You get more flash and a lot more vibration. It sends out a very erratic pulse in the water.”

Speed Freaks also are armed with black nickel hooks, a 5/0 on the Full Frame and a 4/0 on the Compact. The latter, which has a shorter arm, was designed for targeting spotted bass and smallmouth bass and/or short-striking largemouths. Otherwise, the Full Frame model is efficient for largemouths or big spots and large smallmouth bass.

Speed Freaks are available in ¼-, ½- and ¾-ounce models. A new 3/8-ounce model will be introduced at this year’s ICAST. To easily identify the lure’s weight with just a glance, Freedom Tackle Corp. stamps the uniquely shaped head with the weight of the spinnerbait for easy identification by a bass angler.

Tamburro also emphasized the spinnerbait’s toughness. It’s made with a proprietary stainless steel wire with exceptional strength, he said, a “very special” soft wire that bends but doesn’t break. When Jeremy Lawyer — a member of the “Million Dollar Club” for career earnings in BFL, FLW and MLF BPT — first used the wire on a buzz bait, he was skeptical and said as much to Tamburro. But many fishing trips later, Lawyer admitted he was wrong after catching 220-plus fish on one bait with that wire, Tamburro said.

The Speed Freak comes in a variety of 12 color combinations. Two early favorites are “Cole Slaw” and “Mouse.”

For more information on Freedom Tackle Corp.’s Speed Freak Compact and Full Frame Spinnerbaits and other American Baitworks products go to americanbaitworks.com or call (844) 466-5738.

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