We've all heard of the walking dead... but, what about the swimming dead?! Meet the Zombait robotic fishing lure. We headed out to our usual hot spots for striped bass on the Chesapeake Bay to test out this unholy creation. Simply insert this battery-powered device into any dead baitfish to reanimate it back to a life-like state. Cue Gene Wilder "It's alive...it's aliiiiive!" Contain your fear, and check it out:
While we really liked the swimming action the lure gave the dead bunker, we didn't get any bites before the battery ran out, which was after about 30 to 40 minutes of run-time. We were on top of some serious schools of fish and reeled in some large stripers using conventional lures. As Lenny mentions in the video, there is no on/off switch. Not only does this prevent you from powering down the unit when running from spot to spot, but it also makes inserting the wiggling lure into your dead bait quite challenging. We found it best to grab the moving tip first and quickly shove it into the bunker. When we inserted the Zombait it punctured the belly of the rather delicate bunker, though this did not seem to interfere with the swimming movement of the zombified fish in the water.
Our underwater GoPro footage of the bunker revealed a loud, high frequency mechanical sound coming from the Zombait, which sounded something like George Jetsons's flying car. The bait did look quite convincing swimming through the water, but we wonder if this unnatural sound inhibited the stripers from biting. Perhaps a quieter Zombait would get more bites?
Lastly, it’s clear that the Zombait could benefit from stronger waterproofing. Even with the double-gasket design, we didn't feel confident in the twist-on cap. Plus, having to expose the electronics every time you change the battery seems risky... you know, with all that water around. We should also mention that some fish gunk somehow worked its way into the battery compartment, rendering the once lively Zombait now as lifeless as our bunker.
The Zombait came in a very nice soft carrying case, along with a battery charger, and a proprietary lithium-ion battery (which was a little longer than a standard AA). On the Zombait website, they claim that their battery has a 3 to 4-hour life span. That may be what they've found, but in our test, we didn't hit the one-hour mark on a full charge.
We're impressed with the action the Zombait gave our dead baitfish and think it has some grave potential, but hope to see some basic improvements in the next iteration of this lure.
For more information, visit: zombait.com