Headbanger Shad 4-1/2" | The Original | Patented Erratic Action | 3 Buoyancies | Wire-Through | 10 Colors

4-1/2". The Original Headbanger. Patented Erratic Action. Replaceable Paddle Tail. 3 Buoyancies. Wire-Through Construction. Bass, Walleye, Trout & Pike.

The Headbanger Shad 4-1/2" is the original Headbanger — the hybrid swimbait with the patented, erratic headbanging action that mimics a spooked baitfish trying to escape. A simple straight retrieve gets it hunting. Add a pause and nearby bass, walleye, trout, or pike can't leave it alone. Built with wire-through construction, lead-free stainless steel weights, and rattle balls in multiple sizes for a fuller, more complex sound profile. Trolls at 1.4–4 mph. Available in 3 buoyancies and 10 colors.

Key Features

• Patented Erratic Action — no other swimbait moves like a Headbanger; the unpredictable, evasive headbanging motion mimics a spooked baitfish and triggers reaction strikes from bass, walleye, trout, and pike
• Replaceable Paddle Tail — twists off the corkscrew anchor and swaps in seconds; compatible with Headbanger replacement tails or your own soft plastics to change the action and profile
• Three Buoyancies — Floating (0–5 ft), Suspending (1.5–6 ft), and Sinking (2–8 ft, 1 ft/s sink rate) cover the full shallow to mid-depth water column
• Wire-Through Construction — lead-free stainless steel wire runs through the body for maximum strength on hard-fighting fish; no weak points at hook hangers
• Multi-Size Rattle Balls — rattle balls in different sizes produce a fuller, more complex sound profile than single-size rattles; calls in fish from distance in murky and choppy conditions
• Proven Trolling Lure — holds its erratic action at 1.4–4 mph; effective trolled along weed lines, channel edges, and over structure
• Premium VMC Hook — rigged with a #4 VMC 9655 BN hook from the factory
• 10 Colors — Bleeding Ghost | Sexy Shad | Natural Perch | Goldhead | Red Craw | Chartreuse/Black | Bluegill | Minnow | Baby Bass | Tennessee Shad

How to Fish It

• Floating — Wake & Crank (0–5 ft) — retrieve slowly with the rod tip high to wake the bait near the surface for a topwater-style presentation in low light and over shallow grass; drop the rod tip and crank faster to dive it down to 4–5 ft along weed edges and over flats
• Suspending — Pause & Hunt (1.5–6 ft) — the cold-water and following-fish version; retrieve and pause; the bait sits dead-still in the water column on the pause while the tail keeps working; the trigger moment for followers that won't commit on a moving bait
• Sinking — Count Down & Slow Roll (2–8 ft) — count it down at 1 ft/s to your target depth, then slow-roll with pauses over deeper weed edges, drop-offs, and structure beyond what the floating and suspending versions reach
• Twitching — sharp rod twitches on any version produce exaggerated side darts; effective when fish are visible and tracking but not committing on a steady retrieve
• Trolling (1.4–4 mph) — troll along weed lines and structure; the erratic action holds at all trolling speeds within range
• Tail Customization — swap in your own soft plastics on the corkscrew anchor to change the tail profile and action; experiment with different tail shapes to match what fish are responding to
• Color Selection — Sexy Shad, Minnow, and Tennessee Shad for clear water and shad/minnow imitation; Natural Perch and Baby Bass for forage-matching bass and walleye; Bluegill for panfish-pattern presentations; Goldhead in stained water; Chartreuse/Black for murky conditions; Red Craw for crawfish-feeding bass; Bleeding Ghost as a reaction color

Specs

Rigged with a premium #4 VMC 9655 BN hook. Replacement tails available separately — or rig your own soft plastics on the corkscrew anchor to customize the action.

⚠️ WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including diisononyl phthalate, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

In stock and ready to ship.