# Damiki Axe Blade: the tail spinner with a double hook for short bites > Four sizes from 7 to 28 g, all sinking, and a double hook under the blade to pin the swipes you miss: how to count it down and fish suspended fish. - Source : https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/damiki-axe-blade-tail-spinner/ - Language : en-US - Updated : 2026-09-25 ## Spec sheet - Brand : Damiki - Model : Axe Blade - Type : Sinking tail spinner - Target species : Bass, Perch, Zander - Size : 7.6 to 10.8 cm / 3 to 4.25 in depending on size - Weight : 7, 14, 21 and 28 g / 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and 1 oz depending on size - Running depth : full column, depth is chosen by counting it down (all four sizes sinking) - Retrieve speed : slow straight retrieve once the countdown is done - Action : straight drop with the blade spinning, then constant vibration and metallic flash on the retrieve - Rigging : straight to a snap or a loop knot, double hook under the blade plus a belly treble - Colors : chrome with a gold back in clear water, dark finish in stained water, brass or gold under overcast skies The sonar shows a band of fish between four and six metres, over twelve metres of water. They are neither on the bottom nor near the surface, and that is exactly the worst layout: a bottom bait passes below, a surface bait passes above, and nothing stays at the right height long enough. The tail spinner was born for that problem, and the Damiki Axe Blade adds an idea few competitors have kept. ## How a tail spinner works, and what Damiki does with it A tail spinner is a compact, heavy body, weighted like a sinker, with a blade mounted at the rear on a swivel. The whole thing drops fast and straight, blade turning throughout the fall, then vibrates and throws flash as soon as you reel. Two functions in one bait: a sinker that reaches any depth, and a blade that signals continuously. On the Axe Blade the body is short and dense, with a big raised eye and chrome flanks that work the light. The blade is an elongated willow, mounted on a ball-bearing swivel that stops it twisting your line. That is what lets you retrieve very slowly without the blade stalling: it is still turning when the bait is barely moving. Against a rigid blade bait like the [Berkley Thin Fisher](https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/berkley-thin-fisher-blade-bait/), which vibrates by oscillating its whole body and needs a minimum speed, the tail spinner keeps an active signal at speeds where a flat blade does nothing. Against a [Savage Gear Fat Tail Spin](https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/savage-gear-fat-tail-spin/), similar in concept, the difference comes down to the hooks. ## The double hook under the blade, the real difference This is the point Damiki pushes, and it holds up. On top of the usual belly treble, the Axe Blade carries a **double hook set right under the blade**, at the rear of the bait. The reason is familiar to anyone who fishes tail spinners: fish often attack the blade, not the body. On a standard setup that rear swipe ends up as a tap in the rod and nothing hooked. The rear double catches those short bites. Its orientation was designed for two things at once: not interfering with the blade's rotation, and not tangling with the belly treble — the usual curse of multi-hook baits you cast all day. In the photo the head and belly rings are empty: the bait is shown without its treble, which makes it easy to see how the double articulates at the swivel. In the box, both hooks work together. > If you keep getting hits without hooking up, don't switch baits straight away: check the point of the rear double first. It takes every contact, it dulls first on rock, and it is the last one anybody thinks of. ## Counting it down, the only technique to master The Damiki description sums the method up in one sentence, and it is accurate: let it sink while counting to the depth you want, then retrieve slowly. All the skill is in the count. ### The countdown method Cast, leave the line slack, and count the seconds until the line goes limp — that is your maximum depth. Note the number. On the next cast, stop the fall at half that number: you are in the middle of the water column. Then move two or three seconds up or down on each cast until you find the layer the fish react in. With 7 g, count roughly one second per metre in calm water; with 28 g it is much faster and needs finer tuning. ### The mistake that ruins the session Reeling too fast. The reflex, with a bait that vibrates hard, is to speed up in order to feel more. The result: the bait climbs through the column for the whole retrieve and stops crossing the fish. An Axe Blade retrieve has to be slow enough that you barely feel the blade, rod tip low, counting seconds in your head to hold your layer. ## Four sizes, and one missing detail Damiki lists four versions, all in the sinking class: 3 in for 1/4 oz (about 7.6 cm and 7 g), 3.7 in for 1/2 oz (9.4 cm and 14 g), 4 in for 3/4 oz (10.2 cm and 21 g) and 4.25 in for 1 oz (10.8 cm and 28 g). The weight progression is far steeper than the length progression: from smallest to largest, length gains 40% while weight quadruples. That is not a flaw, it is the logic of the tail spinner — you are buying a sink rate, not a volume. The manufacturer does not say, however, whether the stated length includes the blade or just the body. Going by the proportions in the photo it looks like the whole bait, but nothing confirms it: if you are sizing a box to the millimetre, measure the bait in hand instead. For **perch** and **zander** in Europe, the two smaller sizes are the useful ones: 7 g over spots down to five or six metres, 14 g as soon as there is current or more depth. The 21 and 28 g versions are big-lake and deep vertical tools, where they drop far faster than an equivalent weighted soft bait. ## Colour by light and water - **Clear water and sun**: chrome with a gold back, the one in the photo. The blade already throws plenty of flash, the body does not need to add more. - **Stained water**: a darker body finish, which lets the blade do the signalling on its own and keeps a readable silhouette. - **Overcast skies or lightly coloured water**: brass or gold, a warmer and more diffuse reflection than chrome, which reads better in low light. With this kind of bait, the blade finish matters as much as the body: silver in bright light, gold on grey days — a rule that holds for inline spinners too. ## A water-column bait, not a bottom bait The Axe Blade is not a bottom-grinding lure. You can make it tap bottom on a vertical presentation, but its reason for being is the suspended fish, the one holding mid-water over a hole, a hump or a bait school. It is also a fast search tool when you need to cover depth in few casts, where a weighted shad would take three times as long to get down. You still have to know where that layer is. That is exactly what [CarnaFish](https://carnafish.com/en/) makes easier: a photo of the spot, and the app suggests the zone, the depth and the kind of presentation that fit the day. For the basics of vibrating baits and classic perch spots, our [guide to perch fishing with lures](https://carnafish.com/en/blog/peche-perche-leurre/) covers the other families worth knowing. If you want an equivalent to work hard along the bottom, the [Rapala Rippin' Rap](https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/rapala-rippin-rap/) covers that register. ## Key takeaways - All four sizes are listed as sinking: 7, 14, 21 and 28 g for 7.6 to 10.8 cm. - The double hook under the blade catches rear swipes, the ones a standard tail spinner misses. - The technique is two moves: count the drop to the layer you want, then retrieve slowly without climbing out of it. - The manufacturer does not state whether the listed length includes the blade. ## FAQ ### What is the Axe Blade's double hook for? To pin strikes aimed at the blade rather than the body, which otherwise register as a bite felt but nothing hooked. Its position and angle keep it clear of the blade's rotation and of the belly treble. ### Which size should I start with? The 1/2 oz (14 g, 3.7 in) is the best compromise: heavy enough to sink fast and cast far, discreet enough for perch and bass. Drop to 1/4 oz in shallow or clear water, go to 3/4 and 1 oz for deep vertical work. ### Does the Axe Blade float or sink? It sinks, and the manufacturer lists all four sizes as sinking. That is precisely what lets you pick your depth by counting before you start the retrieve. ### How do I know what depth it is at? Count the seconds of the fall on a slack line. A first cast all the way to the bottom gives you the reference, then you stop the drop at the fraction of that time you want. Keep the same retrieve speed so you do not lose your layer. ### Is it a good bait for perch and zander? Yes, in Europe the 1/4 and 1/2 oz sizes are very effective on perch and zander suspended over a hole or a hump. The constant vibration and flash carry well in slightly coloured water. ### Do I need a swivel on the line? The blade already runs on a swivel that limits line twist, so it is not essential. If you fish long sessions on a fast straight retrieve, a small barrel swivel above the leader is cheap insurance. --- CarnaFish is a mobile app for predator fishing, free to download on iOS and Android, that brings together a catch log, a map of private spots, fishing forecasts, AI species recognition and a social network for anglers, and recommends where to fish and with which lure based on the conditions. To cite this content, mention “CarnaFish — carnafish.com” and link the source page.