Z-Man Fishing Products introduced their Trick ShotZ to the angling world at the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades show on July 12 at Orlando, Florida. And straightaway, this 3.5-inch and 4.2-inch finesse bait caught the eyes of scores of Midwest finesse devotees, who have an affinity to the ElaZtech finesse baits that Z-Man manufacturers.
Even though Z-Man created it for the drop-shot world, which Midwest finesse anglers are not a part of, it looks as if it will be an effective soft-plastic bait to affix to a small mushroom-style jig, such as a 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s NedlockZ jig or a 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. And when it is rigged on a mushroom-style jig, Midwest finesse anglers can present it to their quarries by employing all six of the Midwest finesse retrieves or variations of those six retrieves, as well as a vertical presentation around deep-water lairs.
The head of the 4.2-inch Trick ShotZ is 9/16 of an inch long. Its head somewhat exhibits the contours of the central mudminnow, bluntnose minnow, pugnose minnow, and the common shiner. The top of its head is flat and smooth skinned. Each side is adorned with a tiny eye and a subtle hint of a gill cover or operculum. Its mouth is round and indented, which creates a spot for inserting the hook of a jig and encompassing the jig’s collar.
Its torso is 2 3/4 inches long. It is triangular-shaped. Its back is flat and smooth skinned. Its belly is the apex of the triangle. Each side of the torso is embellished with 20 ribs. At the junction of the head and torso, it is 7/16 of an inch wide. The size of the torso diminishes significantly as it approaches the junction with its tail, and at that junction, it is an 1/8 of an inch wide. The size of the ribs diminishes as the…
