Z-Man EZ EggZ

It’s well known that trout cannot resist trout roe gently tumbling down in the current - even those hard-to-catch (often big) spawning trout! Now anglers can simply cut off a Z-man EggZ (or two/three), place it on a small, strong trout hook (#14 is usually fine) attached to a 0.6 to 1-metre-long trace, weighted by split-shots or a light Slip Sinker so it can tumble downstream, touching the bottom occasionally. Ideally, it pays to walk along the riverbank at the same speed and parallel to your drifting EggZ, your rod pointing along the line. Strike quickly if you feel a bite. Too easy.

Size and Qty: 4.5", 6 per pack

Colours: Salmon, Red, Salmon Pink and Chartreuse.

Associated products: Secret sauce and Z-Man softbait wallet

On-the-water tips:

Rigging: Ensure your Z-Man is correctly rigged on the lead-head. After initially inserting the hook and exiting the belly slit, the lure should then be pulled up against the jig-head and the hook rotated 180 degrees to exit the soft-bait’s ‘back’. The Z-Man should sit nice and straight on the hook; a ‘banana’ shape makes the lure spiral unattractively. 

Technique: Z-Mans can be cast and retrieved or dragged along behind the drifting boat. Contrary to popular belief, they can be cast around while anchored up or from the shore, too. It usually pays to use the lightest possible leadhead weight that will reach the seafloor. This sees the descending lure hanging in the bite zone for longer and able to be retrieved more slowly and erratically without continually dropping into the weeds or reef and snagging.  Success often depends on your ability to identify the casting angles that allow your lightly-weighted lure to get down to the bottom and then be jiggled back with some tension retained throughout. This enables you to be alerted to bites, as the line will jiggle, suddenly slacken, or zip away. Provided the rod is kept lowered and pointing along the line during the descent and after each jiggle on the retrieve, a simple handle wind in response to these ‘line bites’ is enough to tighten nicely to the biting fish or encourage it to bite again. In both instances the rod tip gets pulled downwards by the biting fish, signalling it’s time for you to lift the rod firmly and set the hook. Z-Mans are more effective when Secret Sauce is regularly added: their attractive flavours encourage fish to bite hard and hang onto the imitation for longer, so anglers are more likely to hook up.