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ZMan HerculeZ Barramundi
By Reece Thomas
I think most anglers would agree that we are attracted to that next new product, whether it be an advancement in electronics or that next new lure being released… we curiously just want to have it. When I saw some samples of the ZMan HerculeZ Swimbait, I was eager to try some out at a first glance. These lures really do catch your eye, from the lifelike ‘baitfish’ looking body and tail profile, to that super-heavy duty Mustad hook.
I managed to get my hands on some samples around the time of the year that the SEQ barramundi impoundments of Monduran and Awoonga were really starting to fish well. My aim was to take the 5” HerculeZ samples to these dams and catch a barramundi. (Keep in mind that I had never fished an impoundment for barramundi before.)
First cab off the rank was Monduran. A good mate of mine Josh had some previous experience fishing the dam, so we decided on some dates… and we were off. After arriving at the dam around midday and setting up camp, we were swiftly launching the boat and making our way up the dam, settling into a nice windblown bay for the anticipation of an afternoon / sunset bite.
Well, the sun had set to no avail, while we had fish constantly coming through on the sounder. The decision to stay and fish on was made. I was casting the 5” HerculeZ, in Pearl colour, toward a shallow point with some trees either side. Then, it happened. That classic thud on the end of the line as you slow roll (slow wind) your lure back to the boat.
A few winds on the fish and some heavy drag being pulled, it had cleared the water and we got a glimpse of a nice barramundi. Then, I got an education on how hard Monduran barra fight! It proceeded to run around two trees, becoming entangled in the pitch black. Thankfully, I was running 80lb Platypus Hard Armour Tough Leader and Josh’s quick thinking had the boat positioned quickly. I spent the next few minutes trying to free the fish. It was a great relief once the fish was safely netted. I had done it, my first Monduran barramundi and my first fish on the ZMan HerculeZ, a healthy fish measuring 96cm.
The next trip was Lake Awoonga, just outside of Gladstone. I was in Gladstone for work, had a few rods in the car and was lucky enough to get an invite out on the lake from one of the local tackle shop staff. We had launched just before dark and made the run across the dam to fish a nice weed edge. I noticed when launching the boat that the water was clear, with good visibility. This prompted me to select a nice natural colour, in this case the Bad Shad coloured HerculeZ.
The sun had set on the horizon, and I kept casting and working the lure along the weed edge. I was counting the lure down, so that I could keep it just above the submerged weed, using the typical slow roll approach. The line came tight and with the full moon above us, I could clearly see a barra launch from the water, trying to shake the HerculeZ swimbait. I’m convinced that this fish spent more time in the air than the water throughout the fight. The barramundi was netted and after a few pictures was safely released.
The night was early, so we kept fishing, knowing that we were within a predicted bite window. Not long after that I had another fish eat the HerculeZ, displaying the same characteristics as the first as it took to the air.
HerculeZ Rigging
The first thing that you may notice on the HerculeZ swimbait is the heavy duty stainless hardwire loop, sitting just below the belly of the lure. This enables anglers to run a stinger treble or attach a blade for added flash and vibration. Now, this is a lure that is capable of being fished straight out of the packet, however as I was not fishing heavily structed areas, I chose to rig the lure with an 80lb split ring and a 1/0 heavy gauge treble. The idea of adding a treble is to maximize the chances of converting those barramundi implosion strikes.
Being molded into the internal zinc weight of the lure, this attachment loop is super strong. Combine that with the heavy-duty Mustad hook and ZMan’s 10X Tough ElaZtech plastic and this really makes the HerculeZ suited to anything you choose to cast it at.
The range has two sizes available the 4”, built on a 3/8oz zinc weight (total weight 22g) and the 5”, built on a 5/8oz zinc weight (total weight 37g). There are 8 popular and proven ZMan colours, covering clear / natural, dark silhouette and fluoro colours, consisting of Bad Shad, Gold Rush, Houdini, Mulletron, Opening Night, Pearl, Sexy Mullet and Shiner.
HerculeZ Hack
A little hack that I have found, while fishing with other barra anglers, is that sometimes the need arises for rattles in soft plastic lures. Whilst fishing in Awoonga, I used a small rattle chamber placed inside the HerculeZ. It’s a simple process of inserting the chamber inside the small void located directly below the hook of the lure. The HerculeZ super-soft and flexible 10X Tough ElaZtech construction allows you to easily achieve this.
HerculeZ Storage
It is important to store soft plastics correctly to maintain their true shape. The lure comes in a plastic clam shell packet, with minimal footprint, which makes it perfect to use the original packaging as storage. I had a few lures pre rigged with stinger trebles for my trip, which I then stored into a split foam style tackle case, which stored them neatly. Remember, whilst ElaZtech is a very durable plastic, it doesn’t play well with others.
I hope this article has given you an insight into how I used the ZMan HerculeZ to fish for barramundi and my experiences fishing with this lure. Make sure to keep an eye out for the ZMan HerculeZ swimbait at your local tackle stores. It’s been awesome to watch this project come together and cool to get the opportunity to swim early samples of this realistic swimbait.
Cheers, Reece Thomas