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ZMan 1.75 Inch Tiny TicklerZ - Rig & Fish

By Justin Willmer

After having good success on the ZMan Micro BaitZ 1.75” Shad FryZ, I was keen to fish another of the micro family of soft plastics. With the arrival of the new TT HeadlockZ Finesse UV jigheads, I thought it would be a great opportunity for some finesse plastics fishing and chose the Tiny TicklerZ as the next Micro BaitZ to get a run. Part of the reason being that I was planning on picking some pockets, drains and flats, where I thought this plastic would excel and partly because it had a good mix of colours that I could match with the colours in TT HeadlockZ Finesse UV jighead range.

Description / Initial Thoughts

The ZMan 1.75” Tiny TicklerZ has a bit more bulk in the body than some of the other Micro BaitZ, making rigging simple with a selection of jigheads. This tapered stickbait, with its four crazy legs at the end, has a natural textured body and that soft and flexible ElaZtech feel that will keep fish biting. The four legs will create plenty of movement and vibration, with minimal movement, while mimicking strike triggers such as legs, claws, antennae, or fins.

I think this one will be deadly rigged both on the Ned Rig System and standard rigged, with loads of action and that natural buoyancy seeing the plastic stand up, with those four little legs dancing naturally. Everything will eat this... because you will drive them nuts until they do.

Rigging Time

Stay tuned for a Ned Rig video on this plastic, as it rigs well on the 1/15oz size 2 TT NedlockZ jighead, making it perfect for fishing mangrove edges, picking pockets in the weed flats and fishing drains, with the head colours complimenting the range of colours available in the Tiny TicklerZ. That same size 2 hook is also available in the TT HeadlockZ HD jighead, along with the size 4, which will fit beautifully. The size 2 is also available in the TT RevlockZ, underspin jighead, making it another out of the box option with that same Mustad heavy wire hook.

My initial session was going to be fishing the HeadlockZ Finesse UV jigheads, built on a Japanese, light wire Gamakatsu hook and a size 2 is the go, with the size 1 also squeezing in. This opens other options that use this hook, including the standard (unpainted) HeadlockZ Finesse range, DemonZ jigheads in a size 1 and the range of HWS (Hidden Weight System) jigheads. I can see most species having a go at this little plastic as it’s a bite size snack, with a thin profile, that’s easy to eat.

Weedless rigging would be another option, for fishing over and through heavy structure, with a size 4 TT ChinlockZ or SnakelockZ Finesse jighead being a great starting point. This will be worth some experimenting with as it could be a deadly little finesse option around structure for redfin, bass, bream and more.

Testing Time

A quick flick around the local pontoon and in the shallows, purely to see how it moved it in the water, demonstrated the versatility of this little plastic. It responded well to a flick, wind, and shake, darting around like a kicking prawn or darting baitfish. It could then be dropped to the bottom, where it stood upright with its arms waving and could be dragged, hopped, or shaken, almost on the spot, all the while looking natural in its environment.

Fishing Flats and Edges

My first session with the Micro BaitZ Tiny TicklerZ was going to be flicking the flats and edges on some junk tides, a high low and low high tide, so it was going to be a good test for this finesse presentation. Water depth was going to range from almost nothing down to about 1.5m, so I selected HeadlockZ Finesse UV jigheads in a 1/8oz in a size 2 hook.

Below is how I paired each jighead colour and plastic colour for my first session fishing them and my initial thoughts behind the pairings, pictured top to bottom in the attached image.

HeadlockZ Finesse UV Jighead Colour / ZMan 1.75” Tiny TicklerZ Colour

UV Bloodworm / Green Pumpkin Orange – This will be a great natural colour combination for a tough bite. The Bloodworm head is a natural brown colour with subtle UV pop and the combination of the green pumpkin and dull orange colours of the Tiny TicklerZ make this combination very crab like for fishing mangroves, weed and rubble, or yabby like for fishing the fresh.

UV Motor Oil / Hot Snakes – This will likely be my go-to combo as the Hot Snakes colour has proven deadly in a 3” Baby GOAT and 2.75” TRD BugZ, with its natural green pumpkin back and the brighter green belly with fleck and its own UV pop. The colour pairs well with the Motor Oil colour TT HeadlockZ Finesse UV jighead and will be a staple in my kit for when a finesse presentation is required.

UV Black / Bumblebee – This will be a great silhouette combination for dirty water and low light periods, with the black head and half black body offering the silhouette, while the Chartreuse half of the Tiny TicklerZ body offers some UV pop, along with the subtle UV of the black head.

UV Orange / Firetreuse – This is a fully out there, beacon of a presentation that will appeal to active fish and be a good one to throw in the mix when the more natural options aren’t working. My initial thoughts are a change up from the silhouette presentation in dirty water in low light. I think this may be a bit of a secret weapon when flathead are finicky and want a small presentation, as well as for a species like redfin when they are schooled, fired up and competitive.

The Fishing

My hope was to catch a fish on each of the colour combinations that I had assembled for the session and it’s safe to say that I was blown away by this presentation. I was fishing junk tides, with a high low and low high, so very little run. I was also battling a 25-knot wind, so Plan A went out the window and I opted for Plan B, changing to a different bank, where I could anchor on the edge of the flats and use the wind to make a long cast onto the flats and work the plastic back over the edge.

Prior to anchoring I picked up a bream on the drift, hopping the Bloodworm / Green Pumpkin Orange colour across the bottom. The bream struck aggressively and ate the Tiny TicklerZ well, giving me confidence for the remainder of the session. Once anchored I switched to the Black / Bumblebee combo, found a pocket of fish and landed a few, before rigging a Motor Oil / Hot Snakes combo and catching on that also.

Initially I was catching fish on the pause and hop on the bottom, before working the plastic more aggressively with a shake and wind over the weed. This little presentation darts around beautifully, like a fleeing baitfish or prawn and the bream were inhaling it. As the water began to rise on the flat the fish became more aggressive, hunting over the flat in 30-50cm of water, so a more aggressive retrieve seemed to attract packs of bream as they fought over the plastic.

After losing two plastics to tailor, I was left with the Orange / Firetreuse combo and wasn’t sure whether to rig again or give it a flick. This thing is a beacon and I had primarily rigged it with the thought of a flathead on the edge. The bream were fired up though, so I gave it a flick and they were all over it, chasing it across the surface, shouldering each other out of the way and eating the whole plastic and jighead. This is going to be a cool combination to play with when the fish are fired up as it stands out so well in the water and makes a perfect bite size snack. This may also be a winner on the schooled redfin perch when they’re fired up.

After losing this bright combo to a yellowtail pike, I went back to the natural colours and caught a few more, working it quickly for a few casts and then if the bite slowed, I would allow the plastic to hit the bottom, hop and pause it and this usually resulted in a bite. Overall, I caught 30-40 bream, a handful of yellowtail pike, a grunter and was bitten off by two tailor, in terrible conditions. I selected this subtle, finesse plastic due to the poor weather and tides and it exceeded expectations.

Wrap Up

If you’re into your finesse plastics fishing grab the colour combo that you think would work in the environment you’re fishing, for your target species and give it a run. I was impressed with how the 1.75” Tiny TicklerZ rigged, its movement in the water when hopped and shaken, and most importantly, how aggressively and deep the fish ate it. It’s a bite size snack, with four little legs that move around just above the hook, so when the fish eat it, they find the hook well.

I rigged four colours on the four TT HeadlockZ Finesse UV painted jighead colours in 1/8oz size 2 and caught fish on all of them, so now it’s time for me to experiment with some of the other colours and rig this deadly little plastic on some of the other jigheads listed above, including fishing it Ned Rig style on a TT NedlockZ 1/15oz size 2. Bring it on!

See you on the water...
Justin Willmer

Gearing Up

TT Red Belly Spin Rods – RBS702L 7’ 1-3kg 2pce
Okuma Ceymar HD Spin Reels – CHD-1000HA
Platypus Pulse X8 Braid – 6lb White
Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader – 10lb
ZMan 1.75” Tiny TicklerZ
TT HeadlockZ Finesse UV Jigheads – 1/8oz size 2
Pilchard Pro-Cure Super Gel Scent
Saltwater Yabby / Nipper Super Gel Scent