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Go Big - 7" DieZel MinnowZ Mulloway
In one of my previous articles, I heaped on the praise for the 5" DieZel MinnowZ, which has personally become my go to lure in the ZMan range when it comes to chasing mulloway and big flathead. However, that doesn't mean I won't deviate in my selection, and recent times I have found myself increasingly reaching for a larger presentation in a variety of different circumstances.
As a result, I've spent a fair chunk of time lately throwing around the 7" DieZel MinnowZ, which has some unique features that have resulted in this lure becoming my go-to larger presentation for targeting mulloway. In this article, I will run through some of the situations where this lure may be more productive than smaller presentations, as well as the tackle I have had the most success with. If you're anything like me, you might be surprised at just how versatile this lure can be!
One of the first things that initially came to mind when I picked up my first pack of these lures is their size. Although they aren't huge compared to some of the swimbaits coming onto the market nowadays, they are certainly significantly larger than most unrigged plastics commonly available. As a result, my initial first thoughts were directed towards targeting big fish only, and for quite some time I rarely used these lures in locations other than the beaches and rocks where meter plus mulloway are a more common catch. However over time, as I began to experiment with larger lures such as swimbaits on river mulloway, it began to dawn on me that even barely legal fish (70cm in my part of the world) were more than happy to feed on some very sizeable prey. As a result the 7" DieZel MinnowZ began to sneak its way into my box with increasing regularity, finally reaching the point where I rarely leave home without a pack or two.
I think the most important thing for anyone to keep in mind when first using these lures is that if the fish are feeding actively, you won't necessarily be missing on any of the action by selecting a larger lure. This idea took me plenty of sessions to get my head around, but after numerous occasions out fishing or keeping score with a mate fishing smaller plastics alongside me, I have become increasingly confident that this will usually be the case. For river fishing, which will be the focus of this article, these periods of heightened activity will usually occur at night, where mulloway throw caution to the wind and can often be found feeding on, or near the surface.
In these situations, darkness and river turbidity are often combined to make a very low visibility situation for feeding mulloway, and this is where I believe the 7" DieZel MinnowZ shines. Been such a large presentation, I believe it is far easier for feeding fish to hone in on, which results in plenty of strikes from hungry fish. However if smaller fish are in abundance, this can sometimes mean missed strikes, due to the larger size of the presentation. Fortunately, the TT Lures SwimlockZ series of jigheads offer a nifty solution, being fitted with a stinger attachment point located under the chin of the jighead. There is plenty of ways to attach a stinger, but a reliable option for me has been to sandwich a quality swivel between two split rings and attach a 1/0 treble . This contraption can be left to hang free in less snaggy areas, but I prefer to affix the treble to the lure by digging a point into the belly slot of the plastic.
When it comes to picking hook sizes, I have found the 9/0 to offer the best hook exposure, although the lure can be cut down slightly to accommodate an 8/0 very nicely as well. Although it may seem pointless to cut a lure down when there are already smaller options in the ZMan range, I have found the oversized, thumping paddle tail and large profile of this lure (combined with the floating properties of ZMan's Eleztech material) offer a far slower sink rate than other plastics, which can be useful for a variety of reasons.
While most plastics plummet like a rock when paired with heavy jigheads such as 5/8, 3/4 or even 1oz, the attributes listed above allow the 7" DieZels to be fished effectively with heavy weights, even in very shallow water. This translates into exceptional cast distance, which can often mean the difference between catching fish or coming home empty handed in some scenarios, especially when land based. These large jigheads can also be cast well on fairly heavy gear, which gives you a chance in situations where you might be required to lock up and stop fish from reaching structure.
All in all, I have found this lure perfect for those locations where small and larger mulloway can be found mixed in at the same spot. This lure casts a mile on the heavier gear required to stop the larger fish, but still gets plenty of strikes from the school fish, which make up the bulk of the catch in most locations. Although lures of this size can often seem a little intimidating to throw at first, I would highly recommend anyone interested in fishing for river mulloway, particularly at night, to add a few 7" DieZel MinnowZ to their kit. They have certainly become a favourite of mine in recent times, and for very good reasons!
Gearing Up:
ZMan 7" DieZel MinnowZ
ZMan 5" DieZel MinnowZ
TT Lures SwimlockZ Jigheads