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GrubZ - Everything Eats It!
By Jacob Iedema
Anglers these days are offered a plethora of lure brands, styles, colours, sizes and weights. As a result, it's often difficult to decide on a selection of lures, especially when confronted with a tackle shop's 'lure wall'. This decision can be made even more difficult for newcomers to the sport. Choosing the right lure for the job shouldn't have to be such a costly experiment... If only there was an inexpensive lure that could do it all.
Soft plastics are a relatively cheap style of lure and it's hard to overlook the ZMan range, with its market leading durability and proven effectiveness over other brands. However, ZMan still offers anglers a wide range of soft plastics and this can still make choosing one difficult. Is there a lure that stands out from the rest... a simple but effective lure that is used effectively by highly experienced anglers and newcomers alike? Well, such a lure does exist and it's none other than the ZMan 2.5" GrubZ.
The humble ZMan 2.5" GrubZ has been a consistent performer throughout my fishing journey and from right at the start. From freshwater to saltwater applications, it has proven its worth, with its ability to catch just about anything that swims.
Don't allow its compact size to be deceiving, thinking it's a small lure, because when matched with strong TT Lures jighead, the ZMan GrubZ punches well above its weight. This can prove to be the case even more so in clear winter conditions when big fish are fussy... the old saying is 'elephants eat peanuts'.
Rigging
This compact little lure rigs best on a TT Lures HeadlockZ HD or HeadlockZ Finesse jighead, however TT Lures manufacture a wide range of jighead options so that the GrubZ can be fished as each angler desires. Other jighead options for the GrubZ include the DemonZ, NedlockZ, RevlockZ, ChinlockZ Finesse, SnakelockZ Finesse and the Tournament Series HWS (Hidden Weight System).
I like to rig the GrubZ on a 1H in the HeadlockZ HD and 1/0 in the Finesse jighead sizes and will fish it on weights as light as 1/20oz, through to 1/4oz, to suit variables encountered when fishing such as depth and current. In saying that, I most commonly use 1/12oz, 1/8oz and 1/6oz weights, and find these to be the best allrounders.
Adding a TT Lures Jig Spinner is a viable and highly effective rigging option when fishing in the fresh. Aussie natives can't resist the additional flash and vibration that adding this clip on spinning blade brings, as well as the fact that the Jig Spinner also makes the soft plastic more weed and snag resistant. From past experience I've found that Jig Spinners don't always prevent snags, however they stop the hook from burying as heavily into timber or other obstructions, in turn making it extremely easy to flick the lure free.
Saltwater
The 2.5" GrubZ is built for Australian saltwater environments and comes into its own when fishing for bream and flathead, however it's impossible to know what will eat it next. Snapper, javelin fish, whiting, queenfish, estuary cod, mangrove jack, mulloway, most reef species, tailor, tarpon, giant herring, blue salmon, Australian salmon, estuary perch, dart and an assortment of trevally will commonly fall victims to a well presented GrubZ. As well as some more uncommon captures.
Hopping this lure along the bottom is one of the most effective ways to fish the GrubZ. A motion that involves using the rod tip to flick the lure up off the bottom and then allowing it to fall back to a stationary position on the bottom. This retrieve appeals to a diverse range of species as a lot of water is covered when using this technique. You will find this technique appeals to fish like tailor, queenfish and trevally that often swim midwater, to javelin fish and flathead that generally prefer a meal closer to or on the bottom.
ZMan GrubZ excel in nearly every midwater application throughout estuaries around the country, however they are often overlooked as a flats fishing weapon. When slowly rolled over weedy, rocky or silty flats this little curl tail can produce large numbers of fish, if the correct techniques are used.
Many would be familiar with the typical bream hardbody lure, a short, chunky diving lure, with a tight wobble on a slow roll (slow wind). These Lures might perform well in deeper water, however on a flat it's a very different story. Trebles and even singles can be painful to fish flats with due to the hooks being positioned below the lure. Being suspended under the lure the hooks on bream hardbody will grab hold of any weed on the flat. Diving lures often dive straight into the weed, rendering the lure useless once vegetation is trailing behind it. The positioning of the single hook on a jighead, coupled with the ability to fish the exact depth of water desired by an angler, makes a GrubZ one of the most effective flats fishing lures.
To achieve the correct running depth when fishing a flat, first select an appropriately weighted jighead for the depth of water. The heavier the jighead, the faster the lure will have to move to avoid sinking. The lighter the jighead, the slower the lure can be worked but it may not sink enough to reach the strike zone. Holding the tip of your rod up or down also heavily impacts the depth your plastic will run without altering its speed.
Freshwater
The 2.5" GrubZ doesn't just perform in the salt. Whether you're casting at snags for bass, fishing vertical timber for golden perch, or spinning a trout stream, this bite sized lure is a highly effective sweetwater option. Golden perch, bass, trout, redfin, sooty grunter, jungle perch and Saratoga are the first class species targeted with the GrubZ, however pest species such as carp and tilapia aren't afraid of smacking them either. Pests such as these can often make for a bit of fun on a quiet days fishing.
Summary
No swinging trebles, rattles, assist hooks, diving depths or articulated parts, just a jighead and a soft plastic. The simplicity of a GrubZ is favoured by many anglers that are new to the sport, especially when seeking a lure that is easy to use, catches fish and is cheap when compared to many other lures. It also has a diverse range of rigging options, so it can be fished the way that anglers wish to use it. Despite the 2.5" GrubZ being a great lure for beginners, it's also a great presentation that is used by many highly experienced anglers and one that has dominated the bream tournament fishing scene.
Jacob Iedema
Gearing Up:
ZMan 2.5" GrubZ
TT Lures HeadlockZ Finesse Jigheads
TT Lures HeadlockZ HD Jigheads
TT Lures DemonZ Jigheads
TT Lures Jig Spinners