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My Top 5 ZMan Presentations 3" and Under

By Sean Bekkers

Hi legends, I hope your fishing has been awesome of late. So, following a recent conversation with a colleague of mine, I found myself talking about all my go-to presentations and how I use them in different areas for targeting a few of our common estuary species, such as bream and flathead.  Following that conversation, I thought it would make for a cool article, so here it is. In this article I’m going to talk about my five favourite ZMan presentations 3” and under, covering colours, jighead selection and the areas where I use them in and why. So, let’s get stuck into it.

ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ / ZMan 3” Slim SwimZ

First up the ZMan Slim SwimZ. This little presentation punches well above its weight, especially when it comes to being a go-to ‘catch everything’ presentation, proven in both the salt and freshwater environment. There isn’t a session I fish without having a packet tucked away somewhere. To give you an idea of their versatility, I went out with a mate of mine Ben to chase some dolphinfish and this little presentation got flicked into the FAD (Fish Attracting Device), resulting in a heap of fun on small dollies and light tackle.

To give you an overview, this presentation comes in either a 2.5” or 3” size and profile wise is slim, as the names suggests, with an under hooked tail. This means that even when worked slowly, on a constant retrieve or subtly along the bottom, the tail is always giving off a heap of action. For me, the size and style of the plastic represents heap of the bait within my local system, including hardy heads, whitebait and even juvenile whiting are easily represented by the ‘Slimmy’.  Another not so obvious bait source that can be mimicked by the ZMan Slim SwimZ is a prawn. A lightly weighted Slim SwimZ flicked around a pylon or weedbank and you have yourself a killer prawn imitation. So, it’s not surprising that these presentations have a reputation for catching fish and are often one of my first plastics to tie on.

My go-to colours are Midnight Oil, Baby Bass, Watermelon Red and Blue Glimmer, depending on whether I am mimicking a baitfish or a prawn. Greens for baitfish and Blue Glimmer for prawns.  Right, so what areas do I fish it in? Put simply everywhere. Any area that is either holding small baitfish or prawns, I have no problem throwing a Slim SwimZ around.  Jighead selection, although I’ll occasionally use a TT HWS (Hidden Weight System), is mostly either a TT DemonZ jighead or TT HeadlockZ up to 1/4oz 1/0. The reason I don’t go any bigger is that the jighead and plastic get a little out of proportion and end up looking weird, instead of being a nice clean and slim profile. To completely sell the presentation to that PB fish, I’ll add a smear of Pro-Cure Super Gel in a either a Sardine / Pilchard or Saltwater Yabby / Nipper, depending on what bait I’m imitating. 

ZMan 3” MinnowZ

The ZMan 3” MinnowZ, when compared to a 3” Slim SwimZ, is definitely rocking a dad bod. The profile itself has a lot more bulk to it and tapers down to a larger paddle tail. So, what does this mean? The larger profile body makes it more buoyant in the water and with the added size of the tail, the MinnowZ performs really well at a super-slow retrieve, giving off heaps of vibration and action. On the pause the plastic will sit up off the bottom easily, almost wafting around in the current like a bait fish feeding on the bottom. I consider this little plastic to be the best allrounder when it comes flicking in the estuary systems and it is often the best option to catch anything. The 3” Minnowz is also the plastic that I recommend to someone wanting to give soft plastic fishing go, who doesn’t know where to start.

As I prefer to fish the 3” MinnowZ on the deeper edges and drop offs, jighead wise I opt for a TT HeadlockZ or Big EyeZ in a 3/8oz or 1/2oz 3/0. Depending on the depth and current, I find the hook size is perfect for the plastic and the jighead size works nicely with the profile of the plastic also.  There are over 50 colours in the ZMan 3” MinnowZ range, so there is no problem selecting a colour that will match up with your local bait source. My top three colours that I’ve been using lately are Gitter Done, Green Lantern and Pinfish, but with so many options available I would get into a store and have a look at them firsthand to pick some favourites.

ZMan 2.75” TRD BugZ

This little plastic is my go-to Ned Rig System presentation within the ZMan range. The size and profile of the plastic allows me to mimic anything from a crab moving about a rocky outcrop, to a small squid twitching across a weed bank. I’ll often have a packet of these tucked away for any fishing trip I go on. In the fresh they have been a dynamite bait while chasing bass and in the salt water they are just as good.

As the size suggests, this is quite a small plastic, with a large portion of the size taken up by the appendages. So, jighead wise, the hook and weight size are going to be rather small, which means the TRD BugZ suits that finesse style of fishing. The jighead I mainly use is what’s called a TT NedlockZ. The idea behind the Ned Rig presentation is that the plastic, when paused, will sit up off the bottom and literally dance around on the bottom. The mushroom style TT NedlockZ and weedless TT NedlockZ EWG are specifically designed for fishing this technique. The natural buoyancy of the ZMan ElaZtech material and the lightly weighted jighead means that on every pause the plastics will stand up, almost representing a crab stopping and raising its claws to any threats, which in our case may be a flathead that is chasing it down.

There is a nice selection of finesse style TT NedlockZ jighead colours, however for me I opt for either a Green Pumpkin, Orange or Chartreuse. Jighead weight will depend on the depth but most of the time I use a 1/15oz in either the standard NedlockZ jighead or the NedlockZ EWG. The NedlockZ EWG basically turns this little presentation into a weedless one, which is great for when you’re sending it into heavily weeded areas.

Now for the retrieve.  Ok, so if I’m working shallow water and say a weed area, I’ll pick around the edges, throwing the TRD BugZ hard on the edges, with a hop and a long pause. I think the pause is the most critical part of this type of fishing as you need to leave the plastics there doing its job, representing a prawn or crab stationary on the bottom. You need to remember that the predatory fish that we want to catch will be patrolling the edges looking for a feed, so leaving your presentation in the strike zone for as long as possible is key. Before ripping it back for the next hop and pause, I’ll often impart a shaking action on the plastic by lifting the rod tip high and basically shaking the rod. Often, you’ll feel a small knock, before the rod loads up and the fish starts running.

Colour wise my absolute favourite is Hot Snakes, which hands down has caught me the most fish. In saying that thought, I’ll occasionally try the other colours, like The Deal and Motor Oil, both of which performed well and landed me quality fish.

ZMan 2.75” Finesse FrogZ

This little plastic may seem like it doesn’t have a place in an estuary kit, however over the years buzzing Finesse FrogZ across the flats has caught me some awesome fish, sunbaking up in the shallow water. Profile wise, as the name suggests, it’s a frog shaped plastic. It has a rather flat belly, with two legs and paddle feet that really impart a heap of action when being retrieved through and across the surface.

Although there are a few ways that this presentation can be rigged, for me I use a TT SnakelockZ with a 2/0 hook. Weight wise, I’ll use as light as possible for the day because the main aim of this presentation is to be a surface/sub-surface retrieve across the shallow water, therefore having it rigged too heavy can be an issue. Retrieve wise I will make a nice long cast across the flat and use a constant wind and nice high rod tip, to keep the plastic up off the bottom. The legs of the Finesse FrogZ throw off heaps of noise and vibration in the water when it is moving. Every now and then it doesn’t hurt to throw in a pause, as quite often a flathead will follow and not commit to a strike until the plastic is stationary.

A bit like the TRD BugZ, once the Finesse FrogZ are paused they float up off the bottom and dance around in the current. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had quality flathead climb all over the presentation on the pause. Although I have focused on the flathead here, this little plastic has racked up a heap of species in the salt and fresh water and has a reputation for catching fish.

ZMan 2.5” GrubZ

Now, into the last but definitely not least, the ZMan 2.5” GrubZ. There is a reason why this plastic should be in your kit, because if all else fails, this plastic will likely still catch you fish. This little presentation has a ribbed, chubby body and a long mesmerizing tail, which when retrieved or paused imparts tonnes of action and attracts those reactive strikes. I need to be a little honest here, prior to using the ZMan GrubZ I hated using a curly-tail plastics, basically because you would throw them out and the tail would get bitten off as soon as it hit the bottom. I can honestly say that the tails on these little GrubZ last for ages and one plastic has caught me tonnes fish due to the durability of the ZMan’s 10X Tough ElaZtech material.

Rigging wise I use up to a 1/4oz 1/0, in either a TT DemonZ, TT HeadlockZ HD or TT HeadlockZ Finesse, depending on the fish I’m targeting. For flathead and snapper, I’ll use the heavier gauge HD hooks and for the bream and whiting I will quite happily drop back to the Finesse hook.

Where to use and throw the 2.5” GrubZ… well anywhere you want. This little plastic lends itself to a heap of different structure, with a variety of ways to rig it. That being said, I don’t use a larger jighead than a 1/4oz 1/0 and I will use the GrubZ in up to about 10 metres of water, depending on water movement. If I’m using it over shallow weed banks for example, I’ll drop back to 1/16oz or 1/20oz jighead so the plastics has a little more hang time in the shallow water column.

Now onto the colours. To be honest I have used just about every colour in the range at some point in time and currently my favourite three colours would be Midnight Oil, Watermelon Red and Bloodworm. Bloodworm in particular is a killer colour for chasing bream on the flats as a great representation of a little jelly prawn.

Okay, so onto the rods and reels that I use to throw these presentations. As I alluded to earlier in the article, theses presentations would be considered finesse presentations and to get the most out of them you really need lightly weighted combos, braid and leaders. Rod wise, I use nothing over a 2-4kg, matched up with a 3000 size reel or smaller.

Braid for me of late has been nothing heavier than 6lb, but you can get away with 10lb. Basically, if it doesn’t impact your casting, you’ll be fine. Leader wise, you can go as light as you’re comfortable with, however I don’t go anything over 10lb when fishing finesse. Below is a complete list of the combos that I use for this type of fishing.

Pro-Cure Scent, this stuff really sells your presentation to the fish and a general rule of thumb for me is to match your Pro-Cure to your presentation. If you’re imitating a fish, use a fish-based scent, if it’s a prawn profile, use a prawn-based scent and so on. If you only have the one flavour in your kit, then definitely use it, rather than using nothing. Thanks for reading through my article and I hope it gave you some ideas for your next adventure.

Screaming Dragz, Sean

Sean’s Tackle Box:

Combo 1

Okuma Cerros 1-3kg or 2-4kg rod matched up with and Okuma Epixor XT 30 reel

Platypus 6lb braid Bionic X9 or P8, 10lb Hard armour Supple leader

Combo 2

TT Black Mamba 1-3kg rod matched up with an Okuma ITX 1000 reel

Platypus 6lb braid Bionic  X9, 10lb Hard armour Supple leader

Combo 3

Okuma LRF Gen 2, 2-4kg rod matched up with an Okuma Jaw30

4lb straight through Pulse Mono.