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Pick Your Jerk Shad Soft Plastic
By Cameron Cronin
The humble Jerk Shad is a timeless, fish catching lure profile that has been around since the dawn of soft plastics fishing. Despite this, the profile is still as popular as ever, and the ZMan range offers a large and diverse selection of these plastics, that have all proven instrumental throughout my fishing journey.
For the unacquainted, a Jerk Shad typically refers to a slender, elongated plastic, that gradually tapers down to a split tail. Common in most Jerk Shads is also a split belly design for hook accommodation and scent addition. The lure is similar in profile to many slender baitfish, such as whitebait, garfish, pike, pilchards or slimy mackerel, which are the favourite foods of both estuary and offshore predators.
This lure usually has minimal built-in action, unlike a paddle or grub tail lure, and relies on the angler to impart action through the rod, hence the ‘Jerk’ component of the name. In the following article, I’ll be running through the ZMan range of Jerk Shad plastics, highlighting the way that I prefer to fish each size in my local waterways. The possibilities with this versatile presentation are nearly endless and I hope to provide anyone reading with a few ideas to get out and try the next time they are on the water. Fish on!
ZMan 3.75” StreakZ
A fitting place to begin the article, the 3.75” ZMan StreakZ is the smallest Jerk Shad in the ZMan range and is a lure that spent plenty of time on the end of my line in the formative years of my lure fishing career. A versatile baitfish imitation, the little StreakZ perfectly imitates a small whitebait or pilchard, which are key food items for almost any predator living in temperate estuaries along coastal Australia.
This is a cracker of a lure for bread-and-butter lure targets such as flathead, trevally, bass, estuary perch and even whiting, however where this lure has really shined for me is targeting XL bream in the estuaries around Sydney. Although a little larger than the average bream lure, I have had great results slowly twitching this lure on a slack line around structure, while paired with a TT 1/20oz #1 Tournament Series jighead for a dead slow sink rate. After plenty of productive bream sessions, this technique eventually rewarded me with my best bream to date on lure, at a shade under 50cm!
This lure has also been a great option for pitching at fussy pelagic species, such as kingfish, salmon, bonito and tuna, when they are feeding on small baitfish. It has been a key part of plenty of long, drawn-out pelagic battles on bream gear, when no other lure could produce a bite. For this application, a slightly heavier duty jighead, such as the TT lures HeadlockZ HD in the 1/0 is ideal, matched to a 1/8oz-1/4oz jighead, depending on the cast distance required. I like to use 3-5lb braid for all species and I’ll start at 4lb leader for bream and step it up as high as I can get away with for kingfish, salmon or other pelagic species, with 10 or 12lb being a good starting point.
ZMan 4” Scented Jerk ShadZ
Moving up slightly in size, the ZMan 4” Scented Jerk ShadZ is a pint-sized presentation, that is still significantly larger in profile the 3.75” StreakZ previously mentioned. As a result, this is a lure that I will more regularly use to target larger predators such as mulloway and kingfish, utilising a larger 3/0 TT HeadlockZ HD jighead in a variety of weights. This gives me plenty of stopping power on slightly heavier gear, such as 10lb braided line and 15-20lb leaders.
Although most of the time you can get away with using larger lures for both species, I love to use this lure in autumn and winter around dense whitebait schools in our estuaries, which this lure mimics perfectly. As a fringe benefit, you will also score a huge range of quality bycatch, including flathead, bream, trevally and various pelagic species, making for an action-packed session.
My personal favourite way to fish this lure is on a 3/8oz or 1/2oz jighead, depending on the depth, which allows the lure to quickly descend below the lure stealing tailor and get in front of the larger predators below. The same presentation will also stay just under the surface with an enticing tail wiggle on a fast burn, which appeals to all manner of baitfish feeding pelagic species. Along with the 5”, 7” and 8” offerings in the range, this lure is also salt impregnated for a neutral buoyancy and extra casting distance, while also being pre-scented with Pro-Cure Super Gel scent, which is deadly effective on a myriad of species.
ZMan 5” Scented Jerk ShadZ
The jack of all trades for the range, the 5” sized ZMan Scented Jerk ShadZ is just as capable flicking mangrove lined creeks when chasing mulloway and flathead as it is offshore chasing pelagics and snapper. Personally, I’ve caught a heap of tropical and temperate species on this bait, but when I’m not lucky enough to be pitching this lure at fingermark, coral trout and warm water pelagics, my favourite local targets are most definitely kingfish and snapper around inshore reefs.
For kingfish, I’ll usually fish 20-30lb braid and 50lb leader, coupled with a 1/2oz to 1oz TT HeadlockZ HD jighead in the 6/0 size. I find these heavier jigheads sink quickly down to fish marked on the sounder in deeper offshore waters. They can then be worked in aggressively, coupled with sharp rips of the rod to draw in plenty of strikes.
For snapper, the total opposite approach is usually the best. I’ll use a TT HeadlockZ HD 6/0 on the lightest possible jighead that I can get away with. Whist kingfish will aggressively nail a plastic while it is being retrieved, snapper tend to strike when the lure is falling, so weights from 1/6oz-1/2oz will cover most bases from 5-50 metres of water, current dependant. I run 15-20lb braid and 20-30lb leader, which is more than ample for this type of fishing.
ZMan 7” Scented Jerk ShadZ
I don’t like to pick favourites when it comes to lures, but personally I do have a bit of a soft spot for the 7” Scented Jerk ShadZ. While this larger size does distance itself from most smaller estuary targets, it is probably my go to snapper lure, especially when fishing shallow wash country. I love this lure for wash fishing against exposed cliffs and bommies as it is long and streamline, as well a salt impregnated for extra cast weight, allowing for maximum distance when compared to paddle or grub tail lures, which offer more wind resistance. When it comes to wash fishing for snapper, reaching the fish feeding actively in the turbulent whitewash can sometimes be challenging, and being able to cast to the best water from a safer position is always welcome.
As far as gear for snapper goes, all the same jigheads and tackle apply as discussed with the 5” size, with an emphasis on weights from 3/8oz and under on the ever-reliable TT HeadlockZ HD in the 6/0 size. The included Pro-Cure scent also seems to drive snapper wild, and I typically carry a few bottles of Pro-Cure Super Gel, in flavours such as Squid, Bloody Tuna and Pilchard / Sardine to top up on scent throughout a session.
Despite being a cracker snapper lure in offshore waters, I also love spinning this lure along our coastal rock ledges for mulloway and pelagic species, such as kingfish and cobia. For this application I’ll be fishing with 30-50lb braid most of the time, matched to 50-80lb monofilament leaders. For this fishing an upgrade to the larger 7/0 or 8/0 size TT HeadlockZ jighead is recommended, which uses an extra heavy gauge hook.
Whilst carrying a wide range of weights is ideal, I generally find the 1oz size tied on most of the time, which casts a mile whilst spinning for pelagics and gets down quickly under turbulent white water when chasing mulloway. The action of this particular lure and jighead combo, when quickly retrieved, needs to be seen to be believed. This retrieve creates a life like ‘S’ shaped wiggle that drives fussy pelagic fish crazy, accounting for some great captures for myself and my mates on the ledges when other lures fail to get the bite.
ZMan 8” StreakZ XL
Last but certainly not least is the largest offering in the ZMan jerk shad stable, the 8” StreakZ XL. This is a plus-sized jerk shad, with a chunky profile that is significantly larger in overall size than the 7” Scented Jerk ShadZ, despite only a small length difference. As the name implies, this is a lure that I personally like to use when targeting XL sized fish, with kingfish and mulloway occupying the top of the list in my part of the world. With most of my fishing time spent targeting the later, I can confidently say that this lure is an absolute standout on larger mulloway, especially when fishing the ocean rocks.
Mulloway off the ocean rocks are known for not giving up easy during the fight, so braided line of at least 50lb and 60-80lb leaders are my mainstay when fishing this presentation, as most fish caught tend to be close to or well above the metre size class. When selecting jigheads, I usually find a TT HeadlockZ HD 1.5oz 8/0 ideal for sinking this large lure through the wash zone on heavy line, however the TT SwimlockZ 1oz 9/0 is also a great jighead for slightly less washy conditions.
All in all, the jerk shad is a fantastic fish catching profile, that appeals to virtually any predator that swims. Recognising this fact, the ZMan range of jerk shads contains an impressive array of sizes and colours, continuing to be a staple for successful anglers across the country. The article above only just scratches the surface of the fishing possibilities for this versatile presentation and, if you haven’t already, I’d strongly encourage anyone reading this to grab a few packs of ZMan jerk shad profiles before your next session. If you’re anything like me, you might just wish you’d tried them sooner!
Cheers, Cam