Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Fishing-Adventures-Destinations » ShrimpZing the Tropics

ShrimpZing the Tropics

Justin Willmer

On a recent northern trip the ZMan 3" Scented ShrimpZ proved itself to be absolutely deadly on barramundi, jack, trevally, cod and a range of other species. There's not too many fish that won't eat a prawn and it seems that when fish hit a prawn they commit, hitting it hard and hooking up solidly. The ZMan ShrimpZ is constructed from ElaZtech making it super tough, 10X tougher than a standard soft plastic, which is perfect for the aggressive predators that inhabit northern waters... while also being super soft and flexible, giving the ShrimpZ maximum action and a seductive flick of the tail when twitched.

We fished the ShrimpZ on a standard jig head and also on a SWS (Snagless Weight System) and Snake Head when fishing heavy structure.

HeadlockZ HD - on a standard jig head the ShrimpZ is most commonly rigged through the head and out the back, however I have seen it rigged through the tail and it looks pretty good. With its buoyant construction the ShrimpZ sits on the bottom with its tail up making it an attractive meal for fish. On a standard head we allowed it to sink and worked it with a lift, drop and pause or a series of twitches followed by a pause.

ChinlockZ SWS - The ZMan 3" ShrimpZ sits perfectly on the SWS (Snagless Weight System), which is now available in a ChinlockZ SWS, featuring a 'chin lock' to lock the plastic in place. This gives you the ability to drift it naturally into structure with minimal chance of snagging. On our northern adventure we found the SWS rig gave the ShrimpZ a slow, seductive, horizontal sink that was perfect for shallow water, up to a couple of metres and when fishing in less current. When resting on the bottom the SWS looks super-realistic as the belly weight of the hook sits on the bottom and the ShrimpZ floats horizontally just off the bottom swaying seductively with the water movement. Next time you have a ShrimpZ rigged on an SWS drop it in the shallows and check out how good it looks!

Snake Head - The Snake Head and ShrimpZ combo is ideal for shallow water and slow currents, but really comes into its own when the water gets deeper and the run faster. With weights up to 3/8oz available, this presentation allows you to fish drop offs and edges and get into the snags, even when the tide is pumping. Although not as natural as the SWS presentation, the Snake Head presentation still looks awesome when lifted or twitched and paused, and when at rest on the bottom the ShrimpZ floats up off the bottom making it extremely attractive to fish. This is the ideal snagless option for faster moving water and deeper snags, but drop down to the 1/6oz and it's also deadly in the shallows.

Scent - ShrimpZ are infused with a 100% natural scent, extracted from real baitfish and designed to attract fish and trigger strikes. The belly slot in the ShrimpZ is also ideal for holding additional scent, such as Pro-Cure Shrimp Super Gel Scent.

Legs - We fished the ShrimpZ with the legs on for a slow, seductive fall and maximum action with minimal movement. Removing the legs changed the action of the lure completely focussing all of the movement on the tail. With the legs off the ShrimpZ sink quicker and when twitched the tail kick is dramatic and when we followed the kick with a pause the barra just sucked it down.

The 3" ShrimpZ is quickly becoming one of my favourite lures when fishing the snags. It's super-realistic so you can fish it slow, scented, it rigs well snagless and everything eats a prawn!