Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Pro-Lure-Fishing-Tips » Topwater ShrimpZ

Topwater ShrimpZ

Will Lee

If you've ever watched a bream chase a prawn and eat it on the surface of the water, you would've noticed that the bream only has eyes for one thing and won't accept defeat easily. When bream get in this mood, a ZMan 3" Scented ShrimpZ is the perfect soft plastic for raising fish to the surface.

I was lucky enough to qualify for all three ABT bream grand finals in one year, the Hobie event at Port Macquarie, the classic final at Taree and the BREAM final at Forster.

During practice at each event I found fish willing to eat surface lures and my go to surface lure at each event was a ZMan ShrimpZ. Ok, I didn't bring home a new Hobie Pro Angler or a $40 000 bass boat but the surface ShrimpZ did help me put fish in the well at each event.

There is a couple of ways to rig the ShrimpZ for surface action but my favourite way is super simple. I use a single size 1, Owner Mosquito Hook. The only modification I make to the hook is removing the bend in the shank with a pair of pliers. Once the hook is straight I thread it into the nose of the ShrimpZ and bring it out on the underside and hide the eye of the hook in the nose of the ShrimpZ.

A drop of superglue on the eye of the hook will also help prevent the hook from slipping out of position. With this rig you might miss some of the smaller fish but I've found the bigger fish will go in for a kill shot and generally hit the head first. If the majority of fish are small, I will make things a little more complex and use a snood rig with twin hooks. This is also deadly when the fish aren't fully committing to the take.

Another way I rig the ShrimpZ is with an offset worm hook. These are handy when you're throwing into tight cover because the rig is virtually weedless and if you do happen to go over a branch on a snag or a rope on a pontoon you can easily wind the ShrimpZ over it without fouling up. Once again a drop of superglue near the eye of the hook will prevent the ShrimpZ from slipping.

There's a number or retrieves I use when fishing the ShrimpZ but the most effective I have found is to make a nice long cast and with a high rod tip use a medium to fast retrieve with a flick of the rod tip every 4 to 6 turns of the reel handle. If you see a fish charge out at it, keep winding! I generally don't stop the lure unless I'm running out of water between the fish and the boat.

When the fish are a little shut down, I slow it down and twitch the lure by flicking the rod tip quite vigorously and pausing it on the surface every metre or two. Unlike other soft plastics, the ZMan range float and this is a huge benefit when fishing the ShrimpZ on top.

Being buoyant also allows a similar approach to a hard bodied popper, using a pop and pause retrieve. I found the fact that the ShrimpZ float particularly handy while fishing the oyster racks at Forster as I could fish the lure above the racks when there was only an inch or two of water covering the rack and not have to worry about getting caught up. The same approach could be applied on shallow weed beds.

Now the bream tournament season is over I look forward to throwing some surface ShrimpZ at Mangrove Jack after dark. I can't wait to throw the 4" version into some tight nooks and crannies... only to watch an angry red fish come out and terrorise it. ZMan 4" Scented ShrimpZ... watch this space!