I thought it might be interesting to chart my lure losses over the rest of the year just to keep track of how many lures I go through so here it is, includes detail on reason for loss, date, area. Starts from May 1st 2013.
Date | Lure Lost | Reason | Area | Cost |
---|---|---|---|---|
2/5/13 | Ecogear Grass Minnow CCM / Tungsten 3/8oz bullet head / Gamakatsu SST 15 | Wear through by Tarpon | South Wall | $4.50 |
2/5/13 | Squidgy Slick Rig 80mm | Wear through by Tarpon | South Wall | $2.00 |
2/5/13 | Zman 2.5" Curl Tail / 3/8oz Headlockz Jighead | Wear through by Tarpon | South Wall | $2.00 |
8/5/13 | 30gram Twisty | Snagged | North Wall | $8.00 |
9/5/13 | Ecogear Grass Minnow CCM / 3/8oz Headlockz Jighead | Snagged | South Wall | $2.00 |
15/4/13 | Squidgy Wild Prawn 65mm / 1/4oz Headlockz Jighead | Wear through by Tarpon | North Wall | $2.00 |
20/5/13 | Ecogear Grass Minnow CCM / 1/2oz TT 3/0H Jighead | Snagged | North Wall | $2.00 |
23/5/13 | Tackle house Feed Popper 120 | Cast off(should have changed that leader!) | Canyon | $35.00 (ouch!) |
27/5/13 | Ecogear Grass Minnow CCM / 1/2oz TT 3/0H Jighead | Snagged | South Wall | $2.00 |
28/5/13 | Rapala Skitter Pop 9 | Busted off by Kingfish | Northern Channel | $20.00 |
2/6/13 | Ecogear Grass Minnow CCM / 3/8oz Headlockz Jighead | Snagged | North Wall | $2.00 |
11/6/13 | 25gm Gillies Baitfish | Snagged | North Wall | $5.00 |
11/6/13 | Zman 2.5" Curl Tail / 3/8oz Headlockz Jighead | Busted off by rampaging behemoth | North Wall Tip | $2.00 |
11/6/13 | Zman 2.5" Curl Tail / 3/8oz Headlockz Jighead | Busted off by rampaging behemoth | North Wall Tip | $2.00 |
25/6/13 | 25gram Gillies Baitfish | Snagged | North Wall Tip | $4.00 |
3/7/13 | 30 gram Halco Twisty | Snagged | Graveyard | $8.00 |
3/7/13 | 20 gram Twistie | Snagged | North Wall Flats | $5.00 |
3/7/13 | 30 gram Halco Twisty | Snagged | North wall Tip | $8.00 |
3/7/13 | Ecogear CCM Grass Minnow 1/4oz Tt Jighead | Cut off by Tailor | North Wall tip | $2.00 |
15/7/13 | Ecogear Grass Minnow CCM / 3/8oz TT Jighead | Snagged | South Wall | $2.00 |
15/7/13 | Ecogear Grass Minnow CCM / 3/8oz TT Jighead | Worn through by Tarpon | South Wall | $2.00 |
16/7/13 | Ecogear Grass Minnow CCM / 3/8oz TT Jighead | Snagged | North Wall | $2.00 |
16/7/13 | Ecogear Grass Minnow CCM 1/2oz TT HeadlockZ Jighead | Snagged | North Wall | $2.50 |
16/7/13 | Ecogear Grass Minnow CCM 1/2oz TT Headlockz Jighead | Snagged | North Wall | $2.50 |
7/8/13 | Rapala XRD10 ST | Busted off | Northern Y | $25.00 |
13/8/13 | Bolt Omega | Busted off | Canyon | $15.00 |
13/8/13 | Rapala XRD10 | Busted off | Canyon | $20.00 |
14/8/13 | Sebile Koolie minnow 118 | Busted off | Northern Y | $20.00 |
20/8/13 | Sebile Koolie minnow 118 | Cut off due to monumental tangle and double hookup. | Northern Channel | $14.00(on sale!) |
9/9/13 | Squidgy Slick Rig 65mm Dropbear colour | Cut off by Hairtail | North Wall | $2.50 |
9/9/13 | Squidgy Slick Rig 65mm | Cut off by Hairtail | North Wall | $2.50 |
9/9/13 | Squidgy Slick Rig 65mm | Cut off by Hairtail | North Wall | $2.50 |
7/9/13 | Rapala Magnum 20 | Busted off | Canyon | $28.00 |
21/9/13 | Bolt Omega | Busted off | Canyon | $15.00 |
21/9/13 | 1/2oz TT Jighead Grass minnow CCM | Snagged | North Wall | $2.00 |
21/9/13 | 1/2oz TT Jighead Grass minnow CCM | Snagged | North Wall | $2.00 |
21/9/13 | 1/2oz TT Jighead Grass minnow CCM | Snagged | North Wall | $2.00 |
5/11/13 | Skitterbait | Cut off by Tailor | North Wall | $15.00 |
5/11/13 | Rapala Magnum 15 | Busted off by shark | Canyon | $28.00 |
Date | Brand | Reason | Cost | Repaired ? |
---|---|---|---|---|
10/2/13 | Pflueger XTR | Impact by flying Twisty | 189.00 | Yes. Shortened. |
21/4/13 | Daiwa SOL ML | Fell on it | 119.00 | Yes. Shortened |
17/5/13 | Daiwa Black Label MH | Manufacturing fault | 249.00 | No. Replaced |
3/6/13 | Gehaut Sagales | Poor Design | $50.00 | No. Tossed Out |
23/5/13 | Samaki Allure M | Hatch fell on it | 129.00 | No. Damage was Terminal |
14/6/13 | Daiwa SOL M | Caught in cast by other rod | 119.00 | Yes. Shortened |
16/7/13 | Pfleuger XTR(again!) | Unknown, broke during cast | 189.00 | No. Tossed out. |
15/11/13 | Samaki Allure 701 | Unknown, broke during cast | 129.00 | No. Terminal Damage |
SeawayFishing Map 4 Cross Channels to Crab Island
To see a larger version of this map, right click with your mouse and choose ‘view image’
There has been alot of chatter about these on the net lately and some friends of mine swear by these. To be honest I wasn't interested in these until the HeadlockZ Jigheads were released as supergluing jigheads onto plastics was always a pain in the bum. However the hardyness of the plastic appealed to me, especially for tarpon work as they tend to tear plastics to shreds with their constant jumping, but also for use on toothy critters like Tailor and Mackerel. While slugs work most of the time on these fish there are times when a more subtle approach with a plastic works better.
Zman Plastics come in a variety of shapes and colours, from 2.5" curl tails to 8" Jerk Shads and one major point in thier favour all styles come in a plain white/pearl colour. It has been a major sore point for me that many plastic brands do not come in a plain white/pearl colour particularly in the smallest 3" jerk shad styles, one of the most effective colour and styles for use in the seaway. Sure have all the fruity colours you like but plain white or pearl should be available in every soft plastic brand in every size.
I have been using the 3" MinnowZ and the 2.5" curl Tail in Pearl/ Shimmer Pearl/PearlBlueGlimmer for a couple of months now and have put them through some rigorous testing so the first question is.. are they as tough as claimed? Well... sort of, they are much tougher than any standard plastic but Tarpon will still tear them a new one after 5 or so fish. Usually the first tear isn't terminal so you can go on using them but eventually they will tear free and you'll lose the plastic.
Secondly, do they catch fish? Well yes they do BUT If fish are scarce there are better lures out there in my opinion. For prospecting work I prefer Ecogear grass minnows, Squidgy Flick Baits, Gulp Jerk Shads and Charlie Brewers Sliders. All of those have consistently pulled fish(and big fish too) when prospecting for fish, the same cannot be said for the Zmans I have been using. That said, if the fish are feeding hard, and are not fussy the Zmans will catch fish and last longer than any other plastic so they definitely have a place in my tackle box.
This Zman Minnow and TT Headlock Jighead combo has caught half a dozen Tarpon and has numerous tears but still fishable, just.
Now on to the TT HeadlockZ JigheadZ. Do they work as claimed? Well.. sort of. I have found that the HeadlockZ jigheads are much better than a standard jighead BUT the plastic will still get pulled down the hook if a fish grabs it hard and doesn't hookup. The solution to this is to place a tiny amount of superglue on the mid keeper section before sliding the plastic right up to the head. Its a much better way of keeping the plastic in place and keeps the superglue away from the head which has always bugged me. I do all this at home and once the plastic gets torn or disappears out on the water just clip a new prerigged plastic on. Simple, Fast and Effective.
Now one of my major complaints about jigheads lately is that even the heaviest one I could find was being straightened by tarpon. The extra heavy duty hook used on the HeadlockZ jigheads solves this problem, its been through alot(including me lifting 3kg Tarpon into the boat by the trace) and has yet to even look like straightening so I have now adopted the HeadlockZ jigheads throughout my whole plastic collection and I'm phasing out the old TT jigheads I used to use. One word of caution though, the black plating on the hooks used on these jigheads is prone to rusting quite quickly once it hits salt water so make sure you either wash the used plastics or don't put them with other jigheads. The hook point is quite durable and will remain sharp for quite a few fish, just make sure you check it every half dozen fish to make sure.
So overall a solid couple of products but they could still do with a bit of work, I'm happy enough to reccomend them as I will keeping them in the tackle box for those occasions when the fish are on the bite yet still want a plastic. These plastics will be included prerigged in the SeawayFishing Starter, Pro and Ultimate Lure Packs I will be releasing in about 4 weeks time.
One last thing, make sure you keep these in the original packet, mixing these plastics with other brands causes them to melt. Its not pretty, so keep them separate.
ZMan Lures - 7.95/Pack - Availability - Most Tackle Stores, BCF
TT HeadlockZ Jigheads - 7.95/pack - Avaialability - Most Tackle Stores, BCF. Most used sizes 3/8oz, 2/0 - 3/8oz 3/0 - 1/4oz 1/0- 1/4oz 3/0- 1/2oz 3/0
Websites - Zman Australia TT Jigheads
Rigging
First step is to make sure the plastic is on straight, then pull it back out so the mid keeper is exposed. the apply a SMALL amount of super glue(I recommend a Gel type as its easier to handle) to the mid keeper. Then push it straight back on.
When you are finished the jighead should lie straight along the plastic with the hook point exposed.
Prerigged Zman 2.5" Curl Tails