Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 2723 Oct 26-Nov 9 | Page 23
VOL.37 • ISS. 23
Gone Fishing
to sculpt an ultra-refined profile—
including a paddle tail, distinct ribs
and a thin caudal peduncle— without
any worries about fragility. The bait’s
super soft, slim anatomy would make
it move and articulate like mad. We
also wanted to pack the bait with salt,
yet maintain buoyancy. The material
itself allowed us to do things with
the Trick ShotZ that would have been
impossible with traditional PVC.”
Not surprisingly, Walker’s initial
impressions of the bait were dead on.
“It’s almost inconceivable that you
can call out the most desirable traits
of a dropshot presentation and get
them all in a single bait.”
Action – The most advantageous
element of a successful dropshot
rig, bait movement is a direct reflec-
tion of shape and the material itself;
specifically, relative thickness and
softness of the plastic. “It’s easy to
get a large bait to move underwater,”
Walker observes. “But finding small,
3 or 4 inch baits that aren’t rigid, and
those that articulate, wiggle and swim
is really rare.
“At the (late August) St. Lawrence
event, I used a Z-Man Trick ShotZ
and continually marveled at how
beautifully it moved underwater.
This bait shimmies and looks super
lively. Smallmouth bass simply can’t
say no to it; it’s like ElaZtech is their
Kryptonite.”
Z-Man’s Trick ShotZ
Buoyancy – Rare among softbaits,
buoyancy and flotation, like softness,
actually generates action. Because so
few dropshot baits rise up and elevate
the rig at rest, many anglers don’t
even acknowledge this powerful
property. Pro angler Luke Clausen,
however, recognized this quality in
ElaZtech baits, early on.
“Think of what your rig looks
like with a sinking bait,” Clausen
suggests. “Now compare it to a
dropshot rig on which the bait rises
up and stays in the strike zone during
every pause in the retrieve. The fact
baits like the Jerk ShadZ™ and Trick
ShotZ sit nose down, tail up on a
dropshot rig—actually attempting to
float the hook—give your dropshot
an incredible fluid, flowing motion
as it moves across the rocks. You just
get so much more action out of these
baits; buoyancy and softness actually
Freshwater
Oct 26 - Nov 9, 2018
21
continued from page 1
Mark Daniels Jr shows off a big bad smallmouth he caught while dropshot fishing during a
recent Bassmaster Elite Series tournament.
Photo courtesy of Z-MAN.
work together to show bass something
completely lifelike, unique. In my
experience with big smallmouths,
nothing beats it.”
Mark Daniels Jr., who won the
July Bassmaster Elite Series tourney
at Lake Oahe, says bait buoyancy
actually imparts more action with
minimal rod movement. “Each time I
stop twitching the rod tip or halt my
retrieve and give slack line, the bait
floats up and stays high in the water
column. So, it’s moving all the time.
With current, ElaZtech baits move
even more; they’re triggering bites
almost nonstop.”
Durability – Another unheard-of
attribute among conventional
dropshot baits, ElaZtech offerings
such as the Trick ShotZ, Jerk ShadZ
and Finesse WormZ™ boast resil-
iency that’s nearly impossible to
comprehend, given these baits’ soft,
pliable texture. “When you squish an
ElaZtech bait between your fingers,
or pinch it with pliers, or stretch it to
ten times its length, it doesn’t make
sense when it springs right back to its
original shape. But that’s part of the
material’s magic,” Walker observes.
“This same toughness becomes
a huge advantage on the water. At
the St. Lawrence tournament, due
to the extreme conditions—current,
depth, rocks, and constantly pecking
gobies—many guys were dragging
empty hooks on their drifts. But
I could lightly nose-hook a Trick
ShotZ or a Finesse TRD™ and fish
with total confidence, knowing the
gobies couldn’t rip the bait off the
hook.”
Walker adds that the resiliency
of the material even allows him to
wacky-rig baits like the ZinkerZ
without use of an O-ring. “I can
skin-hook the bait with a 1/0 Neko
hook and never have to worry about
ripping it. That’s a huge time saver.”
Daniels Jr. tapped a similar trick
to separate himself from a field of
talented dropshotters on Lake Oahe.
“When the bite got tough after a
few days, I think I was showing the
bass something a little different—a
wacky-rigged Finesse WormZ (green
pumpkin) on a dropshot with a size
1 Owner hook. The toughness of
ElaZtech meant I could lightly hook
the bait through the egg sack and get
a ton more action out of it. Also, lots
of toothy walleyes kept biting the
bait, but it wasn’t a factor because
they couldn’t tear it up.”
Bonus Factors – Clausen, who
works dropshot rigs from the
Columbia River, Washington all the
way east to Great Lakes, calls out
the baits’ propensity to absorb scent.
“The sponge-like composition of
ElaZtech makes it a perfect vehicle
for carrying oil-based attractants,”
he believes. “Scent is a big deal
with smallmouths—and at times, for
largemouths, too. I like to squeeze a
little Pro-Cure into bait bags prior to
hitting the water. Even after 3 or 4
hours of fishing, I can still smell the
scent on the bait.”
Clausen sums up the power of the
so-called “alternative” bait material:
“ElaZtech is the greatest gift to
dropshot anglers since the rig was
invented.”
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