Another Z-man fan here from central Missouri. I've had very good success with the Micro TRD and am working on a video featuring the Shad FryZ. Yes, the new Micro Finesse Shroomz are the way to go with these tiny lures. The wire keeper works great. A goid alternative is to use round ball jig heads. Snip off the collar with wire cutters. Mount the lures with super glue. Best , Don
Totally agree re: the Shroomz heads. Finally got my order in a few weeks after this video and have been using them with great success. The 1/30 size kills suspended under a float.
Excellent video!! The best I have seen on these yet. My big shipment of all these micro finesse baits should be here in a few days. I actually prefer no collar at all on my jig heads. I have used Loctite Super Glue Ultragel (HAS TO BE THE GEL and that model) like many other finesse/ micro finesse anglers. We've been using that for years to keep our Z-Man baits fixed to our jig heads for up to 100+ fish per bait. Try it and it will change your fishing as well as saving you a lot of money.
Great point. I often use the gel Loctite super glue to hold soft plastics in place, as well and it does work nicely. I have most often used it on the Leland Lures Trout Slayer, which comes with a hook that doesn’t have a collar. I didn’t want to use super glue for the video for two reasons: first, I wanted to be able to switch easily between the different bodies I was testing, and second because not everyone uses or likes using the super glue method. But the jig-with-no-keeper-and-super-glue approach would definitely work better with these new Zman micro finesse lures than a jig with a standard old-school keeper.
@@brandywineangler6748 Definitely understand why you didn't use super glue. I'm absolutely loving these Shad FryZ and StingerZ. I'm currently using them on on a jig head with no color and the dental floss method along with a bit of Loctite to keep them on. Up to 7 species so far on them!
Hello from the UK.... just watched the vid and was going suggest a dab of gel super glue but cn see I'm late to the party. I hate bait keepers, find them a right pain particularly if switching between different brands of lure on the same jig head. Hence preferring glue if I need it. I find a tiny dab enough and it's easy to pull the lure off and change. Also re jig heads. Have you tried making your own? Not talking casting lead here but simply slotted tungsten beads and a hook of your choice (I like barbless trout hooks) simply stick the bead on with some thick uv resin (cures in less than 20s with a uv torch) and jobs a good un! 5.5mm (1.3g) tend to be easier to get than 6mm (2g)
I watched this video a year ago. This video made me do homework on the Micro finesse baits. I'm not sponsored by Tackle Tactics nor Zman. With that being said..... I found that TT is the only way to go with these baits. You did better than I did. I had to chip off built up paint and it just didn't work. I steer away from super glue due to the odor it puts off. The TRD is a great bait but I love the Shad Fryz!! These baits are killing it here in Arkansas. Dark and Stormy & Space Guppy my favorite colors. Your video was more helpful than you realize. For that,.... I thank you sir!!!
🎣 these are good enough for panfish and they're going to do wonders for trout. I have to get me some of them, for sure I do. Thank you for doing a reaction for them and yes I enjoyed the video as well.
I use i_fish BG-1, 1 gram with the #12 size hook for those LarvaZ's. Also cut off the eyes and Loctite super glue (black center of the bottle / gel - it's waterproof) to the jig head. Only 1 SMALL drop. They look REALLY good that way and I've been killing Bluegill and Red Ears all summer on that jig and lure combo. ...Nice video! Definitely gotta have the right jig heads. I also use some Eagle Claw Ball Head, red hook, 1/32 oz. for some of those lures.
I've Not used these Zman micros yet but I'm going to, I've used the bigger swim baits for Flounder fishing ,but I do More Crappie and panfish fishing than anything now , wish my locals stocked them
It is an LL Bean tackle sling bag, size XL if I recall. I love it. Excellent product. Comfortable, holds a good amount of stuff without being too bulky, and has held up really well. Is pretty expensive but if you wade or bank fish a lot it is well worth it.
Take pliers to the fat keepers and get rid of it leaving just the hook shank then you can fish it like that or a drop of super glue. Idk if all keepers are made the same but the ones I use from a local tackle shop I can just kinda crush the keeper and it pops off
These do catch fish. The Micro TRD and Ticklerz in particular have become staples for redeye, crappie and smallmouth for me.... But I have Gripe-z (see what I did there?). 1. The lead on the heads is somehow softer than standard jigheads. It starts wobbling after a small amount of abuse from rocks and fish. I use gel superglue to re-secure it. This doesn't happen to me with other jigheads that lack a lead collar, so I'm not sure what's going on there. 2. The hooks are soft...which is sometimes a good thing, because you may be able to straighten it out of a snag with 6lb fluoro....but on these the point likes to roll and/or become dull more quickly than your run of the mill jigs. Carry a sharpener. 3. A mono weed guard option would make these much more productive for freestone streams and areas with a lot of timber. Something like you see on the Slab Slayer jigheads Bald Eagle Jigs puts out would be best, so that you can trim it to suit your needs. As is I stick it in my fly vise and tie on a weed guard with single strand stainless steel leader. 4. The clunky molds. The larvae, Fryz, and stingerz could all be made a lot smoother. I found that cutting off the big honking eyes on the larvae makes it a much more productive lure, and the stingerz aren't as effective as they could be on a drop shop because the body is so thick. These could be amazing baits for everything...currently they're still kind of micro bass lures. They certainly work for panfish, but they're not optimized for it. I have no trouble catching surprisingly big bass on panfish lures. It's often more difficult to do ot the other way around. 5. A lot of the colors that aren't meant to be translucent, particularly the more natural colors, are transparent in a way I don't see on standard plastics. They need to up their game with that. 6. The color options are also lackluster. I'd love to see them add some more natural color options as well. I find that natural colored baits with hot spots of color are WAY more effective than the trendy bright colors the fryz and stingerz in particular come in. Give me a green pumpkin backed fryz with a silver/smoke belly and I will seine a pond. It wouldn't even be fair. Currently you just have to add black with a sharpie for the two tone effect on these things.
Absolutely excellent comments, one and all! I have not noticed the softness of the lead issue but I tend to use the 1/30 and 1/20 oz zman jighead sizes and they are so light that they don’t hit anything hard enough to deform. The hooks are thin but that is fine because they require very little pressure to go in, at least while sharp. Others on this platform (I-fish for example) have noted the benefits of some surgery on the Larvaez and Stingers bodies. I can see that being useful in certain situations for sure, especially with the eyes on the Larvaez. Thanks for taking the time to share your excellent observations!
By the way, I agree 100% on having some more natural look options. The current color palette works for some of the muddy tidal creeks and rivers I fish on DelMarVa but for the clear rock-bottomed creeks I fish in SE Pa, natural colors and patterns are much more effective for me
I don't like the keepers on any of those. Try TT Headlockz Jig heads. Not sure if available in the US but the Australian Z man distributor sells them. They are probably the most popular in Australia
I have not personally tried them yet in salt but Elaztech is a very well-established product in the salt so I don’t see why these would not perform really well.
Same with mine... actually had one in a pack to arrive in the mail with the tail already detached--was happy that Zman stood behind their product and sent me another full pack even though I didn't ask for it... simply gave them a feedback email. Unfortunately, the small size of the tail is simply not as durable as other products. Thought I will say the claws come off their ned craw bait pretty easily too while I can fish a TRD for days before using the second one is the package.
Spot on recommendation. The Mule Fishing Mule Jigs are designed for these micro finesse elaztech plastics. Their 1/64 ounce is a #8 jig and works really well with the LarvaZ bait.
@@patcochran3284 It's what I've been using since I have a whole set of Mule Fishing Jigs. I like the 1/64 oz and 1/32 oz sizes. They have the right type of baitkeeper for elaztech.
I have noted the same thing but despite that one drawback it might be my favorite one of the bunch, at least so far. Hammered crappies to 13” last weekend on the electric chicken color under a bobber. Water was like chocolate milk. Didn’t matter.
Might help but the collar is so fat it might not. I have been using jigs with thin wire keepers, including the Z-man micro finesse Shroomz heads and they work beautifully without super glue.
That does work but I find it a bit of a hassle. Just one more thing to have to bring with you, etc. Plus with some jig heads you have to cut off the keeper or they will not work well with Elaztech. But the super glue approach definitely works.
This is a fair point. I do think that Elaztec micro finesse lures have their place though. Now that I have identified the best jig heads for them, I find them great for heavy action situations when fish are destroying plastisol grub bodies. But when the fishing is tough and I really want to maximize my prospects I find myself turning to something like a small Keitech Swing Impact paddletail or a Kalin Triple Threat curl tail grub or one of the microfinesse offerings from Eurotackle, or just a good old Trout Magnet.
@@brandywineangler6748 kalin triple threat grubs are excellent I agree with you on that one bro.and the z line lures are tear resistant I just fish lures that have worked for me for 40 plus years.
I don’t mind the size. The girth on a couple of the models is significant but to me that gives you options-you can always cut that down with some scissors.
Another Z-man fan here from central Missouri. I've had very good success with the Micro TRD and am working on a video featuring the Shad FryZ. Yes, the new Micro Finesse Shroomz are the way to go with these tiny lures. The wire keeper works great. A goid alternative is to use round ball jig heads. Snip off the collar with wire cutters. Mount the lures with super glue. Best , Don
Totally agree re: the Shroomz heads. Finally got my order in a few weeks after this video and have been using them with great success. The 1/30 size kills suspended under a float.
Excellent video!! The best I have seen on these yet. My big shipment of all these micro finesse baits should be here in a few days. I actually prefer no collar at all on my jig heads. I have used Loctite Super Glue Ultragel (HAS TO BE THE GEL and that model) like many other finesse/ micro finesse anglers. We've been using that for years to keep our Z-Man baits fixed to our jig heads for up to 100+ fish per bait. Try it and it will change your fishing as well as saving you a lot of money.
Great point. I often use the gel Loctite super glue to hold soft plastics in place, as well and it does work nicely. I have most often used it on the Leland Lures Trout Slayer, which comes with a hook that doesn’t have a collar. I didn’t want to use super glue for the video for two reasons: first, I wanted to be able to switch easily between the different bodies I was testing, and second because not everyone uses or likes using the super glue method. But the jig-with-no-keeper-and-super-glue approach would definitely work better with these new Zman micro finesse lures than a jig with a standard old-school keeper.
@@brandywineangler6748 Definitely understand why you didn't use super glue. I'm absolutely loving these Shad FryZ and StingerZ. I'm currently using them on on a jig head with no color and the dental floss method along with a bit of Loctite to keep them on. Up to 7 species so far on them!
Hello from the UK.... just watched the vid and was going suggest a dab of gel super glue but cn see I'm late to the party. I hate bait keepers, find them a right pain particularly if switching between different brands of lure on the same jig head. Hence preferring glue if I need it. I find a tiny dab enough and it's easy to pull the lure off and change. Also re jig heads. Have you tried making your own? Not talking casting lead here but simply slotted tungsten beads and a hook of your choice (I like barbless trout hooks) simply stick the bead on with some thick uv resin (cures in less than 20s with a uv torch) and jobs a good un! 5.5mm (1.3g) tend to be easier to get than 6mm (2g)
just get a hook pull some of the plastic from the bait loop in the the eye of the jihead
and it will stay forever
I watched this video a year ago. This video made me do homework on the Micro finesse baits. I'm not sponsored by Tackle Tactics nor Zman. With that being said..... I found that TT is the only way to go with these baits. You did better than I did. I had to chip off built up paint and it just didn't work. I steer away from super glue due to the odor it puts off. The TRD is a great bait but I love the Shad Fryz!! These baits are killing it here in Arkansas. Dark and Stormy & Space Guppy my favorite colors. Your video was more helpful than you realize. For that,.... I thank you sir!!!
Glad you found it useful!
🎣 these are good enough for panfish and they're going to do wonders for trout. I have to get me some of them, for sure I do.
Thank you for doing a reaction for them and yes I enjoyed the video as well.
Very informative video. I have been using the ZMan TicklerZ in the New River and they work great. I can't wait to try the MicroZ on crappie.
You should watch Richard Gene the Fishing Machine to see how to modify Jigs without a collar. You’ll learn a lot!
I use i_fish BG-1, 1 gram with the #12 size hook for those LarvaZ's. Also cut off the eyes and Loctite super glue (black center of the bottle / gel - it's waterproof) to the jig head. Only 1 SMALL drop. They look REALLY good that way and I've been killing Bluegill and Red Ears all summer on that jig and lure combo. ...Nice video! Definitely gotta have the right jig heads. I also use some Eagle Claw Ball Head, red hook, 1/32 oz. for some of those lures.
Try the Richard Gene method of cutting keeper off with side cutters, and wrap dental floss on 14:00 14:04 shank. Apply glue, let dry.
pull Z-Man on.
Pretty Cool and very well explained. Just add you Chanel to my list.
Good info thanks for the sharing
Try these you will love them--( Kalin's Triple Threat Wire Keeper Crappie Jig) micro Baits no problem no hump.
Just got my jig heads today. Look AWESOME!!
Nice!! Enjoy!
Thanks - great review.
I've Not used these Zman micros yet but I'm going to, I've used the bigger swim baits for Flounder fishing ,but I do More Crappie and panfish fishing than anything now , wish my locals stocked them
Great review! What bag are you carrying?
It is an LL Bean tackle sling bag, size XL if I recall. I love it. Excellent product. Comfortable, holds a good amount of stuff without being too bulky, and has held up really well. Is pretty expensive but if you wade or bank fish a lot it is well worth it.
Great video thanks
Fantastic my friend
Great, thorough review!
Good info.. thx for the vid
Take pliers to the fat keepers and get rid of it leaving just the hook shank then you can fish it like that or a drop of super glue. Idk if all keepers are made the same but the ones I use from a local tackle shop I can just kinda crush the keeper and it pops off
Mule Fishing makes great jig heads similar to the Zman jig heads with wire keepers.
Thanks for the tip-will check them out!
Thank you, got some on the way!
These do catch fish. The Micro TRD and Ticklerz in particular have become staples for redeye, crappie and smallmouth for me....
But I have Gripe-z (see what I did there?).
1. The lead on the heads is somehow softer than standard jigheads. It starts wobbling after a small amount of abuse from rocks and fish. I use gel superglue to re-secure it. This doesn't happen to me with other jigheads that lack a lead collar, so I'm not sure what's going on there.
2. The hooks are soft...which is sometimes a good thing, because you may be able to straighten it out of a snag with 6lb fluoro....but on these the point likes to roll and/or become dull more quickly than your run of the mill jigs. Carry a sharpener.
3. A mono weed guard option would make these much more productive for freestone streams and areas with a lot of timber. Something like you see on the Slab Slayer jigheads Bald Eagle Jigs puts out would be best, so that you can trim it to suit your needs. As is I stick it in my fly vise and tie on a weed guard with single strand stainless steel leader.
4. The clunky molds. The larvae, Fryz, and stingerz could all be made a lot smoother. I found that cutting off the big honking eyes on the larvae makes it a much more productive lure, and the stingerz aren't as effective as they could be on a drop shop because the body is so thick. These could be amazing baits for everything...currently they're still kind of micro bass lures. They certainly work for panfish, but they're not optimized for it. I have no trouble catching surprisingly big bass on panfish lures. It's often more difficult to do ot the other way around.
5. A lot of the colors that aren't meant to be translucent, particularly the more natural colors, are transparent in a way I don't see on standard plastics. They need to up their game with that.
6. The color options are also lackluster. I'd love to see them add some more natural color options as well. I find that natural colored baits with hot spots of color are WAY more effective than the trendy bright colors the fryz and stingerz in particular come in. Give me a green pumpkin backed fryz with a silver/smoke belly and I will seine a pond. It wouldn't even be fair. Currently you just have to add black with a sharpie for the two tone effect on these things.
Absolutely excellent comments, one and all! I have not noticed the softness of the lead issue but I tend to use the 1/30 and 1/20 oz zman jighead sizes and they are so light that they don’t hit anything hard enough to deform. The hooks are thin but that is fine because they require very little pressure to go in, at least while sharp. Others on this platform (I-fish for example) have noted the benefits of some surgery on the Larvaez and Stingers bodies. I can see that being useful in certain situations for sure, especially with the eyes on the Larvaez. Thanks for taking the time to share your excellent observations!
By the way, I agree 100% on having some more natural look options. The current color palette works for some of the muddy tidal creeks and rivers I fish on DelMarVa but for the clear rock-bottomed creeks I fish in SE Pa, natural colors and patterns are much more effective for me
I don't like the keepers on any of those. Try TT Headlockz Jig heads. Not sure if available in the US but the Australian Z man distributor sells them. They are probably the most popular in Australia
Superb …thank u
Are those soft lures good for saltwater UL fiahing?
I have not personally tried them yet in salt but Elaztech is a very well-established product in the salt so I don’t see why these would not perform really well.
Use glide floss around the hook and loctite gel super glue. They will not come off.
I keep having bluegill biting the tails off my larvaz was hoping that wouldn't happen with the elaztech
I am really surprised at that. I expected more durability from Elaztech.
Same with mine... actually had one in a pack to arrive in the mail with the tail already detached--was happy that Zman stood behind their product and sent me another full pack even though I didn't ask for it... simply gave them a feedback email. Unfortunately, the small size of the tail is simply not as durable as other products. Thought I will say the claws come off their ned craw bait pretty easily too while I can fish a TRD for days before using the second one is the package.
Try Mule Fishing jig heads. They'll definitely pair well with these smaller baits.
Spot on recommendation. The Mule Fishing Mule Jigs are designed for these micro finesse elaztech plastics. Their 1/64 ounce is a #8 jig and works really well with the LarvaZ bait.
@@patcochran3284 It's what I've been using since I have a whole set of Mule Fishing Jigs. I like the 1/64 oz and 1/32 oz sizes. They have the right type of baitkeeper for elaztech.
the zman stingerZ tail keep catching the hook. now im scared if im wasting my time playing a bait with zero action in the water.
I have noted the same thing but despite that one drawback it might be my favorite one of the bunch, at least so far. Hammered crappies to 13” last weekend on the electric chicken color under a bobber. Water was like chocolate milk. Didn’t matter.
Awesome stuff bro 🤙🏼🤙🏼
I have to get some of those paddle tails for trout this fall. Only problem with these small baits are my giant hands 😂
Yeah I feel you on that! Add in 4 lb test fluro and my failing vision and it is a wonder I can get them tied on!
a touch of super glue mite help with the body staying on the jig
Might help but the collar is so fat it might not. I have been using jigs with thin wire keepers, including the Z-man micro finesse Shroomz heads and they work beautifully without super glue.
Use a drop of super glue to hold plastic on better even with correct hooks I always use super glue
That does work but I find it a bit of a hassle. Just one more thing to have to bring with you, etc. Plus with some jig heads you have to cut off the keeper or they will not work well with Elaztech. But the super glue approach definitely works.
Superglue works better than the wire keepers.
Take that keeper off... with a nipper. Then wrap with no wax dental floss.. use some gel superglue and place zman bait on .
There's enough old school lures around,i stick with them.looks like the nesaminy creek where i fish.
This is a fair point. I do think that Elaztec micro finesse lures have their place though. Now that I have identified the best jig heads for them, I find them great for heavy action situations when fish are destroying plastisol grub bodies. But when the fishing is tough and I really want to maximize my prospects I find myself turning to something like a small Keitech Swing Impact paddletail or a Kalin Triple Threat curl tail grub or one of the microfinesse offerings from Eurotackle, or just a good old Trout Magnet.
@@brandywineangler6748 kalin triple threat grubs are excellent I agree with you on that one bro.and the z line lures are tear resistant I just fish lures that have worked for me for 40 plus years.
To be honest I'm a little disappointed that they are as big or bigger than a 2 inch grub
I don’t mind the size. The girth on a couple of the models is significant but to me that gives you options-you can always cut that down with some scissors.
Or use a non collar jig
Cut that collar off and put a tiny drop of super glue on the hook shank at the lead head and it will stay on and won't tear your bait Up
Knock the paint off the Jig collar
G
A dab of Gel super glue