Z - Man Ela Z Tech Reviews

[roadwarrior]

Sent Yesterday, 09:54 PM

Kent,

Just wanted to fulfill my promise and tell you that the baits we tested from Z-Man with 10X technology are awesome. I am not an avid soft bait angler, but I did give a variety of the worms, craws and minnows to some of my buddies to try out with the promise of an honest report. Here is what I got back.

Leon Tidwell--50 yrs. fishing--said "those d**** things are tough." He especially liked the minnow that looked like a shad because the second cast he caught a 4lb bass and then continued to catch several more on the same lure. He wanted to know where to get some more.

Dennis Stutts-15 yrs fishing- Avid worm fisherman said he was going to switch because he could save a lot of money by not having to as many worms. He fished several colors and said his favorite was a green with red flake, but he caught fish on every color he tried.

Bill Srednicki--many years but in Conn-- Told me he was in a tournament and wasn't catching anything until he switched to a green and brown crawdad and he started catching keepers. He ended up winning the local event and still had the craw at the end, still with both claws.

Me personally--40 yrs fishing-- I tried them all. As I said I'm not good with plastics, but I really liked these because I wasn't constantly having to repair or replace them and could spend more time trying to get better. Oh, I did catch a 6lb largemouth in a green worm.

Overall not one negative comment.

Chuck

 

 

[kikstand454]

I especially love the finess worms. They float with abandon. Theres nothing better in my oppinion for those tough shaky head bites.

[tcbass]

Great review! Thanks.

I will pass on from others that they say Zman Elast Z plastics will melt to other plastics so keep them separate!

[F14A-B]

Nice Review, I have been using these, albeit, sparingly, I have 6 packs only, various styles.

Nice!

[MikeinFresno]

its amazing how tuff they are

[einscodek]

I like them too except for the fact they can destroy everything else.. and thats the main reason I dont use them as much .. if I forget and leave them around, they can and have destroyed my containers and melted into my good lures.

[Zach P]

I can tell you that their soft plastics are not only the most durable I have ever used they also catch a ton of fish. The only downside I will admit is that they melt under extreme heat conditions. KEEP THEM SEPARATE FROM YOUR OTHER BAITS AND SOFT PLASTICS. It's that simple. Tight lines!

[F14A-B]

If you store them in the original bags, that will eliminate a lot of issues.

[shanksmare]

I've used the Z-man elastech baits as well as the baits they make for Strike King for 7 or 8 years. I used them here in south Florida all year round. I never had an issue with them melting from the heat. As was stated above it is always prudent to store these baits in their original packages. This will eliminate the possibility of them coming in contact with other types of plastics which results in a mess.

 

They are indeed very durable. One day I caught 14 or 15 redfish, 3 snook, 4 seatrout and a baby tarpon all on the same Strike King Elastech Glass Minnow. I then used it the next day to catch more fish. A drop of super glue fixed any tears which occurred. Of course they are prone to losing their tails to the sharp teeth of puffer fish (like all other baits). But by and large I don't think their durability can be questioned.

 

The only downside that I experienced with the elastech paddle tails was the inability of the tail to operate at slow speeds. So if you use them as a swim jig trailer and use a stop and go technique or slow retrieve, other swimbaits constructed out of conventional plastics may be a better choice.

[Diggy]

I had a lizard that I had over 50 fish on before I stopped counting. I dont see them at walmart as I used to. I always ended up ruining them from mixing but I do like them.

[Catch and Grease]

I've only used Z-man a couple times and figured out dipping them in JJ's magic is a bad idea... They dissolve!

That's really why I didnt like them, doesn't anyone know if they still do this?

[J Francho]

Yes, but they don't dissolve in Megastrike.

[JeziHogg]

I love elaztech, the only downfall is that its a PITA to get a worm on a screwlock.

[kikstand454]

I love elaztech, the only downfall is that its a PITA to get a worm on a screwlock.

Heat up the screwlock with a lighter first.

[JeziHogg]

Heat up the screwlock with a lighter first.

Give this man a cookie!

[Long Mike]

x2 on the screw hook.  Never thought of heating the screw.  Thanks for that input

[jtharris3]

Heat up the screwlock with a lighter first.

 

Oh great, not only do I need to worry about hooking myself, now I can burn myself too!

[Bluebasser86]

I've got a bunch of Zman plastics in all sorts of styles, all great baits. Really excited about their new popping minnowZ and the jig trailer they're coming out with. Their Palmetto Bug is an awesome flipping bait because the back stands up after it hits bottom like a craw in a defensive stance. They're baits are great on a C rig, split shot, or drop shot because they float off the bottom. Some days with their finesse worm on a drop shot all you have to do is let it sink to the bottom and sit there on a slack line for a minute, close the bail, reel in your fish! The bait floats and flows with and current or the tiniest movements in the water so it really looks like a live worm or minnow moving around. Keep them separate from your other baits (I keep a binder just for Zman plastics to avoid problems), and don't dip them in dye unless it's says it's safe for Elaztech baits. They're a bit of a pain to rig but they last so much longer that it's worth it to me. 

[tcbass]

I don't want to put them back in the bag because they will still be on the hook. Can you just put them in a seperate different tackle box or will they dry out/deteriorate?