Shallow Water PelagicZ Bass on FrogZ Getting the most from your GrubZ Fish of a Lifetime! Back to Basics on Bass Grunter on GrubZ Mangrove Jack

Transcription

1 Shallow Water PelagicZ Bass on FrogZ Getting the most from your GrubZ Fish of a Lifetime! Back to Basics on Bass Grunter on GrubZ Mangrove Jack HeadlockZ!

2 The AFTA Award Winning - Best Terminal Tackle TT Lures HeadlockZ HD jigheads are now in the hands of anglers around Australia and the feedback has been fantastic. The split grip grub keeper locks the ZMan plastics on without the need for a dab of super glue, while also being suitable for other plastics and the brutally strong Mustad chemically sharpened black nickel hook has proven dynamite on jighead destroying species such as mangrove jack and snapper. Click on the link below to check out the HeadlockZ in action!

3 By Wayne Harvey When pelagic fish get brought up in conversation I'm sure that most of us have an image in our mind of hard hitting, fast running, lure crunching critters that can strip hundreds of metres of line in the blink of an eye. This topic can also be associated with game fishing, big outfits and deep water. There are two main groups that these fish can be put into, and they are Coastal (inshore) and Oceanic (offshore) fish. Generally speaking, when chasing these fish offshore, big boats along with big outfits are required, mainly due to bigger fish lurking in deeper water. However, when targeting inshore pelagics the whole story changes, in fact this can be achieved in a small punt with lightweight outfits and right on your front doorstep! There are some great species to place in your firing line and in my part of the world some of the most popular include Mackerel (Spanish, Grey, Spotted and School), Tuna (Northern Bluefin and Mackerel), Trevally (Giant, Golden, Bludger and Diamond), Queenfish and Cobia. Wayne with a solid queenie on a TT Tournament Series XHD SL12 jighead & ZMan 8 StreakZ XL in Rootbeer Gold

4 A variety of trevally species are available, with large trevally often turning up in inshore waters. If you want to have a crack at any of these quite powerful speedsters, the first thing you should do is get a good understanding of the areas these fish frequent, along with the area that you are fishing. There are a few keys listed here that can hopefully point you in the right direction when it comes to finding and experiencing what shallow water pelagics have to offer. Bait This is one of the most important factors. It's simple; bait attracts predators, so if you want to increase your catch rate, finding bait is a big advantage. Birds These are your eyes in the sky. When birds are flying high, they are generally looking for bait schools being pushed to the surface by hungry fish (mainly Mackerel and Tuna). If you notice birds flying very low to the water and swooping this means that the bait and feeding fish are either just below the surface or getting very close.

5 Queenfish love getting up into the shallows to harass bait schools Try not to zoom in at a hundred miles an hour on the schools as the fish have very good vision, are very wary and can spook quite easily. Instead be patient and motor ahead of the school and kill your motor. This allows you to quietly drift and wait for the feeding school to come to you. Metal slugs, small blades and soft plastics around 3-5 inches long will get best results. In most cases these schools of fish will be Spotted and School Mackerel, or Mac Tuna, but sometimes there will be big Northern Bluefin Tuna and Grey and Spanish Mackerel underneath them. Again, if you are patient enough, let your lure sink beneath the school of feeding fish and you may find yourself hooked up to something a little bigger and a lot faster! Current Lines Fish use current lines as ambush points, especially pelagics. If you can find a situation where two or three currents meet, pelagics shouldn't be too far away. Work both or all currents with metal slices, blades and plastics until you work out where the fish are holding. Colour Changes Once again, pelagics don't hold back when it comes to ambush. If you can find a colour change where dirty, silted water meets clean clear blue water, you can almost guarantee there will be some sort of action close by. When fishing a colour change, work your lures right where the two colours meet or cast into the dirty water and bring your lures back into the clean water. Most of the time the fish will be hanging right on the colour change waiting for anything to stick its head out of the dirty water.

6 Tide Change The tide change, especially an incoming tide, triggers big fish to move into shallow water and feed with confidence. If you find fish on an incoming tide, follow the tide and currents as the fish have a knack of always being just in front of it. Pressure Points This is a situation that unfolds when tidal currents push onto a feature, creating a pressure point. There is the up-current side where the water pushes onto the feature and creates a pressure point and the down-current side which is often labelled the lee side or the sheltered side. Position yourself on the up-current side and cast metal slugs and slices, blades and soft plastics into the pressure point. Sometimes the pelagics will be hunting on the bottom, so it's worth sinking your lures to the bottom and jigging them erratically through the water column. When your lure is about halfway back to the boat, wind it as quickly as you can. This technique is often referred to as burning and if there are any speedsters around your lure should get slammed. Just remember when burning lures that you can never wind too fast. In the eyes of any pelagic fish, a fleeing bait fish, especially at speed, is what they thrive on. If you have worked the pressure point without success, try the down-current side or the sheltered side. Quite often this is where you will find bottom dwelling fish such as Golden Trevally. Creek & River Mouths This is by far my favourite scenario. Incoming tides around a creek or river mouth, just after they have bottomed out, is the perfect time to be in place for when fish start feeding. This is where all the bait and food sources will be before the tide carries it back into the sheltered reaches of the estuaries.

7 Gearing Up All you need to get into the action is a spin rod around 7', rated around 5-9kg or 12-20lb. Bigger or smaller should be ok, as long as you have enough tip to get a good cast in. Reels from size will perform well, spooled with 10-20lb line. Leader depends on what you encounter on the day. It is also a comfort thing with many people, but 30-60lb monofilament should be ample, depending on what you are fishing for. If you come across toothy critters in your search, it is advisable to use about 6-10 inches of single strand wire. Don't connect your braid straight to wire, instead incorporate at least a metre of monofilament to absorb any shock on the initial hook up and throughout the fight. Lures When pelagic fish go into a feeding frenzy you can almost throw anything at them and they will hit it. But generally speaking small lures such as metal slugs, TT Switchblades 1/4 to 1oz and ZMan StreakZ and StreakZ Curly TailZ soft plastics around inches rigged on TT jigheads are prime (depending on what you are targeting). Fishing for shallow water pelagics is great fun and unless you know what is running in your local area at the time it can almost be a lucky dip as to what species you will encounter. There are many different methods and techniques you can use to catch these fish, including sight casting, burning lures and jigging. Best of all this style of fishing can be done just out the front and you don't need a big boat to get hooked up. Queenfish find it hard to resist the vibration of a TT Switchblade HD

8 Getting the most from your GRUBZ By Ash Hazell When I first started chasing bream, I had no real idea about what I was doing. I quickly found some fishing forums to start learning more about my newly chosen sport which was helpful about 1% of the time. I noticed that information about which lures and even which colours to use was easy to find. However, details on how to use these 'sure thing' lures and colours for the best result were not so forthcoming. So, I thought I'd touch on a few things that I've learnt along the way and why I think they work. Most of the time I'll use the TT Tournament Series jigheads in 1/20 to 1/12oz weights, in size #2 for the shallow water I normally fish. A 1/20oz is not quite heavy enough to get tail action on the drop, but some subtle twitching on the way down can be dynamite! I like to rig all standard jigheads fairly 'shallow' in the plastic which does two things. Firstly, it increases the hook gape above the body slightly which can help improve hook up rates. Also, it puts more of the plastic below the hook and because ZMan s ElaZtech material is so buoyant, this de-stabilises the presentation, giving it a more life-like wobble whilst moving through the water, especially with lighter jigheads. The key here is to rig dead straight, otherwise it will spin in the water during your retrieve.

9 When I'm fishing in areas with a lot of vertical structure like pylons, jetties and bigger snags, I'll often turn to the HWS (Hidden Weight System) jigheads. They make the plastic sink slower with the lesser weights, but horizontally which looks more natural as it drifts down alongside or amongst the structure. It also lets you hold the plastic in the strike zone longer. Rigging them is easy through the front but I like to hide as much of the metal as I can in the plastic, so I can cast hard at boat hulls and other structure without making a sound. This rigging technique takes some practice but is well worth learning. The photo of the neon pink GrubZ explains what I mean more effectively than words can. Start by holding the HWS jighead alongside the tail to line up where you'll have to slide the hook in and out. Tournament Series Jighead Tournament Series HWS Jighead Tournament Series HWS Jighead Tournament Series Jighead I have a few GrubZ colours that I find work in most situations. During tournaments or social comps, I usually slide one of these onto my jighead and don't look back. However, with some more recent experimenting, I've found a few colours, that I would normally overlook, have really started to work well for me. It's all about matching the colour to the conditions and environment.

10 It's no secret that the Motor Oil GrubZ are a favourite amongst WA breamer's and probably elsewhere as well. I'll always tie this on if it's overcast as it manages to catch the light and glow, making it stand out in dim conditions. In contrast, the new Black colour creates a very bold silhouette. I've had some recent success using them in amongst the early morning shadows on tree lined banks, putting them between holding fish and the rising sun. Violet Sparkle and Watermelon Red are great dirty water colours. It's no coincidence because the reflective flash in these colours makes them more visible in muddy or algae filled water. The Neon Pink and Copper Penny colours work well in a number of situations from low light to ultra-clear water, where you want something that stands out but keeps the appearance of translucent bait fish or shrimp. I hope some of this has been helpful, at least to some of you that are new to the sport. You may find that the complete opposite of what I've said is true for yourself but hopefully it gets you thinking and experimenting with new presentations and techniques. Every time I get out on the water I learn new things about fishing and that's a big part of the enjoyment for me. Black GrubZ create a bold silhouette that has proven effective when fishing the shadows.

11 Mangrove Jack By Keith Stratford Keith with a cracker jack on a TT Lures Snake Head jighead and ZMan 3 MinnowZ in Elecric Chicken The mangrove jack season is in full swing now and with the days getting longer and hotter the action will only increase. Plenty of big jacks, over 50cm, have turned up already, along with some really impressive bust offs. I left them alone for a few weeks, spending all of my fishing time chasing flathead for the Flathead Classic, but I ve got the bug back now. The fight of a big jack is nothing like any other fish encountered in an estuary around south east Queensland. No other fish requires the reflexes and locked up drag to pull them up on that initial run like a big jack. The first few seconds are crucial in a fight with a big jack and it s important not to go soft on them, even in more open water, because if there s a tree under the water nearby, they ll know about it and take you straight into it. No matter where you fish for mangrove jack, they all have one thing in common and that s structure. These brutes love to hang out in all types of structure, including bridge pylons, fallen trees, rock walls, underwater rock bars and undercut ledges, just to name a few. Jacks also love current, so if you can find these areas with a decent tidal flow then your chances of hooking a jack will increase. Bait fish also like to hang out around structure, as it makes a break in the current known as an eddy. They like to sit in these eddies to escape the strong current and conserve energy but the jacks know this as well.

12 Jacks aren t too fussy when it comes to choosing a feed. Mullet and prawns are right at the top of their list, but whiting, herring, biddies, gar and even bream and small moses perch won t be turned down by a hungry jack. Most of the structure I find myself fishing for jacks has a healthy population of mullet close by, so I like to choose a lure that imitates these. The 4 ZMan SwimmerZ are a perfect replica of a mullet and for this reason are my go-to plastic for jacks. I ve also been using the 3 MinnowZ this season and they ve accounted for most of the bigger jacks I ve landed so far. They both have a really good action and rig perfectly on the TT Lures Snake Head range. The Snake Heads are an awesome jighead as they give you the ability to confidently cast right in tight to structure like fallen trees and be able to work them back out. I prefer to start on the outer edge of a snag and work my way closer to the crusty parts until I get a bite. Sometimes the fish will be on the end of the tree and by hooking it away from the bulk of the snag your chances of getting it out are a lot better. er. The ZMan 4 SwimmerZ has become a go-to plastic for mangrove jack

13 I like to mix my retrieves up a bit, but I find the most consistent one is a double flick. Cast the plastic in tight to the snag and let it sink to the bottom then give it two sharp flicks before letting it sink back down. If bites are hard to come by I ll try a burn and kill retrieve, which is a few quick cranks then a complete stop. I started trying this retrieve after getting quite a few hits while cranking my lure back in after working a snag over. Since then I ve tried a few stops while retrieving in open water and a few different speeds and this has produced a couple of really nice jacks. A heavier Snake Head is needed to keep the ZMan under the water when doing this though. I like to use heavier heads of 1/4oz and 3/8oz anyway when snag bashing for jacks, as most of the water I fish is fairly deep. The lighter models are excellent for shallower work in less current, but they struggle to get right down in deeper snags. The holidays will be upon us soon, so there will be plenty of people out chasing these elusive estuary thugs. Grab a couple of packs of 3 MinnowZ and 4 SwimmerZ and some Snake Heads to match and get down to your local river for some snag bashing. Remember to lock those drags and don t give them an inch! Cheers. A 3 MinnowZ in Houdini rigged on a TT Snake Head jighead did the job on this solid jack

14 A Fish of a Lifetime By Cameron Cronin One windy and wet Monday afternoon I was sitting at home on the computer when I got the urge to get out and go jew fishing. I m not sure why I did to be honest, I think it was a combination of a gut feeling and me wanting to get out and do something different. Within five minutes of making my decision I had already rigged up my favourite jewfish combo, a 2500 Daiwa Caldia loaded up with 15lb Power Pro on a 3-7kg Millerrod, with some 20lb fluorocarbon leader. To this I tied a ZMan 4 SwimmerZ in the Hitch colour on a TT Lures Tournament Series 3/8oz 5/0H jighead. I didn t know it at the time, but this gear was about to produce the fish of a lifetime! A little while later I stepped out into the cold, wearing every bit of wet weather gear I owned and made my way towards a deepish stretch of water I had previously identified while kayak fishing. I had a strong belief that if a big jewfish was anywhere in the area it would be there. After arriving at the beginning of the section I planned to fish, I fired out a few casts and was instantly rewarded with a few decent flathead and some small tailor, which is all ways a good indicator that bait is in the area. While catching these smaller fish kept me occupied for a while, I reminded myself not to lose sight of what I had set out to do in the first place. I packed up the gear and headed towards the deepest section of the bank which comprised of a fairly deep hole that, based on previous sessions, seemed to hold a few decent fish. After a few casts straight out to towards the opposite bank, the wind picked up and I decided to shoot out a long cast at a 45 degree angle so that my line wouldn t get blown around as much. About halfway through the retrieve, I let the lure sink all the way to the bottom before imparting four quick hops to the little SwimmerZ, lifting the lure around three metres from the bottom. As the lure sank, I felt a tap. At first I was convinced it was just another small flathead, but then logic took over as I realised the lure was nowhere near the bottom at the time meaning it could be only one thing a jewfish! Big jewfish (mulloway) are a prized capture in the rivers and estuaries

15 As soon as I set the hooks my suspicions were confirmed as the fish responded with a massive set of powerful runs. Thirty seconds later I glanced down at my spool only to find that backing was clearly in sight and the fish was showing no signs of slowing down remember I am on a 2500 size reel! At this stage I increased the drag pressure on my little reel to around 5-6kg, finally stopping the fish in its tracks. With around 100m of line out, my next priority was to get the fish in close as quick as possible in case a boat came and drove across the line. Fortunately I was in luck as the fish then doubled back around and came straight back at me! Winding as fast as I could, I feared the worst for a few moments before I came back into contact with the fish as it changed direction once again. Now the unseen beast decided to take another course of action, swimming parallel to the shore around twenty metres out, making the most of the remainder of its energy by beginning yet another series of powerful runs and head shakes, before it finally started to slow. Finally I began to gain line only to have it taken back in a determined push back for open water. After around fifteen minutes of this I managed to gradually bring the fish close to shallower water. At this point all hell broke loose and the fish made a last ditch effort to escape, with a run almost matching the opening one s power and distance. By this stage though the fish had given it all and had nothing left. Slowly the spool started to fill up again. Within five minutes, I had the fish close enough to angle its head towards the surface of the water and see what had intercepted my SwimmerZ a jewfish! As it thrashed across the surface its true size was revealed and a worrying thought came to mind, how was I going to land this thing?! With my lip grips buried deep within my bag fifty metres away, the only option left was to beach it! It was at this point that I began to shake from more than just the cold, there was no way I could let myself lose this fish! The next five minutes are a blur all I remember is watching a massive dark shape, lit up by the silver dots of the lateral line enter knee deep water, before diving on top of the wildly thrashing jewfish! I had done it!

16 Cameron s fish of a lifetime After dragging the fish up onto the bank and retrieving my lip grips I let out a sigh of relief. At this stage it was clear that I had completed my long standing goal of landing a one metre jewfish on a lure, but how big would it actually go? As I (with great difficulty) lifted the fish onto the brag mat, I almost pinched myself when I saw that the tail was a touch over the 140cm mark! YES! Now all I had to do was swim the fish until it returned to full health and then somehow get a few pics. Fast forward fifteen minutes and it wasn t exactly going to plan. The fight seemed to have taken its toll on the behemoth jewfish and instead of improving as I swam it, the fish s condition was actually deteriorating! At this stage I knew deep down that this fish probably wouldn t live to swim again, but I didn t give up hope until I realised that it was now dark and the jewfish was so weak it couldn t even stay upright without my help. With release no longer an option I was absolutely crushed but I knew I couldn t let it get to me and had to focus on the next task at hand. To cut a long story short, with no phone and nobody around, I couldn t contact anyone and after a few pointless attempts at self timer pics (the fish was way too heavy to hold and get into place within the ten seconds) I decided to make the 1 km trek, while dragging the fish behind me through the water, to a friend s waterfront apartment. I called my family, who arrived just in time for a break in the rain, long enough to accommodate a quick photo-shoot! A big thank you to everybody that helped out with the capture; my brother Mitchell Cronin for some awesome photography, Jonothan Overall for spending an hour in the bucketing rain helping with the fish and of course TT/ ZMan lures who supplied the gear that was the reason this awesome capture occurred in the first place BRING IT ON!

17 By Andy Chew The rod loads and the lure swings through its arc, only to be sent sailing out into a flooded creek mouth, lost now in the glow from the sun rising over the horizon, splash at least it s not in the mangroves for a change. I strain to watch the braid for the telltale twitch as the 2.5 Copper Penny ZMan GrubZ curl tail plummets into the depths. The braid stops sinking, heralding the plastic s arrival on the bottom, so with a couple of quick upward flicks I bring it to life again. As it falls, the braid twitches, I lift the rod gently and the little TT 1/4oz 1/0H finds its mark, rod buckles and the little XTS howls in protest as another barred grunter falls victim to this deadly little plastic. The initial hit and run is electric, and these golden hued opponents will bury you in any underwater timber given the chance, so as much pressure as you re game to put onto the 6lb braid is needed to turn them away. After a dogged fight, getting them out into open water they finally give up and slide into the net. And so begins a day on the grunter. Andy with a solid grunter on the 2.5 GrubZ

18 For those that don t know the barred grunter (Pomadasys kaakan) grows to about 80cm, but a good one for here is anything over 60cm. Grunter are commonly found in most northern estuaries around any gravel bank, deep hole and any fallen trees in deeper water. Early morning and late afternoon they can be targeted in shallower water, around a metre deep, particularly on a rising tide and their turn of speed, and some may laugh, rivals the giant herring, which we catch in the same area. As the sun rises the bigger fish tend to move off the shallows and lay along the drop offs, which is where we target them. We are finding the use of the sounder essential, as we will move from the mouth of the creek right up on the incoming tide, as I believe these schools move a long way with each tidal movement.

19 Typically we rig using the aforementioned 2.5 GrubZ, but a lot of grunter have also fallen this year to the 4 StreakZ Curly TailZ, mostly in Motor Oil and New Penny. After the tide turns and starts to run out, the fish become a little easier to target, as they position themselves at any reasonable drain mouths and wait for the baitfish to leave the creek. Positioning the boat slightly downstream, casting into the shallow creek mouth, and hopping the plastics down the incline proves to be a winning combination for these guys. As with most fish, a lot of grunter will hit on the drop, so keep a good eye on the braid as it s sinking. All sorts of bycatch can be expected when using this technique, from barra, diamond trevally and threadfin salmon, to the normal bream, flathead and a few small jewfish. As the tide nears the bottom, locating bait schools in the deep holes on the corners of the creek works well. It is then just a matter of moving around with the bait. Don t waste time fishing a hole without bait showing as the low tide bite window is fairly small, rather shoot up to the next corner and check there. As far as eating qualities go grunter, in my opinion, take some beating in the estuary, so it s not uncommon for a couple to make it to the table. So for something a little different, grab a light rod and give them a go, you won t be disappointed. Pete Jones with a solid 59cm Grunter on a 4 StreakZ Curly TailZ in New Penny rigged on a TT 3/8oz 4/0H jighead

20 Australian Bass engulfs ZMan FrogZ By Dave Brace Addicted to surface action chasing Australian native species? I recently put a tackle tactic to the test, chasing wild Australian Bass in their natural habitat and the lure presentation did not disappoint! It consisted of a TT Lures 1/8oz, 6/0 Tournament Series SWS (Snagless Weight System) jighead combined with either a ZMan White 4 Hard Leg FrogZ or Natural Chartreuse Belly 4 Pop FrogZ. It proved to be irresistible to a number of Australian bass during the earlier parts of spring. Attached to the jighead was a Gamakatsu #1 Trailer hook, included because of the sheer size of this lure, compared to the size of the intended target species. As it turned out, the trailer hook was definitely not needed on many occasions, as several bass engulfed the entire lure, legs and all!

21 In tight, snaggy country, fishing with a 7 graphite rod, a 2000 spin reel spooled with 10lb braid and a 15 to 20lb leader, will give you the utmost confidence in landing these incredible hard fighting fish. When wild Australian bass reach sizes of 50cm+ and once they know they have been hooked, they ll fight just as hard and twice as dirty as a mangrove jack. Their huge caudal fin can displace a lot of water in a very short time, so battles with these larger bass are usually won or lost in the first three to four seconds of the fight. If complacent the angler will be left bewildered, wondering what the heck happened, as everything goes slack and the bass finds its freedom. On numerous occasions spent walking the upper reaches of many local creeks chasing wild bass, I have found that taking note of the various life cycles of the indigenous amphibians, lizards and insects, that also call these creeks home, has been advantageous. The term Match the Hatch has been used for decades, however more often than not it has been used to refer to what the fish are feeding on beneath the surface of the water, not above. In clear water, after a long stint of no rain in my local catchment area, bass will hold just below the surface and tight to snags, directly beneath cascading trees and shrubs that overhang these creek edges. Here they wait for an easy meal to fall from the native fauna above.

22 The thought of casting an oversize lure that resembles a large frog or lizard whilst targeting Australian bass, just plain doesn t seem right. However, over time, witnessing various feeding traits and attributes of these iconic fish has shown that sometimes it s the smaller bass that are more aggressive when they re in a feeding mode. Using larger lures that replicate the bass s natural food source outside the water, will even astonish the more experienced freshwater anglers in terms of what these fish will devour if given the opportunity. Fishing in the peak of summer, one day a few years back, I can vividly remember scrambling through the scrub to reach a small grassy, vegetated part of the bank overlooking the three metre wide creek at this particular section. Directly below was an inside bend of the creek where sand had built up over time, leaving a remarkable beached section of bank. On the other side of the creek lay the gnarliest lay down where the water was a lot deeper and where the creek ran considerably faster. I d hoped to cast a few lures to this snag, however upon arriving at this section of creek I noticed two bearded dragons at close proximity, basking themselves on the heated sand below. They were approximately 20cm in length. I decided to stealthily sit down, watch and take in my surroundings. Before too long, I accidentally spooked one of these lizards and sent it flurrying down the sand and onto the water. It rapidly skipped across the surface, with a slap of its feet with every step it took, causing quite a commotion. When it reached the other side of the creek, where this horizontal snag lay, an awaiting bass of little size inhaled this unsuspecting bearded dragon to my absolute astonishment. It was only then, my perception of these fish changed dramatically, now knowing too well the size of the prey they d engulf when an opportunity presented itself.

23 By using a high rod action, whilst retrieving the FrogZ with a fast retrieve, the lure skims across the top of the water and makes for some spectacular fishing. Unwary bass on most occasions will become fixated on the lures vibrations and bubble trail, especially if the lure is cast deep into the snags, thus luring the fish further away from it s underwater haven. Bow waves will soon appear behind your lure, caused by the bass s shoulders breaching the surface, as you wait poised in anticipation for your lure to get slammed. If they do Dave s Zman Pop FrogZ rigged with a stinger decide to eat the lure you will then witness an exploding mass of water upon the fish s strike. The ZMan FrogZ range has proven itself time and time again whilst chasing Murray cod out west on the surface and metre plus barramundi up north. Now the FrogZ have also claimed another Australian iconic sports fish, the Australian bass. Dave with a bass that engulfed the ZMan Pop FrogZ, legs and all!

24 SNEAK The birth of the TT Lures HEADLOCKZ PEEK After taking out the Best Terminal Tackle Award at the 2012 AFTA (Australian Fishing Tackle Association) Show on the Gold Coast, TT Lures HeadlockZ HD jigheads are now in the hands of anglers and the feedback has been fantastic. Most new developments come out of necessity and this was the case with HeadlockZ HD. The Team at TT Lures were looking at a more effective solution for locking the cutting edge, super-soft and flexible, 10X Tough ZMan soft plastics onto the jighead. Many anglers quite happily use a tiny dab of super glue, such as Loctite Super Glue Gel Control, to lock the soft plastic in place so they can cast hard, work the soft plastic aggressively and keep fishing, even after a strike, knowing that the soft plastic is locked in place and swimming correctly. In fact many tournament anglers have been gluing their assorted brands of soft plastics onto the jighead for years for these exact reasons. For anglers that didn t like carrying or using super glue, an alternative option was needed. Sometimes the simplest ideas are often the best and this was the case with HeadlockZ. TT Lures Managing Director Gareth Williams was talking to TT Pro Kris Hickson about ZMan and the fact that it is an incredible plastic, but due to its softness it can slide on the grub keeper. Kris remarked that nothing slips on a TT Lures HWS (Hidden Weight System), so why don t you have a separate grub keeper so that the plastic can slide on easily over the grub keeper and then lock back down onto the hook.

25 The rest is history, masters, moulds and prototypes were made, fish were caught, HeadlockZ were put into production, the award was won and now anglers everywhere are fishing ZMan, the ultimate soft plastic, on the ultimate jighead! HeadlockZ are also suitable for other brands of soft plastic and again, offer the benefit of locking the plastic more effectively onto the jighead, so that you spend less time rigging and fixing plastics and more time fishing! HeadlockZ HD are built on a brutally strong Mustad, chemically sharpened black nickel hook, so they are capable of handling jighead destroying species such as snapper and mangrove jack. They are initially available in 3/0 (1/8, 1/6, 1/4, 3/8 & 1/2oz) and 5/0 & 6/0 (1/8, 1/6, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 & 1oz), with 1/0 and 2/0 HeadlockZ HD available le mid December If you fish ZMan plastics or want to give them a try, make sure you check out the range of TT Lures HeadlockZ HD Series jigheads. Cheers, Team TT Lures Aidan Robertson even managed to tame his first black marlin on a TT HeadlockZ HD in 1/4oz 5/0

26 Going Back to Basics By Owen Mcpaul Emerging through fog, lifting from the waters in scenic locations, with building anticipation of that first precision cast that may lead to the whistling of a screaming drag, a quick violent tussle that lasts for seconds, maybe minutes, while the whole time feeling like an eternity, never knowing what the outcome will be until that scoop of the net lands the species you set out to target. This may not be everyone s cup of tea, but for myself and many other keen anglers there is no better feeling or adventure than trying to tame the iconic Australian wild river bass. This is one fish that holds a special place in my heart and I spend every spare second imaginable on the water with the hope of doing battle with this special freshwater species. I will brave the early morning starts and just about any weather conditions possibly thrown at me in the hope of just one memorable encounter. Owen with a quality bass on a ZMan 3 MinnowZ in Houdini rigged on a TT jighead

27 As any keen angler will be aware there is always room for improvement regardless of your skills and just when you think you have a particular species worked out something will change and you will question everything you thought you once knew. At times this can make it as difficult as the first time you ever threw a lure. Of late I have spent multiple trips trying out one technique, until I felt I had it perfected. By doing this I am hoping that when I target these species when they are hard to catch and seem shutdown, meaning we know the fish are there and it s just a matter of presenting the right presentation to trigger them to bite, I ll have a range of techniques to draw on. Tackle Tactics have the ideal lure for tough bites in the ZMan 3 MinnowZ and I have had some tremendous results while targeting these shutdown fish. I have taken a technique we commonly use on shutdown bass in impoundments during the cooler periods of the year and converted it to work for me in the rivers. It is a very slow approach, unbelievably easy and I look at it as going back to the basics because anybody can do it the hardest part is the precision of your cast. I m choosing to fish the deeper drop offs and sloping banks, that range in depth from 15 to 30. One thing we do know about bass is that they are often harder to catch as they go deep and appear to be inactive. This is why I decided to start working the bottom rather than snags and structure. I m choosing to fish 1/8 and 1/6oz TT Lures jigheads with 1/0H hooks, to try and expose as little of the barb on the hook as possible, rigged with a ZMan 3 MinnowZ. My favourite colours have been Houdini and Rootbeer Gold, but there is a great range of colours to roll through. These two colours seem to stand out for me, as the waterway I have been spending my time on has dark, brackish, tea tree stained water and is the run off for a swamp marsh. Two of Owen s favourite 3 MinnowZ colours for bass, Houdini & Rootbeer Gold

28 My approach has been very basic. I cast hard up against the bank and let the lure work its way to the bottom, allowing the weight of the lure and the wobble of the paddle tail to do all of the work. I watch my line for any twitch, if attacked on the way down, at the ready to strike. Once on the bottom I let the lure rest for up to fifteen seconds; anybody familiar with the ZMan range will be aware that the plastic is naturally buoyant and once hard on the bottom will sit with the tail up, wobbling. I have had a few fish suck the lure straight off the bottom!

29 I also strongly believe that a bass will follow a lure down and hold above it, watching and waiting for any sudden movement to strike. It is often that first movement, after settling on the bottom, that will trigger a fish to strike and I have found this technique pays dividends when fishing with spinnerbaits also. Once I have let the lure rest, I follow this with the slowest of retrieves, barely ticking the reel over and covering around 4 to 5 metres at a time, before dropping the lure back to the bottom and repeating this sink, pause and slow roll back to the boat. It is so simple and this is why I refer to it as going back to the basics. This is a technique that is working well for me and I know it will pay off for anybody who has had trouble catching bass on plastics and is willing to give it a try.

30 Click to check out - Z-Man Lures Australia Facebook TT Lures Facebook TT Lures Fishing TV ZMan Lures Fishing TV Dean Dibeler in action (Photo: Mark Thompson)