The traditional bobber and worm combination has been a staple for years when catching all types of bluegill. It’s simple, straightforward and bluegills will devour worms. Then the Z-Man Micro bait range came along and bream and bluegill attack these lures with a vengeance – no live bait required. If you love catching bluegills, you have to try this easy to use micro bait system.
THE Z-MAN PANFISH STARTING LINE
This line of little treats has been around for a few years now, and Z-Man has added some new colors and designs over time. They have lifelike features and realistic profiles that mimic small baitfish and maggots very well, attracting even the most stubborn fish. The smaller profile means that both bluegills and crappies can easily inhale these baits, and the super sharp hooks easily pin the fish.
Anglers can create a variety of color combinations, but the hue doesn’t seem to matter much. Whether the water is clear or murky, these lures go against textbook practice. Most anglers are used to using natural colors in clear water and pink, white, chartreuse, and other bright colors in dirtier water. With these lures, it doesn’t seem to matter!
A good friend, Jordan Rhodes, accompanied me to a local pond to test these micro baits. I also recently fished several small lakes and ponds in Nebraska and Iowa and found that whether the water was crystal clear or discolored, we could use virtually any color of bait and still catch something. Not only did we catch a lot of gills and slabs, but they were the biggest in the lake!
BABY BALLERZ
The most productive bait for us was the Baby BallerZ on a Micro Shad HeadZ. It seemed to catch fish in all the lakes we fished. The body of this lure is ribbed, which can increase water displacement and create a trail of bubbles for the fish to focus on. The tail has a subtle movement that looks very nervous.
SHAD FRYZ
The Shad FryZ is a paddle tail style swimbait that resembles a tiny shad. We were pleasantly surprised by the movement the ElaZtech plastic creates in this tiny swimbait and had no trouble getting both gills and slabs on the hook. We paired it with the Micro Shad HeadZ and cranked it through bait balls that crappies and bluegills were feeding on. It’s so realistic I even confused it for the real thing a few times!
STINGERZ
We didn’t want to limit ourselves to just one baitfish imitation, so we checked out the Z-Man 2-inch Straight Tail Micro Baitfish. The StingerZ looks and feels like a young shad of the year and rigs easily on the Micro Shad HeadZ. Both the Shad FryZ and StingerZ are great options when the sunfish are after these tiny shads, but the StingerZ has a slightly different action than the swinging tail.
MICRO GOAT
Another bait we appreciated was the Micro goat. It can imitate pretty much anything that crawls or swims in the water. The fluttering motion of this lure will attract fish whether you fish it fast or slow. You can even make it smaller by cutting off part of the head area. But we found that the Micro Goat worked just fine right out of the box.
Micro-TrD
The Micro-TRD is just like its big brother, the TRD. This Ned-style lure is just as reliable at catching sunfish. It has a swirling motion when it hits the bottom; that is, if it makes it there! Green Pumpkin was our favorite here on a Micro Finesse ShroomZ Head size 1/15 or 1/20 ounce.
SMALL CLITTERS
A cousin of the Micro TRD is the Little TicklerZ, This is a smaller version of the Z-Man TRD TicklerZ, one of the best Ned style lures on the market. It is super buoyant thanks to the 10X tough ElaZtech material and comes in a variety of colors that make it a big hit with sunfish. This lure can also be combined with the Micro Finesse ShroomZ.
LARVAZ
The 1.75 inch long LarveZ is an invertebrate imitation with large bulging eyes and a tapered, ribbed body with a segmented, nervous tail. At first glance, this bait looks a little fragile, but don’t let that fool you, because it is very durable and lasts quite a long time on a Micro Finesse ShroomZ head. Even with its smaller size, it caught the fish’s attention. We really liked the green pumpkin color, but the red is awesome, we even caught a few smallmouth bass! And this bait can be fished in the good old bobber and worm style.
This makes things exciting
To keep things simple, Z-Man offers two basic jig heads that can be combined with the panfish-sized lures. When we Micro Shad HeadZ We were satisfied with the quality and technology of the package. The ShroomZ has a traditional mushroom-shaped head with lifelike eyes that entice fish to bite, and comes in four sizes from 1/10 to 1/30 ounce. Both have sharp, lightweight wire hooks and keepers that hold the bait in place.
However, due to the sturdiness of ElaZtech, there is a trick to getting the bait over the holders. You have to pinch the bait and pull away and over the holder to properly place the bait. This is done on both sides of the bait. We never had to replace the plastic as it held perfectly on numerous catches.
HOW YOU LIKE IT
These bite-sized morsels can be fished any way you want. You can troll, cast, or dead stick fish. We’ve found that vertical jigging works just as well. For example, you can use a loop knot when using the Micro Shad HeadZ. The baits are very buoyant and the loop knot ensures that they stay horizontal.
There are a variety of techniques you can use when targeting bluegill with these micro baits. And they are great value for money as they are inexpensive and their durability will save you a lot of time and money. Choose a few to start with and see what works best for you. You will no doubt catch a lot of fish and have a lot of fun.
