STRIKE KING ZTOO FISHING LURE REVIEW
Length - 5 inches
Weight - 1/2 oz
Manufacturer - Strike King
Full Name of Fishing Lure - Strike King 3x Plastics ZTOO
Rating (1 to 10, 10 being best) - I give this a 9
Type Surface to bottom and everywhere in-between
Depth - various
Colors and patterns - 7 that I know of
Fishing for - The list would be too long. This lure is great for fresh and salt water. I have not yet found a fish that will not at least look at this lure.
Setup - Use weedless type hooks like the Mustad Ultra Point Impact Hook, Owner TwistLock open Gap and the weighted TwistLock. Anywhere for 2# to 5# depending on the fish you are hunting. Keep it weedless so you can work this in any type of structure.
Where to use these lures – This is a great lure in the flats or under mangroves. Anywhere you want, it will work. What you need to do is use proper weights for depth. This lure floats, so just using a hook will not make this lure go under. Fact is, it can be used as a topwater lure.
Technique - Cast under structure, such as boat docks and mangroves. Little twitches to make the lure bounce off of the bottom will make a fish look. In flats, bounce it off of the bottom, or even work it as a topwater. Working this bait slowly seems to work best. Let the lure sit between pulls (pause), you will find a lot of your hits will be when it’s sitting on the bottom or dropping. A large enough sized hook with no weight will make this lure drop very slowly. This works great in very shallow water where you find Reds feeding and has almost no sound when hitting the water after your cast. The key is to experiment with it.
Angler ability - In the flats and open water, this is a very easy lure to work. For someone new or learning, it is a great lure. As for fishing around structure like docks and mangroves, this will be a little more challenging. Skipping a lure under mangroves is not something you learn overnight or from a book or video. So as in so many things, it just takes a bit of practice.
Additions - Weighted hooks are a must, so again, depending on water depth and how fast you want this lure to drop, you need to experiment. Hooks with no weight also work but the lure will tend to stay on top. However, this is a good thing in very shallow water.
Note from Randy - I have used these lures in all colors depending on what bait is around. I have caught fish in less then a foot of water, to channels as deep as 20 feet. What I like about this lure is that if you have used soft baits before you have had smaller fish chew the tails off. This, as you know, can get frustrating and costly. This lure is so strong I have had puffer fish hanging on the end of it and still they did not chew the end off. The one thing I did find is that this lure does not take heat. It will melt into your other soft baits, so keep them separated. And try to keep the heat away from them. Also, screw type hooks are hard to get into the end of this lure - it is so soft that it takes some work; so maybe think about having some set-up before going out, so you're not doing this when your into some good fish. Other than that, they are a really great lure. The salt imbedded into them really gets a fish to hang on, and just the feel of this lure you will notice is very different then other soft baits. Use these like other soft baits and I am sure you will also get hooked.
