Tackle Reviews

Zoom Z Nail Review

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Zoom Z Nail Review

Every so often, you run into a bait design that’s extremely simple but flat-out catches giant bass. I’ve been using the Zoom Z Nail for a long time and it’s one of my go-to baits when the fishing gets really tough. I didn’t really want to let the cat out of the bag with this review, but I just had to tell our readers how effective this little bait is. There are 4 specific things I love about the Z Nail.

  • Unique action
  • Casts well
  • Versatile
  • Durable

The segmented body makes a lot of difference

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The Zoom Z Nail features an extremely soft, segmented body that allows for a really unique action in the water. As it falls through the water column, it has a very tight shimmy and pulsates without any added action from the angler. When the fishing is tough, bass don’t always want a big, bulky bait jerked around in front of their nose, which makes the segmented body of the Z Nail so effective.

This subtle, yet enticing action has resulted in countless big fish catches for me around post-spawn fry guarders, mayfly hatches and even under docks and heavy cover on days with a high barometric pressure.

Unique profile promotes versatility

It’s hard to fish a Z Nail incorrectly, but over the years I’ve found a few presentations that really allow its distinctive action to shine. The majority of my Z Nail fishing is done with a wacky rig—following a long cast, I simply let it fall on a controlled slack line while incorporating very small twitches. When you let it fall, it sways side-to-side due to its tapered tail design.  More often than not, your bites are going to come on the initial fall, which makes it a great way to dissect heavy cover.

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I’ve also had a lot of success covering expansive flats with the Z Nail rigged on a weightless Texas rig. On bluebird days when the bass aren’t interested in crankbaits, this is an outstanding alternative. I make a really long cast and twitch the Z Nail like I would a soft jerkbait while letting it fall on a slack line. It’s important to watch your line, because the bass will hit most often eat it on the fall.

This bait also excels when fishing docks in ultra-clear water. I like to rig it on a 3/16-ounce shaky head and drag it around any vertical structure connected to the dock. When I get it near a post, I’ll stop dragging it and just shake it in place to allow that tapered tail to do its magic.

Casts well

Because it has such a small profile, the Zoom Z Nail skips like a stone across the water. It doesn’t catch a lot of water on its initial impact with the water, so even novice anglers can get it very far back into cover.

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It also casts very well in open water—it’s only 5 1/2 inches, but it’s a fairly dense bait. Its castability enables you to throw it on heavier line and use a smaller weight and stouter rod in thick cover to avoid breaking off big bass.

Durability saves you money

The Zoom Z Nail is very durable, even when wacky rigged. Many stick baits tend to rip and tear after just 1 or 2 fish, but that’s not the case with the Z Nail. It’s not uncommon to catch 5 or 6 fish on a single bait. It also holds up very well to skipping. I love to skip Z Nails under docks and I don’t have to worry about them coming off of the hook.

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I recommend the Zoom Z Nail to anyone who likes to fish soft plastics. Just because it has a dainty profile doesn’t mean it won’t catch big bass. Priced at $4.39 per 10-pack, they’ve produced a lot of my bigger fish on guide trips and in tournaments which is why I always keep them stocked in my boat.

The Zoom Z Nail is available at TackleWarehouse.com.