Z-MAN - FINESSE SHROOMZ JIG HEAD

Z-Man Finesse ShroomZ Jig Head

The Finesse ShroomZ is the mushroom head the Ned rig was designed around. It is built to be paired with Z-Man's ElaZtech finesse baits — the Finesse TRD, Finesse ShadZ, TRD TubeZ, Hula StickZ, TRD TicklerZ, TRD HogZ and TRD BugZ. The flat mushroom face lands hook-up on the bottom and lets a buoyant ElaZtech bait stand upright and nod on its own, which is the whole basis of Midwest finesse fishing. The hooks are custom light wire in size 1 and 2 with a black nickel finish, nearly imperceptible to fish and light enough that a hookset on soft light-tackle gear drives home without a hard strike. A custom wire keeper welded onto the hook shank makes rigging quick and holds ElaZtech securely without glue; combined with the durability Z-Man rates at 10X ordinary soft plastic, one rigged bait fishes through fish after fish without re-rigging.

Key Features

• Mushroom head shape that stands ElaZtech finesse baits upright on the bottom
• Custom light wire size 1 and 2 hooks in a black nickel finish
• Welded custom wire keeper holds ElaZtech baits without glue
• Purpose-built for the Ned rig with Finesse TRD, TRD TubeZ, Hula StickZ, TRD HogZ and similar baits
• Supplied 5 jig heads per pack

How To Fish It

• The Ned rig — drag and pause — Thread a Finesse TRD onto the keeper, cast, let it settle on the bottom, then drag it 30–60 cm and stop. The pause is the presentation: the head sits flat while the bait stands and waves.
• Dead-stick it — Cast to a rock, stump or piling and simply leave it for ten to thirty seconds. Nothing about a motionless standing bait looks like a lure, which is why it keeps producing on pressured days.
• Hop and shake — Small 15–30 cm lifts let the light head fall slowly and the buoyant bait swing tail-down.
• Choosing the weight — 1/15 oz for shallow, clear or calm water and the slowest fall; 1/10 oz for wind, current, deeper flats or when you need to feel the bottom clearly. Fish the lightest head that still keeps contact.
• Fish it on slack line — Keep a semi-slack line through the pause. A tight line pulls the bait over and stops it standing up.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Hampala barb (sebarau) on rocky river and reservoir bottoms, peacock bass along clear margins, jungle perch and mahseer in highland streams, and small grouper or rockfish on light inshore gear.
• North America — Its home water: smallmouth and largemouth bass on gravel, rock and clear reservoir flats, spotted bass on deep points, plus crappie, walleye and perch.
• Japan & East Asia — Largemouth bass in pressured reservoirs where finesse rigs dominate, and rockfish (mebaru, kasago) on light game tackle around harbour structure.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Australian bass, estuary perch and bream over rock and oyster; perch and zander on European canal and lake bottoms, where the standing pause suits cold, clear winter water.

Specifications

Colours: Green Pumpkin, Black, Chartreuse, Red. Weights: 1/10 oz and 1/15 oz.

Recommended Pairing

• ElaZtech finesse baits: Finesse TRD, Finesse ShadZ, TRD TubeZ, Hula StickZ, TRD TicklerZ, TRD HogZ, TRD BugZ
• Light or medium-light spinning rod, 6'6"–7'0", with a soft tip that lets fish hold the bait
• 10–15 lb braid with a 6–10 lb fluorocarbon leader, or straight 6–8 lb fluorocarbon
• Store ElaZtech baits away from ordinary PVC soft plastics — the two react in contact