|
Small Vibes Make Big (Bass) Impressions |
|
New Z-Man® SlingBladeZ™ Power Finesse Spinnerbait exhibits cutting-edge engineering in a compact package |
|
LADSON, SC (July 1, 2019) – Good bass-catching vibrations often come from small-scale sources: The beat of a yearling shad’s tail. The panicked contortions a baby bluegill in retreat. Flash enters the equation, too. Glints off the golden flanks of a wild shiner transmit the “food” signal to the eyes of all aquatic predators. Explosions of micro-bubbles and crystalline scales loudly announce an underwater attack. Few artificial lures mimic these aquatic indicators better than a small-bladed spinnerbait. Perhaps no other spinnerbait has ever offered more attention-to-details than Z-Man’s category-transforming SlingBladeZ. |
|
|
|
“When we realized what we had with the Z-Man SlingBladeZ Spinnerbait, I knew we needed a downsized, finesse version,” says spinnerbait specialist and MLF / Bass Pro Tour angler Luke Clausen. “The new SlingBladeZ Power Finesse bait has got to be one of the only super premium small-frame spinnerbaits built with high-end components— hooks, blades and skirts—plus a few tricks up its sleeve.” As lakes get more and more fishing pressure, notes Clausen, bass respond by biting smaller, less obtrusive lures. “The SlingBladeZ Power Finesse gives me a tool that can be worked through super-shallow water and will get me more bites under difficult conditions—heavy pressure, clear water and bright, calm days. Put a little Z-Man Slim SwimZ™ on the back and you’ve got a super-tuned spinnerbait in a compact package.” Representing an overlooked yet radically effective lure category, the SlingBladeZ Power Finesse Spinnerbait stakes its reputation on a talent for swimming arrow-straight at different retrieve speeds, without rolling. “We took a hard look at spinnerbait design and the reasons other lures fail to perform,” said Clausen, one of only four anglers to win both an FLW Tour Championship and a Bassmaster Classic. |
|
|
|
The result of the research and subsequent on-water tests yielded a totally customized StabilTrack™ spinnerbait head. “This unique head design actually has a grooved underbelly that channels water in a linear fashion,” Clausen explains. “Custom side flanges act like mini-rudders, further stabilizing the lure. We even refined the wire bend just forward the head. This tweak helps deflect grass and adds even more stability. “Anglers will take the lure’s stability for granted, and they should. But what they will notice from the first cast is the SlingBladeZ’ intense vibration. You’re going to feel that rhythmic thumping right up the line, through the reel and into your hands. Fished on 12-pound fluorocarbon and a light spinnerbait rod, you can almost hear it.” To achieve such finely-tuned vibration, Z-Man utilized a precisely-ordered arrangement of blades and spinnerbait wire. Custom-stamped willow, Indiana and Colorado blades feature jeweler-quality electroplated finishes for maximum light reflection and flash. Z-Man’s LiveWire™ 17-7 stainless steel frame actually enhances blade reverberation, a wire material that’s even more durable than standard stainless or piano wire. |
|
|
Z-Man’s SlingBladeZ Power Finesse Spinnerbait amps up the flash and vibration factors with custom-stamped blades with jeweler-quality electroplated finishes. |
|
Creating the perfect flare effect, the SlingBladeZ’s 100-percent silicone skirt adheres tightly to the head with hand-tied copper wire (unlike flimsy rubber bands, copper doesn’t break). Beneath its energetic skirt, a wire trailer keeper pins soft ElaZtech® baits and traditional plastics securely to the lure’s 4/0 VMC® O’Shaughnessy hook. Clausen chose this hook for its talents for hooking even short-biting bass. Clausen notes that while he’ll lean on the SlingBladeZ Power Finesse bait in pressure-laden tournaments, every day anglers will appreciate the lure’s “just catch fish” attitude. “Smaller baits just get more bites, period. For anglers who fish small ponds or rivers, this is a bait you can tie on and catch bass with all day long. The SlingBladeZ Power Finesse Spinnerbait also gives smallmouth anglers up north a lot of ammunition. “For me, this is sort of a secret largemouth bait. It’s money during the shad spawn. And it can produce way more bites when you’re trying to mimic smaller, young-of-the-year forage. Honestly, people look at a spinnerbait and think max size, flash and vibration is always better. But in tougher conditions, I think you can trigger a lot more bites on a power-finesse bait like the SlingBladeZ.” |
|
|
The goal was to put a high-end lure in folks’ hands that worked right out of the package, and just simply got more bites,” adds Clausen. “The SlingBladeZ Power Finesse is a tournament-quality spinnerbait in a compact package.” Available in double willow or Indiana-Colorado blade configurations, the SlingBladeZ Power Finesse Spinnerbait features ¼- and 3/8-ounce sizes and six carefully chosen color patterns, MSRP $7.99 each. For more information, visit www.zmanfishing.com, or stop by Z-Man booth #5118 at ICAST 2019. |
|
