| Garrett Ellenson dominated the 2026 WON Bass Open on Clear Lake fishing a classic jighead minnow rig using the new 6″ Scented Jerk ShadZ in Smoky Shad. |
| Z-Man® Drops New 6″ Scented Jerk ShadZ™ |
| Ladson, SC —Z‑Man Fishing Products has expanded one of its most trusted and tournament‑proven bait families with the launch of the new 6″ Scented Jerk ShadZ™, a supersized soft minnow engineered for the modern bass angler and the rapidly evolving world of forward‑facing sonar (FFS).For years, the Scented Jerk ShadZ has been a powerhouse in both professional and grassroots tournament circles, used by Z-Man pros and non-sponsored anglers alike. The bait’s popularity has been fueled its ElaZtech® construction, offering two key advantages: natural buoyancy that keeps it sitting in a perfectly horizontal, lifelike posture at rest, and extreme durability that lets anglers fish longer and harder without constantly replacing baits. Its reputation was cemented on the biggest stage when Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson won the Bassmaster Classic using the bait as the centerpiece of his winning system.Today, with FFS reshaping how anglers target suspended fish, the demand for larger, more visible minnow style baits has surged. The new 6-inch size answers that call. It provides a bigger presence on sonar, draws more attention from quality fish, and is perfectly suited for the jighead/minnow technique dominating tournaments nationwide. |
| The new 6″ size for the Scented Jerk ShadZ filled the gap between the 5″ and 7″ sizes, rounding out an elite bait family. |
| That trend was on full display last month when Garrett Ellenson won the WON Bass Winter Open on Clear Lake, stacking up more than 98 pounds of bass across three days while relying solely on the 6″ Scented Jerk ShadZ in Smoky Shad to locate and trigger big fish with forward‑facing sonar. His commanding performance underscores exactly why this new size exists—and how quickly it’s becoming a go‑to tool for serious anglers.“The new 6-inch Jerk ShadZ has been a great addition to the lineup. It really lets me dial in the exact size and profile I need for each lake,” Ellenson said. “It fills a gap that’s incredibly helpful when you’re targeting largemouth and smallmouth feeding on bigger forage. It has the perfect amount of drawing power while still being a size almost any bass will eat.” |
| After catching numbers on the 5” version, Grae Buck upsized to the new 6″ Scented Jerk ShadZ, and this 9‑pound Florida giant was his first bite, proving the power of a bigger profile. |
| Clear across the country, Z‑Man pro Grae Buck showcased the nationwide effectiveness of the new 6″ Scented Jerk ShadZ, boating a 9‑pound Florida giant on the bait. “I had been catching a bunch of fish on the 5-inch Scented Jerk ShadZ. I decided to upsize to a 6-inch Jerk ShadZ which has a much bigger body and profile, and this was the first bite I got,” he said. His catch reinforces two truths: the bait produces coast to coast, and upsizing is quickly becoming a reliable way to target bigger bites.The new size has also earned a permanent place in the arsenal of Bassmaster Classic champion Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson, who has long relied on the Jerk ShadZ family for open‑water success. |
| Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson won the 2023 Bassmaster Classic with a 3-day total of 42 lbs 7 oz, all caught on a Bad Shad colored 4” Scented Jerk ShadZ, and is equally excited about the new 6” size for both bass and multispecies pursuits.(Courtesy of BASS) |
| “Much like the other sizes in the Scented Jerk ShadZ family, this new bigger version has quickly become a major part of my arsenal,” Gustafson said. “Last fall at home, I was actually getting more bites on the bigger profile than the traditional sizes. Across all species of bass, there’s a real trend toward upsizing, and it’s leading to more—and bigger—bites.” He added: “Rigged on a 1/4‑ or 3/8‑ounce jighead with a 4/0 hook, it has an incredibly natural swimming look in open water. And for multi‑species anglers, it’s been just as effective on oversized walleye, lake trout, and pike. This bait is going to stay in my rotation for years to come.” |
| Z‑Man’s proprietary 10X Tough ElaZtech material gives the 6″ Scented Jerk ShadZ a pair of performance advantages that set it apart in the jighead/minnow category. Its extreme durability allows anglers to fish longer, harder, and through more strikes without tearing baits or constantly re‑rigging—an essential benefit when targeting individual fish with forward‑facing sonar. Equally important, ElaZtech’s natural buoyancy keeps the bait riding in a perfectly horizontal posture on a jighead, creating a more realistic, hover‑like presentation that stays in the strike zone longer and mimics the suspended forage bass are keyed in on.The new 6″ Scented Jerk ShadZ is available in a lineup of eighteen high‑demand colors, including bass fishing staples like Smelt, Gussy’s Glimmer Blue, Electric Shad, and Bad Shad, and is available now at Z‑Man retailers nationwide. |