In an increasingly expensive world, getting value for money with your tackle has never been more important. Whilst not particularly new on the market, brands like ZMan have found ways to help consumers in this department… Namely, by making soft plastics out of much stronger, hardier materials, which enables anglers to catch fish after fish without needing to replace the plastic.
Whilst I’m a fan of many plastics in the ZMan range, one of their more recent additions, the HerculeZ Swimbait, has really taken my fancy in the past year or so… Available in 4, 5 and 6” in several proven colours, this swimbait has been dynamite on estuary predators all throughout the country, including barramundi, mulloway and large flathead. Read on for a closer look at what makes this swimbait stand out!
The first talking point is the hook. Built on extra heavy-duty Mustad hooks, the HerculeZ was designed with big, predatory fish in mind. What’s even better is the choice of hook size… Compared to most pre-rigged swimbaits on the market, the HerculeZ features an ‘oversized hook’. Not only does this increase the likelihood of converting bites to hook ups on larger predators, but it also allows the angler to confidently take the fight to the fish with a reduced risk of pulling hooks. Obviously, this is very subjective and depends on how the fish is hooked in the first place, but in my experience, once a larger hook is set, it tends to hold better under pressure. This is particularly the case for fish with hard mouths, like mulloway.
If the big, single hook still isn’t enough for you, or the fish are being finicky, then you may choose to add a treble to the attachment point on the underside of the swimbait. Alternatively, this can also be used to attach a chin weight if you’re looking to run the swimbait a bit deeper!
The second talking point is the size and profile. Compared to most pre-rigged swimbaits on the Australian market, the HerculeZ are relatively small. Interestingly, this comes with quite a few advantages.
Firstly, the smaller profile imitates a typical estuarine poddy mullet extremely well. Considering that poddy mullet are one of the main food sources for the predatory fish in our estuaries, it’s not difficult to see why these lures have been so successful… Secondly, the HerculeZ features a substantial internal weight, ranging from 3/8 to 1oz depending on the size of the swimbait. It’s small, heavy profile has minimal wind resistance, which is great from a casting perspective… I’m also a big fan of the boot tail design, which puts out plenty of vibration. This has proven to be extremely effective in catching the attention of fish at night, or in murkier water.
The final talking point is the durability of these swimbaits. As previously mentioned, being able to catch fish after fish on the one lure is extremely cost-effective. This is certainly the case with the HerculeZ… I’ve caught dozens of barra and several solid mulloway on the one lure, and guess what? It’s still rigged up for next time!
So if you’re in the market for an extremely durable swimbait that’s built for big estuary predators, give the Herculez a run… You won’t be disappointed!
