Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

It all started with the plastic worm and has now mutated into a huge array of specialized offerings. Whose is the best and which one is your favorite? Come share your thoughts and opinions here.
Real Pudd legend
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Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by Real Pudd legend » Sat Oct 31, 2015 12:57 pm

Hey guys ,

Just recently started to do some Ned rigging , bought some Zinkerz under the impression that they are buoyant and float after being in the water after a bit . I bought a few packages and soaked them in water for about 2 hrs . Only 2 floated out of the entire 18 . Pretty disappointed , is this normal or am I doing something wrong ? Please help

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Re: Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by a1712 » Sat Oct 31, 2015 1:22 pm

Stretch them out a good bit first and soak them. The soaking is to remove the salt. I pour all my Ned Bullets without salt. Brian.

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Re: Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by Real Pudd legend » Sat Oct 31, 2015 1:52 pm

I noticed that they will change color a lot due to the stretching like a fading color . Will it still be effective?

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Re: Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by Bassmar » Sat Oct 31, 2015 2:24 pm

Aren't Zinkers supposed to zink? :lol: Or is the name misleading?

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Re: Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by Real Pudd legend » Sat Oct 31, 2015 2:30 pm

They said they are naturally buoyant lol they all sink but are suppose to be floating when rigged weightless ... Did some research and found some great stuff . Zinkerz have 45 % salt , trd's have 30% as well with the hula stickz. Which means out of the package the less salty baits will float sooner . I stretched the Zinkerz and they began to float but the color starts to lighten up , not sure if that's a good thing in regards if it will be as effective as the normal out of package color . It does feel more pliable and lifelike so prolly it will work regardless lol.

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Re: Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by big_gee » Mon Nov 02, 2015 2:10 am

The Zinkerz are designed to sink and they will float if you stretch them out a bit to release some of the salt. They will lose some of the coloring when stretching them. I myself do not use the zinkerz and as I prefer the TRD. The TRD and Hula Stickz will float upright when rigged on the TRD system. Most of the Zman baits will stand up with this technique. I also the Finesse Shadz, streakz and Leechz for this technique.

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Re: Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by JerryC » Mon Nov 02, 2015 3:02 am

Stretch em...

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Re: Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by Fishingelbow » Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:58 am

Real Pudd legend wrote:Hey guys ,

Just recently started to do some Ned rigging , bought some Zinkerz under the impression that they are buoyant and float after being in the water after a bit . I bought a few packages and soaked them in water for about 2 hrs . Only 2 floated out of the entire 18 . Pretty disappointed , is this normal or am I doing something wrong ? Please help
Direct from Z-Man site:
"As versatile as they are productive, super-tough, salt-impregnated ZinkerZ sink slowly and tantalizingly when fished unweighted. Rigged straight, Texas, Carolina, wacky, or drop shot style, ZinkerZ outfish other soft stick baits, and won't tear apart after a single fish!"

><(((°>

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Re: Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by Bassmar » Mon Nov 02, 2015 12:28 pm

Fishingelbow wrote:
Real Pudd legend wrote:Hey guys ,

Just recently started to do some Ned rigging , bought some Zinkerz under the impression that they are buoyant and float after being in the water after a bit . I bought a few packages and soaked them in water for about 2 hrs . Only 2 floated out of the entire 18 . Pretty disappointed , is this normal or am I doing something wrong ? Please help
Direct from Z-Man site:
"As versatile as they are productive, super-tough, salt-impregnated ZinkerZ sink slowly and tantalizingly when fished unweighted. Rigged straight, Texas, Carolina, wacky, or drop shot style, ZinkerZ outfish other soft stick baits, and won't tear apart after a single fish!"

><(((°>

And hence the name. :doh: :lol:

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Re: Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by Real Pudd legend » Mon Nov 02, 2015 12:31 pm

I should learn to read lol

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Re: Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by Bassmar » Mon Nov 02, 2015 12:44 pm

Real Pudd legend wrote:I should learn to read lol

As the wise man said..........When all else fails then read the instructions
Been there...done that :lol:

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Re: Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by Fishingelbow » Mon Nov 02, 2015 12:51 pm

Don't feel bad, Pudd; real men don't read instructions (or ask for directions)! ](*,)

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Re: Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by eyra_kid » Thu Nov 19, 2015 2:01 am

It looks like you guys found your answer, but I'll confirm and add my take. I've been on the Z-Man pro staff since 2011, and started fishing with Ned Kehde around 2004.

Yes, the ZinkerZ is designed to sink slowly, like any other soft stickbait. It takes a lot of salt to counteract the natural buoyancy of the Elaztec plastic.

When Ned (and myself and others) first started using the ZinkerZ and SK Zero (halves) on what would become the "Ned Rig," we noticed that the more fish we caught on a bait, the better it worked. The salt would dissolve out, the bait would stretch and change color, and it became more buoyant and more flexible. A really well-worn ZinkerZ will have a spongelike consistency, and they work really well in that state. (They also hold scent better this way. We often spray Gulp! spray in the bag or apply Pro-Cure gel while fishing.) In fact, before a tournament, my procedure is to tie on a brand new jighead, and an old, worn ZinkerZ!

I wouldn't worry about the color change on the ZinkerZ as they get broken in. In my eyes, they look more natural as they break in. One of my favorite colors, which is no longer offered unfortunately, was called clear/silver flake. I would purposely stretch it and soak it till it turned a milky white color, and it is deadly in the fall and winter.

The TRD was obviously designed specifically to fish on the Ned rig. It has less salt so it fishes with similar buoyancy to a well-worn ZinkerZ. Both work very well.

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Re: Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by tditox4 » Thu Nov 19, 2015 11:04 pm

eyra_kid wrote:It looks like you guys found your answer, but I'll confirm and add my take. I've been on the Z-Man pro staff since 2011, and started fishing with Ned Kehde around 2004.

Yes, the ZinkerZ is designed to sink slowly, like any other soft stickbait. It takes a lot of salt to counteract the natural buoyancy of the Elaztec plastic.

When Ned (and myself and others) first started using the ZinkerZ and SK Zero (halves) on what would become the "Ned Rig," we noticed that the more fish we caught on a bait, the better it worked. The salt would dissolve out, the bait would stretch and change color, and it became more buoyant and more flexible. A really well-worn ZinkerZ will have a spongelike consistency, and they work really well in that state. (They also hold scent better this way. We often spray Gulp! spray in the bag or apply Pro-Cure gel while fishing.) In fact, before a tournament, my procedure is to tie on a brand new jighead, and an old, worn ZinkerZ!

I wouldn't worry about the color change on the ZinkerZ as they get broken in. In my eyes, they look more natural as they break in. One of my favorite colors, which is no longer offered unfortunately, was called clear/silver flake. I would purposely stretch it and soak it till it turned a milky white color, and it is deadly in the fall and winter.

The TRD was obviously designed specifically to fish on the Ned rig. It has less salt so it fishes with similar buoyancy to a well-worn ZinkerZ. Both work very well.

I agree . The only thing is that the hook hole gets enlarged(when you throw a cast the hole enlarges) and sometimes the bait flies off , even with a plastic keeper tubing piece over the hook.

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Re: Z man Zinkerz not floating ?

Post by eyra_kid » Mon Nov 23, 2015 2:10 am

Gosh, I can't say I've ever had a well-worn ZinkerZ or TRD fly off my jighead. Not sure what exactly you're using there.

All I've ever used are the Gopher Mushroom head jigs, and now the Z-Man Finesse ShroomZ.

The Gopher jigs stand out, imo, due to their centrifugal molding process. This gives them very sharp double barbs. But a well-worn bait can still slip down occasionally. That wire keeper on the Finesse ShroomZ works almost TOO well. I sometimes have a hard time removing a bait to change colors, but I sure don't lose any baits from flying off.

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