April 17, 2015
By Ned Kehde
On April 12, we published a gear guide about the way Drew Reese of Rantoul, Kansas, customizes Z-Man Fishing Products' Hula StickZ. On April 15, Reese received several photographs from Chris Bell of Sioux Narrows, Ontario, featuring two humongous smallmouth bass that were recently caught on a Hula StickZ.
Chris Bell of Sioux Falls, Ontario, holds a seven-pound smallmouth bass that he caught on a Z-Man's Hula StickZ on a Z-Man's Finesse Shroomz jig.
One of photograph features' Chris Bell holding a seven-pound smallmouth bass. The other one features his girl friend holding a six-pound, three-ounce smallmouth bass, which was the first black bass that she had ever caught. Both of these smallmouth bass were caught on a Hula StickZ affixed to a Z-Man's ShroomZ jig. And shortly after she tangled with that six-pounder, she caught a four-pounder.  These smallmouth bass were caught in British Columbia, where Bell has spent the past two winters, enjoying the relatively moderate weather, and tangling with some gargantuan largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. The biggest largemouth bass that Bell has caught in British Columbia during the past two winters also weighed seven pounds, and it was caught on a Hula StickZ, too.
A six-pound, three-ounce smallmouth bass that was caught on a Z-Man's Hula StickZ on a Z-Man's Finesse ShroomZ jig.
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Bell is a is a long-time friend and fishing partner of Reese at the Lake of the Woods, where Reese spends his summers. And since 2011, Bell and Reese have caught untold numbers of smallmouth bass, northern pike, muskellunge, and lake trout at the Lake of the Woods on Z-Man's Finesse ShadZ, 3.75-inch StreakZ, Finesse T.R.D., Hula StickZ, Slim SwimZ, 3 1/2-inch GrubZ, and 2 1/2-inch ZinkerZ. But day in and day out, the Hula StickZ, which Reese designed for Z-Man, is their most prolific smallmouth bass bait. Not only does the Hula StickZ affixed to a Finesse ShroomZ jig entice vast numbers of smallmouth bass for Bell and Reese at the Lake of the Woods, it usually inveigles the biggest smallmouth bass of their outings.
Reese says the combination of the Hula StickZ and Finesse ShroomZ jig is the finest Midwest finesse bait that he has ever used, and he has been employing Midwest finesse baits and tactics since the 1960s.
