April 28, 2016
By Ned Kehde
At the top is a Green-Pumpkin-Goby Scented LeechZ. The second from the top is a Green-Pumpkin-Goby Finesse T.R.D. The third one is a Green-Pumpkin-Goby EZ TubeZ. The bottom one is a Green-Pumpkin-Goby ZinkerZ.
Midwest finesse anglers are incessantly in search of new green-pumpkin hues that are enhanced with colorful and sparkling flakes. It is the contention of these anglers that a sparkling aspect of the flakes enhances the effectiveness of a green-pumpkin Midwest finesse bait, such as Z-Man's Finesse T.R.D. or its 2 1/2-inch ZinkerZ, on sunny days. Consequently, a goodly number of these anglers were delighted to see that Z-Man Fishing Products noted in its "2016 Product Catalog" that they have created a hue that they call Green Pumpkin Goby, which is impregnated with scores of purple and gold flakes.
We emailed Daniel Nussbaum of Ladson, South Carolina, who is president of Z-Man, and asked him about the geneses of this hue.
In an email, Nussbaum responded, saying that "several of our pro staffers requested a green pumpkin color with some purple flake for fishing for smallmouth in northern waters to mimic the gobies that are the prevalent forage there. We currently offer the following baits in this color: Finesse T.R.D., ZinkerZ, Scented LeechZ, and EZ TubeZ."
Nussbaum also provided us with some samples of the Finesse T.R.D., ZinkerZ, Scented LeechZ, and EZ TubeZ in the new Green Pumpkin Goby hue. On April 14, we spent 45 minutes working with the Green-Pumpkin-Goby Scented LeechZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig, and in that short spell, this combo inveigled 15 largmouth bass.
As our 2016 Midwest finesse endeavors unfold, it is likely that we will write a lot of words about the Green-Pumpkin-Goby Finesse T.R.D., ZinkerZ, Scented LeechZ, and EZ TubeZ in our monthly guides to Midwest finesse fishing.
At the top is a five-inch Green-Pumpkin-Goby ZinkerZ. Midwest finesse anglers cut it in half, which makes a 2 1/2-inch ZinkerZ, and they affix it to a Z-Man's Finesse ShroomZ jig or similar mushroom-style jig.
A 2 1/2-inch Green-Pumpkin-Goby ZinkerZ affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce mushroom-style-jig caught this six-pound, six-ounce smallmouth bass at a northeastern Kansas flatland reservoir on April 25. The gobies do not abide in the waterways of Kansas, but Midwest finesse anglers suspect that Z-Man's Green-Pumpkin-Goby ZinkerZ affixed to either a blue or chartreuse mushroom-style jig abstractly resembles a immature green sunfish, which smallmouth bass will forage upon.
Endnotes
(1) For more information about the Finesse T.R.D., Scented LeechZ, EZ TubeZ, and ZinkerZ, please consult these four links to Z-Man's website:
(a) http://zmanfishing.com/store/categories/elaztech/finesse_TRD .
(b) http://zmanfishing.com/store/categories/elaztech/zinkerz .
(c) http://zmanfishing.com/store/categories/elaztech/scented_leech .
(d) http://zmanfishing.com/store/categories/elaztech/eztubez .
(2) Nussbaum also noted that Z-Man will introduce a much awaited finesse tube at the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades at Orlando, Florida, on July 12-15. It is a solid-body tube, and its prototype name is the 2.75-inch T.R.D. TubeZ. Initially it will not be manufactured in Green Pumpkin Goby, but if all goes well with sales and enough anglers clamor for a Green-Pumpkin-Goby T.R.D. TubeZ, Z-Man will manufacture it.
This is the Green-Pumpkin-Goby Scented LeechZ that inveigled 15 largemouth bass in 45 minutes on April 14.
