January 31, 2014
By Ned Kehde
Glenn Young of Blythewood, South Carolina, is the National Sales Manager for Z-Man Fishing Products, and on Jan. 30, he posted his insights to the Finesse News Network about how he wields a ZinkerZ spin.
He wrote: "I started playing around with it last year. We had a lot of high-water conditions, and the water was often a little stained. I had known about this technique for a while and decided that the conditions definitely warranted giving it a shot. I attached a small Colorado blade to the back of a five-inch ZinkerZ and was pleasantly surprised with the results.
"My method of attaching the spinner to the ZinkerZ was a little different than the one featured in the Midwest Finesse column entitled 'The ZinkerZ spin and its precursors.' I attached the spinner with a wire eyelet rather than the braided-line method that was featured in the column. What's more, I rigged the five-inch ZinkerZ on a 4/0 Gamakatsu Ringed Superline EWG Worm Hook that features a solid ring attached to the eye of the hook. The ring gives the lure a little more action and freedom of movement -- especially if you have to use a heavier leader. (I typically fish with light line, so that's usually not a hinderance). Gamakatsu makes the Ringed Superline EWG in a 2/0 size, which works well for smaller baits.
"I found that a gold blade produced really well in the stained-water conditions, and it required hardly any effort on my end to get it spinning.
"I also used it successfully on the back of the FattyZ in similar conditions.
"It's definitely a quick and easy means of adding some flash to a bait and to a technique that typically doesn't have any."
Endnotes:
(1) Here's Young's description of the eyelet that he used to attach the spinner and swivel to the ZinkerZ: "I used a piece of wire and basically made a haywire twist with it and bent a tag piece backward toward the blade to act as the keeper. I push it in and up to the swivel and then pull the material up and over the keeper to ensure that it stays on. It's very easy to insert into ElaZtech and seems to stay on pretty well."
(2) Mike Poe of Siler City, North Carolina, reported to the Finesse News Network on Jan. 27 that an Owner American Corporation's Twistlock Centering-Pin Spring is an effective eyelet to use to attach an Owner's Flashy Accent Trailer Blade to the ZinkerZ. Poe recommends heating the Twistlock before it is inserted and screwed into the tail of the ZinkerZ. He opts for an Indiana-style blade on his Owner's Flashy Accent Trailer Blade. He also recommends using the 2/0 Twistlock.
(3) Here's the link to the original Midwest Finesse column on the ZinkerZ spin: http://www.in-fisherman.com/2014/01/24/zinkerz-spin-precursors-3/.
