Z-Man SlingBladeZ

[kadas]

Latest and greatest. Everyone will fall for it. Like the overrated Jackhammer and Teckel

This is just my opinion so please not too much hate but I bought 3 or 4 Zman chatterbaits when they first came out several years ago --and I know they might have improved their quality control since but all of them just fell apart fishing them--not catching fish--just fishing them. Needless to say Zman will never get any more of my money for any of their products. Their prices are too high for a product that has not shown me they will stay together for a descent amount of fishing time--JMO

[DrewFlu33]

Looks like $8-$9. We were pretty spot on!

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Z-Ma...age-ZMSBL.html
https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Z-Ma...ge-ZMSBSP.html

[eyra_kid]

So I received a half-dozen SlingBladeZ from Z-Man this week, and got the chance to throw one yesterday. 3/8 oz double willow because that is what I typically throw.
I know they won't be available until fall, but I wanted to give you guys a review. My initial impression is and then $$$. As in...I'm gonna win some tournaments with these.

I know there are a billion spinnerbaits out there. I've got a box full of them on a shelf that didn't do what I expected them to do. Name brand, $5 and up spinnerbaits.
Most didn't make the cut because the small willow blade wouldn't spin consistently, no matter how I tweaked it. Some had too stiff a wire, and some the wire too flimsy. Too stiff and it lacks vibration, which triggers bites. Too flimsy (like titanium) hangs up in wood too often in my experience. Which is where I throw them 90% of the time. I can replace skirts and sharpen hooks, but I can't replace the wire.
War Eagles have been my choice for a long time, but it's no secret they're not real durable.

This SlingBladeZ has all the features I like in the War Eagle. Wire-wrapped pro-tied skirt for flare, stout VMC hook and the blades spin flawlessly. From the looks of the head, they appear to be very durable. Time will tell.
The wire is a special kind of stainless steel. It is supposed to replicate piano wire, but keep the durability of stainless. I believe it. You can feel the vibration through the rod. In hand, the wire is thin and it feels like it has more spring than a typical stainless wire. Hard to describe, but it feels just right.

I'll report back after putting these through the ringer for a month or two.

@kadas I'm a little skeptical about your claims, to be honest. And your post adds nothing to this thread. Chatterbait has been out for much longer than "several years". About 15 years if I recall. I wish I had a $1 for every tournament that's been won in that time. I've been fishing them about that long as well. In that time, I've broken 2. Don't ask how many War Eagles... I'm not sure what there is to "fall apart" on a bladed jig with a direct connection. About the only possibility is the blade disconnected from a jig eye that wasn't fully closed. If that's the case, I'd suggest returning them to Z-Man and see if they'll replace them.

[Big Guy]

It's just another spinnerbait I'm sure the bass were pondering As always funny stuff

[eyra_kid]

It's just another spinnerbait I'm sure the bass were pondering As always funny stuff

I'm so glad you felt the need to comment. Please keep these nuggets of wisdom coming.

[DrewFlu33]

It's becoming a trend. Big Guy comes in and makes fun of people on this board for any attention to detail at all. 17 lb fluorescent blue Stren tied to a snelled Eagle Claw or a $1 Wal Mart spinnerbait. It's just a hook, it's just a spinnerbait! For the record, I'm all about simplicity. But when you're trying to catch fish that have seen whatever you're throwing a hundred times, sometimes you need to try something different.

Thanks for the review. I'm sure I'll end up grabbing a few to try out. War Eagles have always been good for me, but I quit buying them after losing more than one nice fish, namely nice smallmouth, due to the wire breaking off at the head. If this has that action but doesn't break, it's well worth the price.

[Big Guy]

It's becoming a trend. Big Guy comes in and makes fun of people on this board for any attention to detail at all. 17 lb fluorescent blue Stren tied to a snelled Eagle Claw or a $1 Wal Mart spinnerbait. It's just a hook, it's just a spinnerbait! For the record, I'm all about simplicity. But when you're trying to catch fish that have seen whatever you're throwing a hundred times, sometimes you need to try something different.

Thanks for the review. I'm sure I'll end up grabbing a few to try out. War Eagles have always been good for me, but I quit buying them after losing more than one nice fish, namely nice smallmouth, due to the wire breaking off at the head. If this has that action but doesn't break, it's well worth the price.

Not making fun of anyone Drew . Throw something different? I wonder how many bass have seen a Jackhammer now that guys bought into the hype? It’s not different it’s common. Anything new will wear off in time. Same goes for this spinnerbait. I’m sure I’ll try it and probably love it. Not as much as my Jimmy Houston Red Man spinnerbaits from the ‘70’s though. I know the bass don’t see those everyday

[DrewFlu33]

Totally agree with you there. I also get the gist of what you’ve been saying in general - I think we do give the fish too much credit at times - but it’s also no fun when someone puts a lot of thought into something then goes to the effort of typing it up and sharing it only to be told they’re being ridiculous for having done so. I went too far in exaggerating it, so my apologies for that.

[Big Guy]

Totally agree with you there. I also get the gist of what you’ve been saying in general - I think we do give the fish too much credit at times - but it’s also no fun when someone puts a lot of thought into something then goes to the effort of typing it up and sharing it only to be told they’re being ridiculous for having done so. I went too far in exaggerating it, so my apologies for that.

Aww I read all your stuff. Don’t mean to step on toes. I also wonder if this will bring any people back because the spinnerbait isn’t “trendy” at the moment. I’ve never put it down

[eyra_kid]

Drew, thank you. You worded my thoughts better than I could have.

Big Guy, I apologize for my sarcasm, but your comment really rubbed me wrong. I've got thick skin, but the Lounge has enough of that. I would venture a guess that you've been fishing a spinnerbait longer than Drew and I've been alive. Share a little bit of your thoughts on what makes a good spinnerbait. I'm curious what makes the Jimmy Houston Red Man spinnerbait good. I've got some old blades I use from time to time, but never heard of those.

I am pretty picky on what I think makes a good spinnerbait. SlingBladeZ checked all the boxes for me on paper, and it sure looked and felt good in the water. Just thought I'd share an honest review.

[Big Guy]

Drew, thank you. You worded my thoughts better than I could have.

Big Guy, I apologize for my sarcasm, but your comment really rubbed me wrong. I've got thick skin, but the Lounge has enough of that. I would venture a guess that you've been fishing a spinnerbait longer than Drew and I've been alive. Share a little bit of your thoughts on what makes a good spinnerbait. I'm curious what makes the Jimmy Houston Red Man spinnerbait good. I've got some old blades I use from time to time, but never heard of those.

I am pretty picky on what I think makes a good spinnerbait. SlingBladeZ checked all the boxes for me on paper, and it sure looked and felt good in the water. Just thought I'd share an honest review.

Me too kid. Sorry. Those old Redmans were the staple when spinnerbaits ruled. At least when I was stationed in Oklahoma . Nothing special just bulletproof with the old flat rubber skirts and copper Colorado blade. One came in a solid green color that is hard to duplicate

[eyra_kid]

Water under the bridge, Big Guy.

Interesting stuff on the Redman. I'll have to ask my tourney partner about them. He's old enough to remember them, and probably still has some. He opened my eyes about fishing a spinnerbait, and its a lot more than just chunk and wind.
When do you like to use copper blades

Happened to find this article trying to find a picture of a Redman. http://www.bassfan.com/tips_article/...egum-and-grape
I don't know if there's any truth to bubblegum and grape spinnerbaits, but I might have to tie a couple up.

[Big Guy]

I forget who made the first ones. He took the design to Bill Norman and the head changed slightly. Google Norman Redman spinnerbait should pop up. Loved that and the awesome Fleck Weed Wader. I remember we threw spinnerbaits on a pistol grip 5 1/2 foot Skyline Graphite rod with a big ol 5500c 14 pound Trilene line. A few of us got deadly accurate with that. Good times back then

[FishinDad]

Thank you guys for bringing this back to a civil, informative discussion. I too am sick of the constant flaming, gotcha messages that are pervasive across this forum. Humor is one thing. Sniping comments should just remain unsaid.

One thing I'm surprised about with these spinnerbaits is that there is no black or black and blue. Any sense in whether they plan to extend the line to include darker colors? Thanks again

[eyra_kid]

I forget who made the first ones. He took the design to Bill Norman and the head changed slightly. Google Norman Redman spinnerbait should pop up. Loved that and the awesome Fleck Weed Wader. I remember we threw spinnerbaits on a pistol grip 5 1/2 foot Skyline Graphite rod with a big ol 5500c 14 pound Trilene line. A few of us got deadly accurate with that. Good times back then

I'll look it up, Big Guy. I remember starting with a pistol grip rod, and then a 6 foot Abu Black Max. I can barely throw them now! I've heard of the Fleck as well. I still use some short-arm Aggrivator spinnerbaits in late winter/spring.

[eyra_kid]

Thank you guys for bringing this back to a civil, informative discussion. I too am sick of the constant flaming, gotcha messages that are pervasive across this forum. Humor is one thing. Sniping comments should just remain unsaid.

One thing I'm surprised about with these spinnerbaits is that there is no black or black and blue. Any sense in whether they plan to extend the line to include darker colors? Thanks again

I would imagine with this initial introduction they just stuck to some basic baitfish colors. I don't know whether there any plans to expand the color line with darker colors in the future.

[DrewFlu33]

That was always my issue with War Eagle as well. Try to find a darker color like a green pumpkin or black and blue. I never had much luck. Given the colors Z-Man offers in the Chatterbait, however, I’m optimistic we’ll see more colors here.

[eyra_kid]

The bluegill color in the double willow looks pretty good.

I don't often see a black/blue spinnerbait unless it's a night-time model. I've used those in very muddy water, but seems to me like a situational color on a spinnerbait.

We use chartreuse or white, or a variation 99% of the time. All about the reaction bite for us. How often do you guys use blacks and greens?

[DrewFlu33]

That's all I use, except on the river where we have shad and up north where shiner and cisco populations are a bigger deal. It's bluegill first, second, and third for our bass, and a lot of the "bluegill" colors are way too colorful - green pumpkin with a chartreuse accent is my best bluegill imitator for most of our lakes. The main exception is on the lakes where the water is really stained, then those colorful bluegill imitators start to shine, and often a black and blue combo will still out-produce it. To be fair, the Z-man version of bluegill doesn't overdo it nearly as much as many others seem to do.

If I could get easily spinnerbait blades painted the same (green pumpkin with a chartreuse stripe around the trailing edge) I'd be all over that as well, but with chatterbaits doing so well around weeds I don't throw spinnerbaits enough to make it worth pursuing that level of custom. Instead, I've had Paul at ACT make me bluegill patterned baits with copper blades so that I have that colorful look when I want it, and just remove most of the bright strands for the less stained bodies of water. This has worked pretty damn well for me.

And because I know it starts sounding a little out there to use a spinnerbait for mimicking bluegill, it's been incredibly eye opening for me over the years just how often small bluegills will ball up just like shad around here. As the summer sets in, what I assume are year old bluegills (2ish inches) ball up tightly over the tops of the weeds or even out off the edge and scatter when a pike or bass busts them, or when a shadow goes overhead, or when an angler in a boat gets too close. Schools of hundreds if not thousands of them all the way through the fall. Get a nice wind going and the bass will really chow down on a spinnerbait.

[Casslaw]

Ok guys I’ve read the whole thread and the things I agree with are “confident in” and “phases”. I remember when the first Terminator spinnerbaits came out with the titanium wire...I loved that spinnerbait and it was my GO TO bait in Florida at most times and I loved it. My problem, personally, is how most spinnerbaits I see these days are all double willow! Especially ones, like this one, that have the small tube between the blades.

In clear water without the crazy funky gunk weeds we get down here in Florida that tube gets filled with gunk so often it’s unreal, and if I happen to hook a mudfish(bowfin) I just lost 10-12 bucks cause they destroy everything.

I would usually put a nice Indiana blade on my old terminators to slow them down and add some pulse.

I bought some Terminators recently not even paying attention that they weren’t titanium...to me they’re junk!

I did find some KVD Strike King spinnerbaits locally with an Indiana blade and it’s right now my confidence bait, it’s the one in this fishes mouth. This is the spinnerbait I’m throwing right now and the white with silver skirt is working for ME.

Will I buy the slingbladeZ? Yep, I will try then out but I, personally, rarely throw a double willow, so I will change the blades up and see how it works.

When did we get to a point of having different opinions mean one person is wrong and the other is right!? I’m in Florida, you’re in Wisconsin, or where ever...different things work in different places. Lures are made to catch us, not fish imo...we make them catch fish by customizing them.

I do like the way this skirt is copper wired on, don’t like that tube between the blades...doesn’t make me right or wrong, just my opinion. I do know I carry 50 spinnerbaits on me at all times and there are 2-3 that I have any level of confidence in so the lures caught me like they were made to!