As you know, I’m a big fan of DOA’s Figi Chix paddle tail. It’s currently my confidence bait and has put many a fish in the boat. But more recently I’ve had the opportunity to fish Z-Man Soft plastics. You’ve seen me replace my DOA shrimp with a Z-Man shrimp already, but I honestly don’t fish shrimp that much.
And then, I fished the Z-Man Chatterbait a few episodes ago and that put a nice fish in the boat. That got me wondering, should I choose DOA or Z-Man soft plastics for my tackle box? Is it time for a change or am I just experiencing Spring fever? Let’s talk about that as I discuss my four considerations and prove that Z-Man soft plastics put fish in the boat! Specifically, let’s see if the Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ 4″ paddle tail in the Houdini color paired with the Z-Man Trout Eye 3/16 oz. Jighead in the Chartreuse color can do the trick! Let’s go see what we can catch!
Should I choose DOA or Z-Man soft plastics for my tackle box?
Changing
It’s not easy to change your confidence bait. I’ve been fishing the DOA Figi Chix paddle tail for years. But something is leaning me toward switching. I think it’s the performance, presentation, and features that I mention in the video! The cost is a consideration, but the durability of the ElaZtech may be the ticket. The package says 10X stronger than other soft plastics, so if it lasts 2.6 times as long as the DOA as explained in the video, then the cost differential will be negated. I guess we’ll have to see as only time will tell.
Backstory
Some of you might notice that my shirt changes color during the episode! Why? It’s because this episode was filmed on two separate days a few days apart. The first day is when I caught that big behemoth of a redfish. I was wearing a dark blue version of the same shirt I was wearing on the second day. The second day I caught the speckled trout and the last redfish. Anyway, that’s why my shirt changes color. It’s two different shirts.
Also, you may have noticed that I’m using a different baitcaster than I normally use and that I’m only carrying one rod. It’s a long story, but Lew’s currently has both of my baitcasters and the prognosis is not looking good. I’ve had both since June (9 months) and their technician is stating that they both need to be replaced as they’ve rusted out. I’m still working with them on it though as one of them I already sent in for warranty service 6 weeks ago and no mention of rust came with the fix that they did on it. More on that later. What I’m fishing with is what is my one and only backup reel. As you can imagine, I hope to get this “reel” issue (see what I did there) resolved real soon!
Filming & Color Grade
For you techies out there, I decided to film this episode in the flat color profile on my GoPro Hero8’s and color correct and grade it myself. I hope there’s a visual improvement. I’ll keep trying to improve the quality! My goal is to eventually be able to get to “television show quality.” There’s nothing like a stretch goal to keep you motivated! So what do you think?
Hobie Eyewear – Snook
As you know from the video, this year I’m going to essentially wear a different pair of Hobie Eyewear Fishing Sunglasses in each video. Honestly, I’ll probably repeat a few from time to time.
In this video I’m wearing the Hobie Snook model and I’ve got to tell you…. Hobie is the exclusive provider of my eyewear this year … these sunglasses are great. My frames are satin black and the lens color is grey. They’re very comfortable, and very high quality! I highly recommend them.
If you’re interested, you can save 20% by clicking here and using code KFAHOBIE21 at checkout!
Tight lines everyone! Enjoy the video! And by all means, “Fish On!”
~Kayak Fishing Addict
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