LURE OF THE MONTH

WORM-like lures such as these 4in Z-Man Hula StickZ are actually what is known as a Stick Bait/ Tube hybrid and come from a long line of similar bass fishing finesse rigs, stretching back to the 1960s. Made from a special type of plastic called 10X Tough ElaZtech, they are virtually indestructible, making them perfect for targeting lure-shredding predators! Impregnated with salt for added flavour, this type of lure is quite curious. It takes a leap of faith to use them, because at first glance they don’t seem to offer a great deal, unlike a fish-shaped paddle-tailed shad, for example. But, what they seem to lack in the hand, they make up for once immersed. The construction of these lures means that they float. When combined with the domed Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig heads creating a ‘Ned Rig’, the lure stands vertically off the lakebed. Whether this makes them look like a burrowing worm or a feeding fish to a hungry perch, pike or zander isn’t known, but what is known is just how effective these lures are. Available in six colours, they are supplied with six to a pack, available from www. lurelounge.co.uk. The real leap of faith comes when you fish them. The best way is to cast, let the lure sink naturally under its own weight and then either ‘dead stick’ them (the lure is left still on the bottom) or very, very slowly twitch them back, 6in at a time, with lengthy pauses in between. “It took me a while to get the confidence to put one on and fish it in this way, as it goes against the constant ‘cast and retrieve’ ethos of lure angling,” said IYCF Features Editor Mark Parker. “But, when I got my first three-pounder and a handful of twos on the same day, the first time I used them, my attitude changed in an instant. “They are now one of my favourite ‘go-to lures,” he concluded.