Catch more speckled trout and redfish with this small plastic lure

Z-Man Slim SwimZ is a small lure that fishes big

While plenty of soft plastic lures are made to specifically target one species of fish, it’s no secret that anglers often successfully use those lures for other types of fish. It’s a little bit of serendipity for lure makers and anglers alike, and can often lead to claims of a “secret lure” catching all the fish.

The Z-Man Slim SwimZ is one of those lures that catches, well, everything, even though it was specifically designed for catching crappie. Capt. Rob Bennett of Lowcountry Inshore Charters said there is a lot to like about the Slim SwimZ, and he’s been using it a lot for speckled trout in the Bohicket area, where he’s been having some banner days catching these fish.

Bennett has been using the Slim SwimZ on Z-Man’s ShroomZ jighead. The 2 1/2-inch long bait pairs well with the jighead, and while many anglers may think the combination is too small for inshore fishing, that hasn’t been a problem for Bennett or any of his clients.

“I’ve been having 40 and 50 fish days out here on nothing but these lures, and it’s not just trout that are biting them. I’ve caught some nice redfish on this lure as well. They will bite it in a heartbeat,” said Bennett.

Looking for oyster shell banks with deeper water nearby is one way Bennett decides what makes a spot a good place to fish, and small feeder creeks are good too, especially at the mouth of those creeks where they meet the main river, and especially when the tide is running either into or out of that smaller creek.

While Bennett (843-367-3777) picks up a redfish or two while fishing for trout, he doesn’t mind targeting them in other areas either. This time of year, he’s finding them near docks. And where spartina grass, oyster shells, and docks all are present, he’s especially interested in these areas.

He works the SwimZ down the line of grass, and if he doesn’t get bitten early and often, he begins casting under the dock, careful not to let the lure settle on the bottom where it will often get snagged in oyster shells.

“You want to start reeling it before it sinks all the way to the bottom. Sometimes, the redfish will bite it as it’s falling just after you make your cast, and other times, they’ll hit it as soon as you begin reeling,” he said.

The SwimZ, like many Z-Man lures, is made with ElaZtech, a space-age plastic that can withstand the abuse dished out by many speckled trout and redfish. While some soft plastic lures are literally ruined after catching just a few fish, it’s not uncommon for lures made with ElaZtech to catch dozens of fish before they need replacing.