So after way too many years of waiting, the Z-Claw is finally back! This little 10cm lure is iconic with many of us "old boys", and back in the day it could turn a normal days fishing in to an epic day of surface bassing. The full range is here
Zenith, the company that originally produced the Z-Claw, had stopped making it about 6 years (or more) ago. The guys at Xorus (of Patchinko, Frosty & Asturie fame) negotiated a deal to produce the Z-Claw once again (under license) so we can have this belter of lure back in our shops and tackle bags.
The Xorus team have kept it 95% the same, only changing the lead weights to Bismuth (none rusting), and adding one extra ball in the rear for better balance and casting. This put the weight up from the original 20g to now being 22g. I (being anal as I am about tackle) weighed both the old version and new one without hooks, the old one is 18g and the new one is 21g (remember this is without hooks). They also improved the quality of the hooks to Decoy trebles, with a T-S21 #4 on the belly, & and a Y-S21 #4 on the rear.
In this picture below you can see one of my original Z-Claws on top, the ball bearing weights have dulled as they are lead, and on the new version, in the bottom of the picture, you can see the extra ball bearing at the rear.
So what makes this lure so special? Well there are days when you are struggling with your normal favourites, the conditions scream surface fishing but you are only getting rises or the odd fish. Well never forget the mighty Z-Claw, it just comes in to it's own somedays. On my boat one of us would try a Patchinko, another guy on the Frosty or Asturie.... and I would often pop on then Z-Claw. It is handy when you can do this, if there are 2 or 3 of you fishing together then mix it up to see what they want on that day.
The action of this lure is incredible, it literally walks on its own with only the slightest twitch of the finger grip on your rod to create the walk-the-dog action. In saying this though, on calm days it is indeed fine to just wind it back straight and slow to create a V-wake that fish home in on. I personally liked to work the lure fairy slowly with the tip of my rod quite close to the water. This makes the lure displace more water on the nose and allows the lure to dip under the water a little, which can drive the fish crazy. If you are fishing it in head-on winds or slightly choppier seas, then yes, have your tip up higher to keep her on top more.
Anglers have said "the lure gets lost unless the sea is flat calm", maybe to us it does, but honestly it doesn't to the bass. Of course you have to match a lure to the conditions you are faced with, but still try the Z-Claw even if you think it's a little too choppy.
It is to this day the only suface lure I have caught a wrasse on, a surprise to both and the fish!
And in this picture below you can see the conditions were perfect for surface lures (where have these days gone I ask myself?)
There was a small run of a pattern that I called the "Orca" as it looked like a killer Whale. I was determined to catch on it, and an evening trip on our east coast a few years ago got me 2 or 3 on it if I remember. Such an odd colour of lure but I loved the contrast of the pure white belly and black top, it suited the light around me that evening.
One very sunny afternoon I remember vividly, the wind was a very strong North West 6, so myself and Bob nipped in close to the shore along Greve D'azette (a beach on our south coast). The water was gin clear, I knew we would struggle so I opted for the Z-Claw in a Fire Tiger pattern. The reason I am mentioning this fish I caught is because the sea was fairly rough and the Z-Claw was getting lost in the chop, but the lure, be it its profile, sound or colour, pulled out this cracking bass which was the only one we caught on our 2 or 3 hour trip that day. I had had this lure for a while and not been confident with the colour, but on literally the last cast on a 30 minute drift I pulled out this one over 6lb (picture does not do it justice).
So with 12 colours to choose from where do you start? I myself narrowed my choice down to 3 colours for where and when I tend to fish them. Of course yours might differ in your region due to surroundings and bait fish there, but my favourite 3 patterns where:
Light Waka, for most days I am using one, bright sunshine and or clear water:
White, for every occasion, the age old adage "if you don't know what colour to put on then start with a white". Works fantastic on many days from dawn time to dusk time, overcast sky, murkier than normal water, to broken fluffy white clouded days and of course where there is white water, foam or bubbles.
Black Mullet, I used when water was dirtier than we normally get, bear in mind though our water here is never as dirty as it is in many parts of the UK. I like a solid bodied colour for normal over cast days and normal water conditions.
Well I hope you are as excited as I am about the return of these lures, I have been worried about losing the few I have so it's a welcome return for me. They are now all in stock and available here