ZMan 2" Guppy GrubZ - How to Rig & Fish

The ZMan Micro Finesse BaitZ range of plastics has already proven itself on both finesse species, such as bream and trout, as well as many larger species that commonly feed on tiny bait, such as giant herring, tarpon, trevally and more. Favourites in the range include the 1.75” Shad FryZ and 1.75” Micro GOAT, however it’s a new addition that we believe could become the go-to in the range, the 2” Guppy GrubZ.

In this article I want to take a closer look at the design of the Guppy GrubZ, including initial thoughts, how I rigged and fished them, and share our first session fishing them... and what ate them. Fish on!

Description / Initial Thoughts

Out of the packet we were excited with the finished Guppy GrubZ and were keen to swim it, normally a good sign that the fish will be keen to eat it. ZMan’s 10X Tough, super-soft and flexible, ElaZtech material lends itself perfectly to a curl tail plastic, as evident in the popularity of the 2.5” GrubZ, due to the ability to create a thin tail, with loads of action, that will still stand up to the punishment dished out by the fish.

Firstly, the body. The perfect body shape for a micro plastic, with enough bulk for jighead rigging, eye and gill detail, and ribbing on the sides to create micro vibrations and hold scent, which is important when trying to tempt more finicky feeders. The body tapers nicely to the belly and at the tail end to minimise bulk around the hook point and ensure a solid hook set.

The unique tail design consists of a thicker tail section on the inner circle of the tail, fanning out to a razor thin edge on the outer circle of the tail. This thicker section ensures that the tail has structure and resistance to maximise action, while the thinner, outer section of the tail accentuates this movement, while adding natural realism.

This plastic looks and feels good in the hand and will immediately fire up anglers chasing bream, trout, redfin, bass, flathead, trevally and many more.

Rigging Time

There are a few options when it comes to rigging this plastic and the decision will come down to your target species, along with when and where you’ll be targeting them. I went straight for my go-to jighead for the ZMan Micro BaitZ range, a size 2 TT HeadlockZ Finesse jighead, built on a super-sharp, Gamakatsu black nickel, chemically sharpened hook. This is a great finesse hook, and it rides perfectly in the Guppy GrubZ.

This same hook is found in the TT HWS (Hidden Weight System) range of jigheads, giving anglers a belly weighed, hidden weight option for added realism and a natural, slow and horizontal sink. HWS jigheads are especially popular when targeting pontoons, mangrove edges, jetties and other structure where you want to skip the plastic right into the pockets and hold it up in the strike zone with a slow, natural fall.

The other option is a heavy wire hook, which is perfect for heavier drag settings when targeting fish around structure and when targeting larger species on micro plastics. TT HeadlockZ HD jigheads are the go, in a size 4, with a size 6 being added to the range soon, for those wishing to keep the hook as small as possible. The size 6 HeadlockZ HD will be available in a selection of favourite finesse weights, including 1/28oz, 1/20oz, 1/16oz, and 1/12oz.

Testing Time

The first opportunity we had to test this little 10X Tough curl tail, and we were exploring new water on a weekend away, locating a few canals and rock walls that looked pretty fishy. The water was dirty and flowing post-rain, so we weren’t overly confident that we would find too many fish. Rigging the 2” Guppy GrubZ on a 1/12oz size 2 TT HeadlockZ Finesse UV jighead, we began skip casting to pockets in natural vegetation, water movement and bait along the rock wall, and into the shadow pockets and poles around the pontoons.

The Guppy GrubZ skipped well and had plenty of action on the sink and on a slow rolling, twitching and shaking retrieve. It didn’t take long to get eaten by some quality bream, with many of the fish inhaling it, while the finicky feeders were still pinned in the lip with the chemically sharpened, fine wire hook on the TT HeadlockZ Finesse UV jighead.

At one point a hooked fish was brought up boatside, with another, larger bream trying to steal the Guppy GrubZ from its mouth. I dropped my Guppy GrubZ in half a metre away from it, gave it a shake and the bream fired up, fins flared and switched straight onto my plastic, drilling it at the side of the boat. Yep, they wanted to eat it!

It wasn’t surprising either that we caught a stack of river trevally. These GTs ranged from palm size to around 45cm and they were all over the micro curl tail. I have previously caught trevally to 60cm on the 1.75” Shad FryZ and 1.75” Micro GOAT while fishing the flats, so I knew that the trevally were fans of these little jellybean plastics. Quite often you see trevally blowing up schools of tiny bait, and I’m not sure if it’s for fun or food, but they always seem to end up with the ZMan Micro Finesse BaitZ firmly pinned in their mouth. Even after a feed, we all have room for a jellybean for dessert.

There’s not too much that you can do wrong when fishing this little curl tail, with a design that swims rather than plummets on the drop, and plenty of action on the retrieve. The fish ate the Guppy GrubZ as we allowed it to fall close to structure, as well as when twitched and paused, or slow rolled and shaken. I liked to fish it with relatively short twitches and series of shakes, making its movement look more natural in terms of its size.

Wrap Up

The ZMan 2” Guppy GrubZ is fun to fish, easy to fish and it has loads of built-in action that is perfect for those getting into fishing, and dynamite in the hands of experienced anglers. It’s snack-size profile ensures plenty of fish action, even on a tough bite, but don’t dismiss it as a novelty presentation due to its size as it has already accounted for a variety of species, including a stack of quality fish.

If you’re new to plastics or your gear is a little on the heavier side, then you may wish to start with a 1/8oz jighead, dropping the jighead weight as your gear becomes more finesse and you become more experienced in terms of casting, sink rates and feel for what the soft plastic presentation is doing in the water column. The ZMan 2” Guppy GrubZ now has a home in my kit, so stay tuned for upcoming videos that step through how to rig and fish this plastic, along with loads of fishing action.

Gearing Up

TT Rods Black Mamba Spin Rod – BMS701L, 7’, 1-3kg
Okuma Inspira ISX Spin Reel – ISX-C2000HA
Platypus Pulse X8 Braid – 8lb
Platypus Hard Armour Leader – 10lb-12lb
ZMan 2” Guppy GrubZ
TT HeadlockZ Finesse UV Jighead – 1/12oz, size 2
TT HeadlockZ HD – 1/12oz, size 4
Pro-Cure Super Gel Scent – Saltwater Yabby / Nipper

See you on the water...
Justin Willmer