A New Twist On a Proven Shape

Since its introduction, the original 4” Zako has been my number one bladed vibrating jig trailer. Subsequently, when Yamamoto released the Swimming Zako, it instantly became a mainstay in my tackle arsenal, so when Yamamoto revealed the 3” Zako at ICAST last year, I was super excited.

As advertised the 3” Zako is a great trailer for use with smaller vibrating jigs and for times when you want a smaller profile on a standard sized bladed jig. The Zako’s smaller sibling has become a staple for me when paired with a Scrounger style oscillating jig head.

3” Zako + Scrounger = Bass

For as long as I can remember, the 4” Shad Shape Worm has been my go-to finesse Scrounger trailer. Out of necessity, I discovered that the 3” Zako makes for an excellent finesse trailer as well. I was on a good Scrounger bite until I ran out of Shad Shape Worms. I frantically searched through my boat and that’s when I came across my box of Zakos and the rest is history.

As effective as the Shad Shape Worm is, it’s nice to have options. With its bulky segmented body and forked tail design, the Zako provides a different look and action that the fish haven’t seen before.

Anytime bass are focused on smaller bait fish is a good time to throw a 3” Zako Scrounger.  It’s more subtle than a bladed vibrating jig and is perfect for fishing clear water and for tempting finicky fish. The 3” Zako is a great downsized offering that can be fished anywhere in the water column. It is the perfect choice for bass that have become conditioned to traditional paddle tail finesse swimbaits. Finally, don’t buy into the misconception that its diminutive size only tempts small fish because that is simply not true.

This past spring, I got dialed into three really solid patterns with the 3” Zako. During the prespawn I targeted fish relating to secondary points and the outside edges of spawning flats that were just starting to move up. I made long casts and simply slow rolled the Zako just above the bottom, occasionally making contact with the structure. Many of my bites came when the bait deflected off the bottom.

Once the bass completed their spawning duties and began their journey back to deep water, I used my forward facing sonar to target them. Many of these fish, primarily spotted bass would loosely relate to the structure and suspend. Once I located a pod of fish I would cast to them, and adjust my presentation based on what I was seeing on my forward facing sonar. Later in the day, the boat traffic would create prominent mudlines and the fish would move under them and suspend. This was a very reliable pattern.

Perhaps the most exciting fishing occurred during the shad spawn. When the fish wouldn’t commit to a topwater or when the surface action subsided, I would swim a Zako through the area. The fish would just load the rod and with a simple sweep set, the fish would be hooked up.

Tackle Specifics

I experimented with a number of different sized Scrounger style jigs, and the 1/8 oz to ¼ oz were the best fit for the 3” Zako. With that said, I typically start with a 3/16 oz size and adjust accordingly. The Zako comes in so many great colors. In clear water I really like Sexy Shad (9005), if I want something that pops more then I’ll go with Sight Flash (993) and if the water has a little color then I’ll opt for Chartreuse/Electric Blue (9007).

As this is a finesse presentation, I prefer spinning gear. I like to use a longer rod as it enables me to make longer casts, moves a lot of line on the hookset, and gives me better control when fighting a fish.  A 7’6” medium light action rod paired with a 2500 series reels works well. Finally I’ll spool up with 10 lb high vis braided line to which I will attach an 8 foot 7lb fluorocarbon leader with an Alberto knot.