“The new Guppy GrubZ is anything but just another curly tail bait,” notes Z-Man Brand Manager and multispecies angler Ryan Harder. “Not only does this bait swim and tail-spiral at the widest range of speeds—including on the drop—it’s also designed to withstand numerous bites from toothy critters and those little machine-gun tail pecks from smaller panfish.”

Next-level bait details begin with its purpose-driven, paper-thin curly tail. “The Guppy GrubZ’ softness and expanded tail surface area empower it to activate and corkscrew at even the slowest retrieve speeds,” notes Harder.

“Foremost in designing the bait, we addressed several common curly tail issues. To bolster its soft, razor-thin tail, we implemented a slightly thicker, semi-rigid ‘spine’—essentially a meatier slice of ElaZtech, which extends into the initial (dorsal) section of the curly tail.

“You may not even notice it’s there, but this little spine helps prevent the tail from fouling during faster retrieves, which is often an issue among traditional curly tails. This little tweak also reinforces and strengthens the tail section, preventing it from being prematurely cut or sliced, allowing you to deploy a single bait for hours of fish-catching action. That’s a huge bonus when you’re catching and sorting through dozens of panfish in short order.

Further empowering the bait’s allure and water-thumping action, the Guppy GrubZ’ natural minnow torso and head boost the bait’s physical presence among crappies, perch, trout and all panfish. “We built the bait with a flattened face, which matches right up with either a Micro Finesse ShroomZ™ or Micro Shad HeadZ™ jighead. The result is a clean, seamless profile that presents fish with a totally natural target. Alternatively, try rigging it on a ChatterBait® Flashback® Mini for even more underwater action.”

The Guppy GrubZ' tough and chewy ElaZtech body withstands countless tail-pecking strikes.

Creating extra fish-attracting visuals, the Guppy GrubZ is imbued with bulging eyeballs and accentuated ribbing all along its torso. “The rib cages produce subtle vibration and generate micro bubble trails that predatory fish detect and track back to the source,” Harder further suggests adding dabs of scent, such as ProCure Crappie & Panfish Super Gel, which adhere especially well to the bait’s 3D ribs.

Freshly stocked at fishing tackle retailers in concert with spring crappie bites, the new Z-Man Guppy GrubZ delivers freewheeling action, lifelike buoyancy and the toughness to survive countless panfish attacks. Crafted with care at Z-Man’s South Carolina based bait labs, the 2” Guppy GrubZ features ten alluring crappie/panfish colors, including glow and high-vis hues as well as earth tones for tricky bites. MSRP $4.99 per 8-pack – zmanfishing.com.

About Z-Man Fishing Products: A dynamic Charleston, South Carolina based company, Z-Man Fishing Products has melded leading edge fishing tackle with technology for nearly three decades. Creator of the Original ChatterBait®, Z-Man is also the renowned innovators of 10X Tough ElaZtech® superplastics, among the most coveted baits in fresh- and saltwater. Z-Man is one of the fastest-growing lure brands worldwide.