LADSON, SC – Tracking true as an arrow and grabbing predatory attention from all angles, Z-Man’s popular inshore terminal tackle hero—the Trout Eye® Jighead—just received a major upgrade.

Denoting its X-factor status, the new elite-grade jighead boasts multi-level enhancements, leading with what is likely the best saltwater hook in existence. Supercharging its proven, workhorse inshore jighead with an even stronger, sharper, more corrosion resistant hook and color boosted cosmetics, Z-Man unveils the new Trout Eye® X Jighead.

Weaponized with an exclusive 2/0 Mustad® hook featuring AlphaPoint® 4.8 technology, the Trout Eye X features twice the strength and ten times the corrosion resistance of the original Trout Eye. The jighook’s smooth Titan Steel (tS) coating is zinc nickel electro plated for a clean, shiny grey façade. The hook offers extreme, almost infinite saltwater resistance, lasting 500+ hours (versus a mere 48 hours for traditional black nickel hooks).
Trout EyeX Jigheads feature numerous inshore head/eye color patterns in three weights.

Forged with a lean, evil-sharp hookpoint, the Trout Eye X promises to max out your hookup stats, penetrating the toughest jaws with a simple sweep of the rod. Powered by Mustad’s AlphaPoint 4.8 technology —the next evolution beyond UltraPoint—this jighook features a slim, elongated, yet durable 4.8mm hookpoint length (vs 4.3mm for UltraPoint). This advanced hookpoint affords even more piercing power while maintaining 8 to 10 times more durability than competitive needlepoints—the perfect jighook for locking down bruising saltwater gamefish.

Once again boosting predatory attraction and creating a prominent strike target via a pair of supersized, captivating baitfish eyes, the Trout Eye X attracts even more attention, painting underwater strike zones with vibrant, colorful contrasts. The new jigheads are upgraded with hard-wearing powder coated finishes, set off by their complementary-colored, prismatic 3D eyes. Eye-candy color combinations include red/gold eye, black/glow eye, pink/chartreuse eye, chartreuse/red eye and pearl/pearl eye.

To further create seamless jig-softbait combinations, the X’s flattened, minnow-shaped head transitions to a narrowed collar armed with sharp, dual bait-keeper barbs that lock all soft plastics tightly in place.
New Z-ManTrout EyeX Jighead hooks are imbued with Mustad's wicked-sharp AlphaPoint technology.

“We sculpted the new ‘X’ with the same super-balanced, bait-enhancing head shape as the original Trout Eye jighead,” notes David Fladd, co-owner of Eye Strike Fishing®, Z-Man collaborators on numerous elite jighead designs, including the 2023 ICAST award winning DieZel Eye™ Jighead.

“The Trout Eye X’s flat-sided minnow profile breathes a lot of life into ElaZtech® soft plastics. Rigged with a Swimmin’ Trout Trick® or MinnowZ™, for example, the jighead helps impart a hypnotic rolling, wobbling action on a straight retrieve. In my opinion, rigging the new X with a 3-inch MinnowZ produces the most attractive swimming pulse I’ve ever seen. Cast this simple jig and plastic combo anywhere for redfish or seatrout and you’re set to catch a lot of fish, done deal.”

Bolstering an already top selling inshore saltwater jighead, coast to coast, the new Z-Man Trout Eye X (available in August) advances all levels of jighead anatomy. Fully upgraded with high-grade hooks and resilient, refreshed paint, the new Z-Man Trout Eye X Jighead is ready for inshore combat; offered in 1/8-, 3/16- and 1/4-ounce weights and five luminous saltwater-centric color patterns. MSRP $6.99 per 3-pack. Made in the USA by Z-Man Fishing Products in cooperation with Eye Strike Fishing.

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. Z-Man has long been among the industry’s largest suppliers of silicone skirt material used in jigs, spinnerbaits and other lures. Creator of the Original ChatterBait®, Z-Man is also the renowned innovators of 10X Tough ElaZtech® softbaits, among the most coveted baits in fresh- and saltwater. Z-Man is one of the fastest-growing lure brands worldwide.