Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads VS. Z-Man Texas Eye Jigheads
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads VS Z-Man Texas Eye Jigheads.
In this video, we’ll detail the Pros and Cons of Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads and compare them to a similar product in Z-Man Texas Eye Jigheads.
Learn more about each jighead and which one we recommend below!!
Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads VS. Z-Man Texas Eye [VIDEO]
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Featured Tackle & Gear:
- Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads
- Z-Man Texas Eye Jigheads
- The Mulligan
- Power Prawn USA Original
- Power Prawn USA Junior
The Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads came out late last year and we’ve been nothing short of impressed since.
This style of jighead enables you to cover deeper water with structure without getting snagged.
Traditional jigheads have exposed hooks that extend out from the artificial lure.
That significantly raises the risk of getting snagged on any invasive structure below.
Redfish, seatrout, snook, and flounder prefer to hold near structure most of the time.
Given that fact, having a lure presentation that can fish super tight to structure without getting snagged is one step closer to tight lines.
I personally have been fishing with the Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads lately simply because of that.
I can comfortably fish around structure without having to worry about getting snagged.
Hoss Weedless Football VS Z-Man Texas Eye
Generally speaking, both of these jigheads enable us to do the same thing.
That is to cover deeper water with structure.
The biggest noticeable difference is the Z-Man Texas Eye Jighead has a lure keeper on the hook shank up near the collar.
This gives you a huge advantage IF you are fishing with Z-Man lure material.
That keeper ensures the ElaZtech material used by Z-Man never falls off.
If you are fishing with ElaZtech lures, then this truly is a must-have item.
The Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads do not have that keeper but there is a benefit.
Non-ElaZtech lures can be rigged on Hoss jigheads without getting ripped up and torn.
The pointy-keeper on the Z-Man jighead shreds soft plastic lures that are not ElaZtech.
The 90-degree turn on the Hoss hook shank keeps your soft plastic lures in place while preventing further tears.
So it all really comes down to the type of soft plastic lure you are fishing with.
If you are fishing ElaZtech material, go for the Texas Eye Jighead.
If you are fishing with traditional soft plastics, I recommend using the Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads.
Lure Pairings & Combinations
The Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads were originally designed for the Power Prawn USA so they wouldn’t fall over on the bottom but would maintain a natural presentation.
And they have been nothing short of phenomenal for their designed purpose.
I’ve been fishing with this setup near inlets, passes, bridges, rocks, docks, and it is definitely my go-to setup when fishing hard, deep structure.
Furthermore, I’ve found paddletails to be just as effective when rigged on the Hoss jigheads.
Fish are not too concerned about the football shape of the jighead.
In most cases, they will see the profile from the side so you can fish with heavier weights that don’t look clunky and big and take away from your offering.
Lure Rigging
This may come down to personal preference.
In my opinion, I’d rather have the weight stationary and secure to my lures to stop any wobble or movement.
There are two major advantages to rigging lures this way on these jigheads.
You can skip lures much easier and effective when the weight is pinned to the lure.
It is really tough to get a good skip if the weight has room to wobble.
The second advantage is you can catch more fish per lure this way.
There is more plastic where the lure is secured to the jighead which will extend the life of the lure.
This is totally up to personal preference and where you fish.
However, the lure pinned against the weight creates a more natural presentation that smarter, bigger fish will be more interested in.
Hoss Hook Sizing
For any lures under 4 inches, the 3/0 hook size is best.
For any lures over 4 inches, I recommend 4/0 or larger.
The Mulligan has matched up perfectly with the 4/0 hook of either weight.
The 3/0 hook size is the ideal match for the Power Prawn USA Junior.
Conclusion
Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads are the ideal jighead for fishing close to heavy structure on the bottom.
Winter is when the fish seek out those deeper zones near structure which is where this jighead excels!
If you don’t have already, go get some Power Prawn USA lures and Hoss Jigheads over at the shop!!
Do you have any other questions about Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads?
Please drop your questions down in the comments section!!
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Fished yesterday, caught 20 reds with live baits. Power prawn got 1. Gulp struck out.
Would you recommend a loop knot to give it more action? The blind man.
Yes. I recommend loop knots for pretty much all lures that have an up and down or side to side motion in the water.
Looks like I need to get some Hoss Football Jigs for those slow bump days.
I am wondering, why use not use a solid Jig head with the foot ball shape since the plastic bait is pinned to the weight eliminating the extra movement.
Because there aren’t any hooks that have enough space to enable enough plastic to be above the keeper turn after the head is molded onto the hook (particularly the 1/2 oz and heavier).
Awesome report on the jig heads. Can wait to try some of them. Just put in an order.
So glad to see that you’re going to be giving them a shot!
Appreciate the call out on rigging technique for fixing the football to the actual tip of the soft plastic. Def will increase longevity and seems obvious but I overlooked all this time I’ve been using.
Thanks for making time to post the nice comment Matt!
interesting and helpful comparison, thank you!
So glad to see that you enjoyed this comparison video!
Ehat are your thoughts for a 1/4 or 1/2 crab on the football hook for reds or black drum?
I think that a standard Carolina rig would be better since it can be used with a circle hook which is what I generally recommend for cut bait fishing.
Thank you!
Watching the video, I saved hours of experimentation with the Hoss football jighead.
So glad to see that you enjoyed this comparison video.
Once again, a great job of presenting the pro and con of both jig heads. As I have both types of plastics I guess I better get the appropriate jig heads. Like anything, paying attention to the little things makes a difference.
Thanks for making time to post the nice comment Steve!