Slam Shady 2.0 vs. Z-Man Slam Shady MinnowZ
- By: Tony Acevedo
- on
Slam Shady 2.0 vs Z-Man MinnowZ!!!
What are the major differences between the Slam Shady 2.0 and the Z-Man Slam Shady MinnowZ?
Learn all the similarities and differences right here!
Slam Shady 2.0 VS. Z-Man MinnowZ
Click here to get Slam Shady 2.0 Paddletails
Click here to get Z-Man Slam Shady MinnowZ Paddletails
The Slam Shady 2.0 is a Salt Strong custom proprietary paddletail lure that is all white with grey specks and flash sprinkled throughout the body.
Z-Man also uses the Slam Shady color in their Z-Man Slam Shady MinnowZ paddletail.
The two lures are very similar in size and color but are best used in different scenarios.
Similarities
There are only a few similarities between the two lures but they are significant.
First, the lures are both roughly the same size.
They are both swimbait paddletails with similar profiles in the water.
And, of course, they are both in the Slam Shady color.
However, you may notice the Z-Man MinnowZ is more of an ‘off-white’ color when compared to the Slam Shady 2.0.
But, both lures have the same flash and glitter scattered throughout.
Differences
The first major difference between the two lures is the Slam Shady 2.0 has a slot in the belly while the MinnowZ does not.
The slot in a soft plastic lure’s belly allows for a better hookup ratio and ease of rigging on jigheads or weighted hooks.
With less plastic in the belly, the hook does not have as much plastic to fight through to secure a proper hook set.
The MinnowZ is solid all the way around, however, if you bump up a size to the DieZel MinnowZ, that lure and above have hook slots in the lure’s belly.
Another noticeable difference between the lures is the difference in length.
The Slam Shady 2.0 is 3.5 inches long and the MinnowZ is only 3 inches in length.
In truth, the difference of only a half-inch does not have a great impact, especially if you are focusing on throwing smaller baits given the time of year.
Furthermore, the two lures are made out of different materials.
The Z-Man MinnowZ is made out of tough and stretchy TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) material.
This means the MinnowZ is more buoyant than the Slam Shady 2.0.
Rigging
You may not think anything of it, but the type of material of lures plays a major role in how you should rig up the different lures.
If you are fishing the MinnowZ, you might want to consider using a slightly heavier weight on your hook because of its buoyancy.
Additionally, based on which lure you are using, you will want to rig them up according to weighted hooks.
When fishing with the Slam Shady 2.0, we find the best pairing to be a 3/0 weedless weighted hook.
Slam Shady 2.0 seamlessly fits onto twistlock hooks and is ideal for a 3/0 sized hook.
If you are using the MinnowZ, they are tougher to secure to a twistlock hook.
We found the best hook pairing for the MinnowZ to be a Mustad Weighted Grip Pin hook.
The MinnowZ will slide right over the weight without causing any damage to the lure as you rig it up.
Moreover, Mustad Weighted Grip Pin hooks have a slightly wider hook gap than Owner Weighted Twistlock Hooks.
That wider gap can only benefit you when using lures made from TPE materials.
Durability
TPE material is much more durable than the soft plastic mixture used to create the Slam Shady 2.0 paddletail.
The Slam Shady 2.0 is made out of standard plastisol which is not as strong as TPE.
However, both lures are proven to catch multiple fish per one lure.
Note: these two lures should never be stored together due to the materials and adverse chemical reactions upon interaction.
[optin-monster slug=”wcrcrc7d6ih5k29wooi4″ followrules=”true”]
Slam Shady 2.0 VS. Z-Man MinnowZ [VIDEO]
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Featured Equipment:
- Slam Shady 2.0
- Z-Man Slam Shady MinnowZ
- Hoss Helix Hooks
- Mustad Weighted Grip Pin
- Owner Weighted Twistlock Hooks
Conclusion
Paddletails are one of, if not the, most versatile lures for inshore saltwater anglers targeting redfish, snook, and seatrout among other species.
Be sure to take into account the type of fish you are targeting as well as the structure around you because that will determine which lure you will want to use.
Remember the differences between these two lures and make sure you have the right gear in your tackle bag before heading out on the water!!
Click here to get Slam Shady 2.0 Paddletails
Click here to get Z-Man Slam Shady MinnowZ Paddletails
Do you have any more questions on Slam Shady 2.0 vs Z-Man MinnowZ?
Let me know down in the comments!
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The SS has a smaller tail cross section and I feel it gives better action on a slower retrieve. The Z has a thicker tail and takes a little faster retrieve to get the same amount of tail action.
Yep there can definitely be a bit of a difference in the speed of the retrieve to get the tail action.
Way to go Tony, for me the big difference is the buoyancy for weight rigging, and second is the durability. Thanks for the detail you put into the videos.
You’re welcome Jan and thank you for the great feedback!
Slam Shady has ribs where the Z-man doesn’t, and the Z-man has a dorsal fin where Slam Shady does not.
Good point!
Since all the Zman lures float so nice, they work well on the Z Shroomned Ned rig. Ned rig on bottom, Zman tail floating straight upward, with current or little jerks, really attracts the fish.
For sure! We have used the 2.0 on the shroom jig heads and they work great as well!
I took advantage of the 11 free mix and match lures. I received what appeared to be the Zman Slim Shady lures in the same bag as F.R.E.D.s, and Gold Diggers. The Zman lures melted together and we’re sticky. A Gold Digger and F.R.E.D. tail on the paddle tail (or two) dried up and got hard. I have since separated them and tried to salvage what I could.
Hey Bryan, I’m not sure how that could have happened from our team because those Zman lures come from an entirely different source and our team members don’t ever take them out of the packaging that they come in.
That being said, if it arrived at your house like that from us please make sure to send an email to our customer service crew so that they can send you the right lures to replace whatever was ruined. Their email is fish@saltstrong.com.
One other unmentioned feature different between them is the two side-by-side “ridge fins” on the top where the hook point ends up. This is a big issue when going weedless. On any soft plastic without the twin top fins it is necessary to bury the hookpoint into the top surface of the lure to protect the point and make it really weedless. But, especially with them plastisol material, it gets chewed up there after not much use and that is why I usually have to replace it too soon. The top fins on the Zman (and some other makers also have this feature I think) provide protection to the hookpoint and thus weedlessness (its a word now) without burying the point, and you get more lure life since it does not deteriorate like from burying and chewing the top without the fins. Hard to explain maybe. The Salt Strong slam shady design is almost perfect except I really wish you would have added the 2 top fins feature for the above reason. Maybe on the 3.0 someday? Another issue not discussed is that the SS slam shady has better tail action because it is longer and thinner- tail vibrates at a slower speed. Hope this helps, I know you guys think on this alot.
Thanks so much for making time to post the helpful comment Brad. I agree that having an added weedless feature is nice for buzzing over bottom structure.
The fins on top of the Zman lures is definitely a nice addition! Also helps with lining the hook up to the middle of the body.
Plastisol baits are not biodegradable while the Z-Man TPE ones are. This should be a major factor in choosing between the two considering the amount of baits being left in our waters.
Is that true? That’s reason enough to move towards TPE.
Very interesting! Will definitely have to look into that
Unlike most other soft fishing baits, ElaZtech is non-toxic, biodegradable and contains no PVC, Plastisol or Phthalates.
Good to know!
I love both and they always with me #SaltStrongNation
Same here!
Good info as always. do you have any tips for getting the Zman onto the barbs of the Zman jig heads. The stuff is so stretchy that it’s difficult to get it up over the barbs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEOAo_9hKmM
Thanks Mark!
When you get the nose of the lure to the barbs, grab the bend of the hook and act as if you are trying to pull the plastic over the head of the jig head. Kinda tough to explain in words but I will put a video together for it!
The zman texas eye jig head works best with the Zman and has better action.
The slam shady works best with the hook they recommend. With this difference you can’t really compare them.
2 different applications IMHO
Ian
Great feedback Ian!