Hoss Weedless Round Eye vs Z-Man Texas Eye Review
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Tackle & Gear, Artifical Lure Tips
The warmer the water gets, the more important it becomes to fish deeper and closer to structure.
That’s exactly what both the Hoss Weedless Round Eye and Z-Man Texas Eye were designed to help you do.
While these two jigheads serve a similar purpose, there are a couple of key differences that can affect how your soft plastics rig, fish, and hold up over time.
In this video, I’ll break down when each jighead shines, how they interact with different lure materials, and what to consider when choosing the right option for the way you fish.
Insiders, if you want to give this rigging a shot for yourself, June’s Tackle Tester is the Hoss Weedless Round Eye Jighead. Claim yours here.
Featured Gear
- Rigging 1: Hoss Weedless Round Eye Jighead
- Rigging 2: Z-Man Texas Eye Jighead
- Lure 1: Prawn USA Jr.
- Lure 2: Z-Man MinnowZ
Free Rigging Guide Cheat Sheet
Depth control with soft plastic lures is extremely important, so we created a helpful single-page guide that shows you exactly which jighead to pair with the given lure for certain depth ranges.
Click here to see the Rigging Guide
What Is The Difference Between A Weedless Round Eye And A Texas Eye Jighead?
The biggest difference comes down to the head design and lure keeper system.
The Hoss Weedless Round Eye a smooth wire keeper formed by the hook bending slightly over 90 degrees to prevent the lure from slipping down the hook shank. This design works well with all type of soft plastics while doing minimal damage to the lures.
The Texas Eye uses a more prominent molded keeper at the turn of the hook to make sure the material can’t slip. This keeper is designed specifically for elastic soft plastics like Z-Man lures, helping hold the bait securely in place.
Both jigheads offer similar hook strength, hook gap, and weedless performance around structure.
Which Jighead Is Better For Z-Man Soft Plastics?
If you’re exclusively fishing Z-Man’s elastic material, the Texas Eye has a slight advantage.
The aggressive keeper is designed to work with stretchy plastics, allowing anglers to rig and fish those lures securely without worrying about them sliding down the hook.
Because Z-Man plastics are highly elastic, they can handle the larger keeper without tearing or becoming damaged during rigging.
Why Does The Texas Eye Tear Some Soft Plastics?
Traditional soft plastics are not nearly as elastic as Z-Man material.
When rigging standard plastics over the Texas Eye’s keeper, the larger spike can stretch and tear the bait during installation. Over time, this can shorten the life of the lure and make it more difficult to keep baits properly rigged.
For anglers who frequently use traditional soft plastics, this can become a noticeable disadvantage.
Is The Hoss Weedless Round Eye More Versatile?
For most anglers, yes.
The Hoss Weedless Round Eye performs well with both traditional soft plastics and elastic-style baits. The smoother keeper design makes rigging easier while reducing the likelihood of damaging the lure.
Whether you’re fishing paddletails, shrimp profiles, or Z-Man plastics, the Round Eye offers a versatile setup that works across a wide range of applications.
This flexibility makes it a popular choice among anglers who regularly switch between lure styles.
When Should You Use Weedless Jigheads?
Weedless jigheads excel when fish are holding around structure.
Common situations include:
- Oyster bars
- Docks
- Bridge pilings
- Rock piles
- Grass edges
- Nearshore structure
As summer approaches and water temperatures increase, fish often position deeper and closer to cover. A properly rigged weedless jighead allows anglers to get their lure into these high-percentage areas while minimizing snags.
What Jighead Weight Should You Use?
Choosing the correct weight is just as important as choosing the right jighead.
The goal is to keep your lure in the strike zone without constantly dragging bottom or riding too high in the water column.
Factors that influence jighead weight include:
- Water depth
- Current strength
- Wind conditions
- Lure size
- Target species
Matching the correct weight to the conditions helps maximize lure control and improves overall presentation.
Click here to see the Rigging Guide
Final Thoughts
Both the Hoss Weedless Round Eye and the Z-Man Texas Eye are excellent jigheads that help anglers fish deeper structure more effectively.
If you primarily use Z-Man plastics, the Texas Eye offers some unique benefits.
If you regularly switch between different soft plastic styles and want one jighead that does it all, the Hoss Weedless Round Eye is often the more versatile choice.
Either way, choosing the right jighead and pairing it with the proper weight can make a big difference in how effectively you present your lure around structure and ultimately how many fish you catch.
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STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Did I understand you to say that the football head is less likely to snag on oysters?
Great video thanks for sharing it.
I agree with you on this post. I have switched from trout eye and other jig heads to the Zman swimming jig head because it seems to go through the grass with less chance of hanging up due to the position of the line attachment hook eye.
Thanks for sharing your findings.
On the Texas eye jighead, you can always take your pliers and twist off the front keeper if needed. One of the coaches did a video on this. I would like to see a 3/8 oz Hoss version and a bulk hook option like the regular Hoss hooks.
Thanks for sharing the tip on taking off the lure keeper from the zman jighead. I’ll make sure we get moving on a 3/8th oz option. Having bulk packaging for them all should be possible too.
I’ll stick with the hoss round eye.
Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for sharing your findings Jon
Great comparison of the two jigheads! I used to use the Texas Eye a lot for long line trolling swim baits behind my kayak, which is a very effective way to cover a lot of water, often in transit from one area to another. Problem I have with the Texas Eye is that the molded keeper protrudes enough to catch weeds and grasses, thus fouling the lure. Often I resort to pulling the keeper off with pliers and fishing it without the keeper. With the Hoss Round Eye, I no longer have to do that. Sometimes I’ll still use the Texas Eye because its head shape is a bit better for trolling, but the Hoss is better for all around use.
Thanks for sharing your findings Ted.
Thank you for all the good information I learned a lot I love watching your videos
We’re glad to see that you enjoyed this lesson.