Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ [Review, Underwater Footage & Rigging Tips]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Lure Reviews, Product Reviews, Retrieving Lures
Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ
The Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ is a paddletail lure that can be used for both shallow water fishing in addition to covering some deep zones if rigged properly.
You can rig it both weedless and on a jig head, and you’ll see exactly how to rig this bait on both applications in a video below.
In this article, I give you my full review explaining the top pros and cons of the Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ.
And you’ll see some cool underwater footage showing the fish’s point of view in the video review in this article.
Note: We are not affiliated with any fishing product companies. If you’ve used this lure, let us know what you thought of it in the comments section. We love to hear your honest feedback on any products we review!
The Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ Specs
Here are the specs to the Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ:
- Length: 4 inches
- Lures per pack: 5
- Price: $4.49
Z-Man suggests that you pair this lure with the Redfish Eye jigheads, 4/0 HeadlockZ HD jigheads, and 4/0 EZ KeeperZ weighted hooks.
Learn more about the Insider Fishing Club
Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ Video Review
In this video, I give you my full review of the Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ. I also show you how fish see this lure with an underwater fish point of view demo of the lure on a weedless hook and a jig head.
Learn more about the Insider Fishing Club
Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ Rigging Tutorial Video
In this video, I show you how to rig the Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ and give you my top tips for rigging this lure.
Learn more about the Insider Fishing Club
Conclusion
This is a durable and tough lure that is good for catching redfish, trout, snook and basically any other inshore species.
I like it for shallow water fishing and have had success using it.
While it is not perfect, it is a good choice when looking for paddletail lures.
Remember, we are not affiliated with any fishing lure companies. All our reviews are objective and independent.
If you have any questions about this lure or how to rig it, let us know in the comments!
Tight Lines!
Related Post:
1. Mustad Grip Pin Hook Review [Top Pros, Cons & Rigging Video]
2. Slayer SST vs. DOA CAL Shad Review [Rigging Tips & Underwater Demo]
3. The Best Weighted Hook For Fishing Soft Plastics In Shallow Water [Club Review]
Then you’ve got to see this private fishing club! Here’s what you’ll receive today:Do You Want To Quickly Find New Fishing Spots In Your Area?
Click here to join today.
Related categories:
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).
Luke, When looking at where the Trout Eye comes through the bait (front half) vs the Weedless (more center of the body); when using in deeper water would we be better now using the new Redfish Eye hood which has a little longer shank hook; or is there a benefit to having the hook more on the front end of the bait in deeper water ? Thanks always.
I don’t think it matters very much because fish like seatrout, snook, redfish, flounder, etc will suck down the entire bait while aiming for the front. So both options should have similar results. I personally prefer the trout eye because it leaves less room for error when rigging the lures and it gives the soft plastic more freedom of motion.
That is a great point…Thank you !
Thanks for your tips on rigging the Zman lures. I personally fish the beach off of Honeymoon Island State Park and have had some luck catching trout and snook. I have gotten use to rigging the Zman pearl color on a Rockport Ratteling Jig ( varirous colors). My question is how do you rig that jig with a Zman lure. It seems to take me forever to get that lure past the b b cilender on the jig. Don’t get me wrong your tip on pulling the Zman over the balb will help but man does it take time to change the swimming lure.Tight lines????????????????????????
I have not yet tried using a Rockport Ratteling Jig. But I did meet the owner of that company a couple months ago at a Cast For Kids even over in TX… he seemed like a very nice guy.
Luke, thanks so much for this excellent video! You are a terrific teacher and it is remarkable how you and the team get the vital content in such concise videos. I found the video with the view behind the lure as it swims to be especially instructive for lure presentation. I’ve never seen a video on a lure from that perspective. Lure manufacturers will probably learn from this and change their marketing videos! Suggestion: Change the description from “lure view” to “fish’s view.” 🙂 Grateful for you guys! TS, Gainesville, FL.
Luke, Great. Thank you very much for the retrieve videos, and great, closeup rigging ideas. Terrific. Thank you, Tom Watts, Naples, Fl.
I love the Zman plastics, only thing I have came across and more than likely it’s just my inexperience showing, these diesel baits don’t work well with a cork screw style hook. Next to impossible to get the corkscrew to catch when trying to thread it on. Which like I said it is probably more operator error than it is product.
Thanks for the video, definitely will be using theses styles over my current corkscrew hooks.
Fish On Fishers!!
Thanks Stephen! Although the Zman baits are tough to rig onto corkscrew style hooks, there is a handy trick to use on the TwistLock screw style hooks that makes it much easier… it’s all about making a pilot hole in the top of the bait as step #1. Here’s a post with details and a video showing how it’s done: https://www.saltstrong.com/fishing-tip/rig-z-man-jerkbait-lure/
Luke, the Slayer inc. jigs work really well with Z-man products. Rigging is almost as easy as using regular plastics. One other benefit, because z-man float just a little more than regular plastics, you can use a little heavier jig. This allows the lure better water column coverage when swimming it.
Thanks for making time to share the added tips Joe!
Thanks for the great review Luke, great info.
Really helpful presentation. Thanks from New Zealand
Thanks Phillip!
Good Job Luke!
Thanks Greg!
Good stuff, Luke………I prefer the Minnowz a bit over the diezel, but they’re both great choices.
Thanks Gary! I lean towards their Minnowz option as well most of the time.
I fish the santa rosa sound up in NW florida and we have an issue with dead/floating grass from roughly May – Oct. One trick ive been using as far as rigging (particularly the Diezel Minnowz) is the same as you did weedless, but adding in a 1/16th – 1/4 oz bullet weight at the head of the lure. This allows me to fish deeper water and still retain that weedless advantage. The sinker can be either left free or pegged in place using a bobber stop. Hope this idea helps someone trying to fish deeper water but still stay weedless!
Great tip James! I bet that setup would work great for dock fishing too.