Z-Man Striper EyeZ Jighead Review
- By: Justin Ritchey
- on
Have you ever fished with the Z-Man Striper EyeZ Jighead?
Did you find any success with the larger jighead from Z-Man?
If you want to know the best times and best target species for using this jighead, then check out this review!
Learn all the specifics of this jighead below!!
Z-Man Striper EyeZ Jighead
If you fish in areas with fast-moving current or deeper areas of 20-25 feet, this is the jighead for you!
Hook Specifics
Right off the bat, you will notice how sturdy and strong these jigheads and hooks are on the Striper EyeZ jighead.
The hook is a 6/0 Mustad Ultra-Point Jig hook base and although it doesn’t indicate hook power, it is a beefy hook.
As far as the best size soft plastic lure to pair to this jighead, any 5-7 inch paddletail will perfectly suit this hook.
This is an excellent setup for fishing in deep inlets for redfish, bottom jigging reefs for snapper, or even targeting fish on offshore oil rigs.
The jigheads themselves come two to a pack and in 3 different weight sizes.
The different weights are as light as a 1/2 oz., 3/4 oz., and as heavy as 1 oz.
Furthermore, the Striper EyeZ Jighead provides anglers the chance to fish larger paddletails in deeper areas and inlets with a sweeping current.
Additionally, the larger keepers on the hook shank of this jighead provide enough security where you don’t have to keep checking to see if your paddletail is still snug to the jighead.
Best Soft Plastic Lure Pairings
The Striper EyeZ Jighead will pair well with any eel, paddletail, or shrimp soft plastic lure from 5-7 inches or even bigger.
We prefer to use 5-inch jerk shads and paddletails available in our shop.
The first lures are the Alabama Leprechaun Jerk Shad or the Z-Man Slam Shady Jerk Shad.
These lures are an option for any angler pretty much anywhere at any given time.
Jerk shads on the Striper EyeZ are particularly useful for jigging vertical structure for snapper for example.
Also, the Z-Man Slam Shady Jerk Shad is made of strong material that little baitfish and pesky critters won’t nibble at and destroy.
On the other hand, if you are fishing in an inlet or pass with a really strong current, larger paddletails are the way to go.
Our 5-inch BOMBER style paddletails size up perfectly with the Striper EyeZ Jighead.
If you are fishing an inlet for redfish, you most likely want to remain in the mid-water column.
The bigger boot of larger paddletails creates enough vibration for your lure to be noticed by fish in heavy current while also staying at the desired depth.
Lastly, the most exciting lure pairing to this jighead is our Power Prawn U.S.A. artificial shrimp lure.
Over the past year, the Power Prawn quickly became our favorite go-to artificial shrimp lure.
The larger barbs on the Striper EyeZ Jighead will without a doubt hold the Power Prawn in place better than other large jigheads.
[optin-monster slug=”wcrcrc7d6ih5k29wooi4″ followrules=”true”]
Z-Man Striper EyeZ Jighead [VIDEO]
Do you want to catch fish IN 10 MINUTES OR LESS? Click HERE now!!
Click here to get your FREE pack of F.R.E.D. Redfish Lures TODAY
Check out any of the products below in our online tackle shop:
- Z-Man Striper EyeZ Jighead
- Power Prawn U.S.A.
- Slam Shady BOMBER
- Gold Digger BOMBER
- Z-Man Slam Shady Jerk Shad
- Slam Shady Jerk Shad
- Alabama Leprechaun
Conclusion
The Z-Man Striper EyeZ Jighead expands our terminal tackle to where we can effectively fish deep water or sweeping currents.
Our 5-inch jerk shads and paddletails mentioned above are the perfect pairing for these jigheads.
Be sure to check out the Power Prawn U.S.A. if you are an Insider Member!!
Do you have any questions or suggestions for fishing with the Z-Man Striper EyeZ Jighead?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who wants to learn more about the Z-Man Striper EyeZ Jighead, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
P.S. – Want to know how to retrieve all the different types of inshore fishing lures in a variety of ways? Check out our Artificial Lure Retrieval Methods Mini-Course.
Related Articles:
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).
What’s the best rod and reel combo??
I think this depends on your approach. Are you fishing an area that requires you to make long casts (like at an Inlet or at the Beach)? If so, a 7’6″ or even an 8’0″ length would be required for maximum casting distance. Or are you going to be using these Jig Heads vertically, fishing around Nearshore Structure or Rocks that could congregate Big Fish? If this is the case, I would opt for a 7’0″ Rod, since casting distance is not required.
Overall, I would say you will need at least a Medium Heavy Power rod, with a line rating of 10-20 or 12-25lb.
For a reel, I’d suggest a BG 3000 or a BG MQ 4000. You could also go with a Saltist MQ 4000 for this approach.
Just a FYI.. In the Chesapeake Bay area, we have several local companies that make jig heads and soft plastics which targets the species in our region. (stripers, trout, redfish, spanish mackerel, cobia, bluefish, etc.)
For jig heads , you can’t beat the G-Eye-Jigs. https://www.geyejigs.com/products . What makes these jig head unique is the HUGE eye. They come in a variety of sizes and colors from 3/16 oz to 4 oz. During the winter months the stripers are down to 65 feet. They are paired with either a BKD https://www.bkdlures.com/store/c13/6%22_BKD_and_10%22_BOSS_BKD_Lures.html or a Bustem Bait https://bustembaits.com/jerk-bait/ jerk bait.
We can also add a skirt to the jig head and soft plastic to increase the profile and add contrast.
G-EYE-Jigs also makes a Rain Minnow which are perfect for spanish mackerel and bluefish. They will work for other species as well.
Bustem Baits makes other lure as well.
Just wanted to share what we are using in our area.
Great intel Mark, Thank you for sharing that. I’ve actually seen the BKD lures down here in Florida, a friend of mine uses them for Inshore Gag Grouper around big Bridges on the West Coast. They definitely work!
Just in time for throwing big swim baits on the beaches this summer!
Agreed!
I would love to see a review of the FINESSE EYEZ and
SWIMBAIT EYE jigheads along with a review comparing these with trouteye & redfish eye. There differences between these all are not obvious, since there’s an overlap of weight.
Good points, Corey. All 4 models of Z-Man Jig Heads definitely have their place, some better than others. I do think the Swimbait Eye and the Striper Eye are very similar, but the Striper Eye would be better suited for running both a vertical as well as a horizontal/straight presentation. The Finesse Eye jig heads have a unique head design making it a great “swimming” style jig head, but I’d be concerned with that finer wire hook they use on those models. I think each style will perform well though, it just depends on whether someone is fishing the open flats, fishing tight to structure, fishing vertically or fishing in fast moving current.
I’ve been waiting for you to get a 1/2-3/4 oz. jighead to use in the surf. We need that in the bigger surf here in NE FL. Thanks.
Good to hear, Anthony. Happy to hear it will help you out in your neck of the woods! Those swells can get pretty crazy, so this makes sense to use off the beach during high tides.
That Jig will bring it!!! Awesome job Justin!
Thanks Bud!
Thanks for the review Justin. I’m a big fan of the Zman stuff and I have probably more than any five people should have combined lol but I don’t have any of these nor have I seen them so thanks for that now I gotta buy more 😬
Haha, thanks Greg. It’s all about application in different scenarios.
Back to fishing after this advertisement.
Great video Justin! Do you think these would be a good choice for jigging soft plastics in the surf?
Thanks Joel! And absolutely, the 1/2oz and 3/4oz should pair well with the mentioned soft plastics or other large swimbaits off the beach.