Zip Lure

[danny berg]

Anybody see the commercial for these lures? Has anybody tried them yet? I am thinkng about spending the 30 bucks to try them out, but I want to hear from people who have tried them first.

[Navigator]

Dan,
I use them in the spring & fall on the river for smallies and walleyes. You can buy them at Walmart and you don't have to spend $30 through an infomercial. Nav

[can it be luck?]

Danny, I use Zips and they do work. Casting or vertical jigging they have good action and vibration. I use them a lot for white bass and walleye. The Fox River in DePere Wi. is trophy walleye water and I've caught some dandys useing Zips. Zips are nothing more than a version of the Heddon Sonar. Use a ring or snap from line to Zip or you will get cutoffs from the metal edge. I watched the PWT on the Detroit River and the Zip was the ticket. This year I'm gonna try them ice fishing, never did but I imagine they'd be good for that too. can it be luck?

[delmuts]

if you look around they ( some body) makes an ultra light version too. i have used them for panfish. del

[Dano2]

whats your favorite size for wallys?

Do you troll them slow, or a little faster like a rap?

thanks

[Fish On! Guide Service]

I've personally caught my largest muskie, pike, and largemouths using the Heddon Sonar. I don't know about the zip lure, but the older sonars had 3 holes drilled in the dorsal fin area. The closer to the nose of the lure you tied, the more erratic the lure vibrates and the shallower the lure will dive. I shore fish with it and use it like a jig and minnow; bouncing it off the bottom as I retrieved the lure, using the closest hole to the nose for extreme vibration (all fish came off of this odd technique). Anyone else have success using this technique?

Stephen

[Guest]

just a new version of the old cicada......they work......john gillespie's show.....waters and woods uses them all the time.....just a diff way of marketing an old lure.....yes they work for ice fishing....

[can it be luck?]

I wonder how much $ Gillespie's makeing off the Zip? He does push it hard. The Zip being like the Sonar or Cicada, wouldn't there be some Patent Rights? Maybe I should sell Oakly Sunglasses for big cash, you know the ones from Taiwan that cost $1.

[Dano2]

I was thinking of giving these a try,
do any of yous have a size preference for wallys/

Do you slow troll em when on open water, or pitchem , say for your weed wallys?

Just wondering what seems to be the most effective for open water.

thanks

[can it be luck?]

Dano, offhand I couldn't tell you a size #. The ones I use are a couple inches long. You could troll,cast,or vertical fish them. I use them on specific bodies of water. I dont know if I would use it for a search bait, but when the fish are found I use them then. When you find active fish, this is a good time to try out other baits that you may not have used often to find how they work and gain confidence. You know the fish are active so experimant a little. For white bass I cast and rip them in, the fish are usually in a "frenzy" anyway. For walleye, I vertical jig mostly. But trolling and casting for walleye should not be ruled out. can it be luck?

[Dano2]

Thanks. i've been paying close attention to the weed wally theory and am going to give it a try soon, as I haven't been able to find them much anywhere else.

I think I'll just start out with the old weedless jig, maybe a piece of crawler or leech then a slip bobber and pitch it to the edge.

Kind of curious though, as I haven't ever looked to the thick weeds for wallys, do they also hang around, or in say large patches of reeds that are more out in the middle of the lake.
I'm just wondering how I can focus more towrds the wallys without having the sunnies, bass and whatever else chewing up my bait all the time.

thnaks

[walleyehawk]

I'm watching the infomercial now. Most shots are from Gillespies weekly show on Fox. Great show when he is fishing muskies, the guy goes spastic. Yesterdays show was a classic from Leech Lake.

Watch the beginning of his leadin to the FOX weekly show when he nearly fell backwards out of the boat setting the hook on a musky on a sucker rig. I nearly died laughing. Whenever Pete Mania is on, watch, no videotape and watch the show. Poor Pete can hardly keep a straight face. John yells everything five times in a row..FISH ON..FISH ON..PETE FISH ON.. etc.

The Zip lure on TV is overpriced. I have bought them from Fleet Farm the past few years and have caught some fish with them. They are sold by weight just like a jig, I usually use the 1/4 and 3/8 sizes. Usually they sell for $1.75-2.50. They are more similiar to cicada's more than sonars.

The show is selling larger ones that Fleet Farm is selling for $4-5 now which would be too big to me unless pike, musky or fishing on the Great Lakes? I think it is a good bait but stay with purchasing them at your local store in the smaller sizes you want.

Just my opinion. And Gillespie has Bitzer Creek, the manufacturer as a major sponsor to his weekly show, along with Frabill nets, etc. and he is very loyal to his sponsors. He sneaks the zip lure on every week and he does catch nice fish on it.

[Guest]

The Zip is a classic Blade Bait, as is the Sonar. The Cicada is not a true blade bait, different class, and came along many years after the basic Zip design hit the world.

My experience with Zips and other classic blade baits is very positive. I have caught many species of fish on them and it is my favorite river ice lure by far for walleye.

The infomercial add for Zips if you add up the total lures is not a bad deal at all. The new Bullcat and the new Glow Zip was my hottest lures on the Red last winter. Considering the amount of lures in the different sizes, not a bad deal at all.

I use Zips ranging from 1/4 to 1 1/4 oz, big hummers. You can guess what I use them for.

A good lure, they do produce!

------------------
Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

Backwater Guiding "ED on the RED"

[can it be luck?]

I thought the Zip was produced after the Sonar and Cicada. Wow, I never knew. That puts a different perspective to my thoughts. One thing I do know, they all catch fish! Good baits all in all. can it be luck?

[Guest]

Not sure what came first, the zip or the egg, but I am sure the Cicada was a newer innovation.

Blade baits in there present basic shape and configuration have been around for 40 years or more. The shape gets molded, rattles get added, new finishes are developed, yet it about the same thing in the end.

The Cicada was a interesting innovation when it hit the water. I am not a big fan of them as in my opinion they tend to snag up on the line more while in use. The cupped willow blade for a blade was a good innovation, more vibration was produced by this change.

The Sonar and a few others offer 3 connection points that alter the action of the blade. I like this option as you can fine tune the bait a bit. All in though the center hole of the 3 is the most used and less bothersome. The more extreme wobble you select the more they tend to snag up on the line. I suspect this is why the Zip opted for only one connection point?

For jigging for active fish under the ice on a river a Blade Bait is an excellent choice. The more current the better it works. You can keep the blade bait in the cone of the Vexilar because it has far less resistance in the flow. By keeping your offering on the screen more, you up your odds under the ice on rivers.

Line choice is a big consideration with blade baits too. I like ultra-thin super braids like the 1/8 and 4/15 Power Pro. You get less line sweep and better feel. Use a good snap to connect to the line, like a Berkley Cross Lock.

A longer 7' med to med heavy action rod helps to keep the lure taunt on the upswing and on the fall. The med action helps to produce a smooth acceleration of the blade while jigged, looks far more natural to me.

------------------
Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

Backwater Guiding "ED on the RED"

[fiskyknut]

Cicada's have been around much longer {15 yrs or so} than the Bitzer creek Zips. If Cicadas are'nt a bladebait then what the heck are they? I've used Cicadas since the early nineties and did'nt see Zips till about 4 years ago. Cicadas are my favorite blade for LOTW, and Sonars are my favorite for the Red river. Caught many a big Wally outta the Red with a sonar baited with salted shiners on each hook. A small Cicada tipped with minnow head has saved many a slow day for me on LOTW. When the fish are inactive and not to willing to bite these things seem to PO them or something and they then bite!

Does anyone remember the "Gay Blade"? Don't think these blades are made anymore, I think they were a South Bend or Cotton Cordell product. Have'nt seen one of these in years.

I also think the TV Zip deal is a bit on the steep side compared to retail shops.

Fisky

[This message has been edited by fiskyknut (edited 07-28-2003).]

[Guest]

Seems to be a gillespie hyped version of the sonar. I'm hoping John acts like he's caught a fish before soon. You're right Maina's always got that "look" on his face when John's going nuts. How about that commercial..zippity do da..

[Dano2]

I think they quit making the "Gay Blade" because surveys say there just isn't many gay fish out there

[Guest]

An exert from "BLADE BAITS"
by Russ Brotherton

In 1959, the James Heddon Lure company introduced the Sonar, and at the time of introduction it was billed as "A new way to catch fish" and did it ever do what it claimed.

In 1970, the Cordell Gay Blade was introduced and with a wider, broader head design it offered a wider wobble. In the beginning, Blade baits were of the flat blade design with a weighted head usually made of lead. A couple of treble hooks were attached to the underside of the blade and there was a hole in the top to which the line was attached. This design held true with virtually no changes for 3 decades.

Scott Stecher of Reef Runner Tackle Company had the idea to change the shape of the blade from a flat design to one which had a slight cup to enhance the action of the bait. This new design is called a "Cicada". Cicada is a word meaning a locust like bug and it does look a lot like a grasshopper with its wings open.

Scott first introduced this new wonder back in 1990 during the Sportshow at the Palace in Detroit, Michigan. Scott claimed that with the new blade design it offered a slower fall as well as more wobble and flash through out the action. The Cicada is offered in a great range of sizes from 1/16th ounce for pan fish all the way up to the 3/4 ounce size for larger predators such as walleye, lake trout and bass.

Ever since this renewed interest in blade baits there have been a number of new innovations.

In 1993 Heddon added rattles in the eyes of the Sonar to take advantage of the sense of hearing in fish as well as the vibrations emitted by the lure picked up through the lateral line of the fish.

The Blue Fox Wiglstik is a weighted plastic bait with a hole drilled through it from the top and all you do is run your line through the hole and tie a treble hook directly to the end of the line, hence the bait actually slides freely on your line.

The Silver Buddy blade bait is made with a zinc alloy to give it a slower decent and its own unique wobble. Reef Runner Tackle has also introduced another first in the blade bait market, the Stand Up Cicada, a blade that stands on the bottom instead of laying flat on its side when at rest on the bottom of your favorite lake. It also incorporates the use of rattles and is designed to be used with bait.

In 1992 I ventured into the U.S. to look for blade baits because there were none to be found in Canada. I found that the Cicada, Sonar and Gay Blade were all readily available at most sporting goods stores in Great Falls, Montana. At that time I purchased my first "Cicada" blade baits. Ever since my introduction to the blade bait family my collection has grown to include Sonars, Gay Blades, Cicadas of both types and the new plastic Wiglstik.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is an evolution in blade baits since 1959 that still continues today. Heddon pioneered many a lure, still does.

Much as Rapala pioneered the basic minnow bait that is often copied today. The Zip is only one of many options in this lure category. The basic design still hold true.

Change is good, fisherman like change. That means we can buy more "Stuff".

------------------
Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

Backwater Guiding "ED on the RED"
701-281-2300
[email protected]