Fwd: Z-Man Wins Popular Vote
Category: article
Oct 12th, 2021 by Keith Worrall
Modified Oct 12th, 2021 at 10:46 AM
Z-Man® Wins Multiple Tackle Warehouse Awards
Anglers elect Z baits most popular in annual Viewer’s Choice Program
Ladson, SC (October 12, 2021) – The best fishing tip of all is often the one staring at you from across the tackleshop aisle. As in, pay close attention to the lures whose selections are picked over or just plain sold out. Or, look at it this way: it’s the everyday anglers that buy and actually fish the tackle who prove what’s popular and ultimately most attractive to fish.
And given this simple truth, Z-Man just received a major vote of confidence.
Fresh from polling stations and virtual shopping carts, thousands of anglers have spoken, casting votes for the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Viewer’s Choice Awards. Garnering the winning votes in almost every category for which it qualified, Z-Man Fishing Products amassed four awards for its newest ElaZtech® softbaits and radical jigs.
Among the category winning products, Z-Man took top honors in Best New Jig or Bladed Jig, Best New Worm or Misc. Soft Plastic, Best New Craw or Creature Bait and Best New Fishing Hooks, Weights & Jig Heads.
Tackle Warehouse named Z-Man’s Hella CrawZ the Best New Craw or Creature Bait.
An annual program administered by fishing retailer extraordinaire Tackle Warehouse (TW), the Viewer’s Choice Awards recognizes the industry’s most popular bass fishing products. Two voter groups—consumers and the fishing industry, comprised of the staff at TW, Tactical Bassin’, Tackle Tour and Bass University—determined the top lures in various categories, as well as new rods, reels, electronics and other fishing products.
“The participation and responses for the TW Viewer’s Choice Awards have been incredible,” said Alexi Piatek, Web Content Manager for Tackle Warehouse. “The awards and voting have definitely shined some extra, well-deserved light on some really cool products, Z-Man certainly prominent among them.”
“In the digital shopping space, Tackle Warehouse has firmly established itself as a go-to source for leading edge fishing tackle among consumers worldwide. It’s why the Viewer’s Choice Awards carry so much credibility,” notes Glenn Young, National Sales Manager at Z-Man. “Thousands of votes from TW fans, who also happen to vote with their wallets, provide a pretty strong testimonial about their affection for Z-Man baits.”
The award-winning Football NedZ Jighead.
Earning winning votes from both the Viewer’s Choice and TW Staff Picks voter groups, the Z-Man Big Blade™ ChatterBait® earned an impressive 34-percent of the fan vote and 29-percent of the industry selections. Another new Z-Man lure, the ChatterBait Mini Max™ landed solidly in the 2nd place spot among all other jigs and bladed jigs. Designed by Z-Man pro Bryan Thrift, the Big Blade ChatterBait has enthralled anglers with its intense vibrations and easy-to-start attitude. Up-sized in every aspect, the mega-thumping jig arms itself with a broad-billed, stainless ChatterBlade®—70-percent more surface area than Z-Man’s original hex-blade.
“When you displace as much water as the Big Blade does, the result is a lure that can pull off moves and evasive actions that aren’t possible with any other bladed jig,” explains Thrift, who helped launch the bladed swim jig sensation after winning his first FLW tournaments with a ChatterBait in 2005 and 2006.
Sweeping both the Best New Worm and Best New Craw or Creature Bait categories, Z-Man’s Turbo FattyZ™ and Hella CrawZ™ won the Viewer’s Choice vote among a field of impressive new entries.
The new Turbo FattyZ earned the title “Best New Worm” of the year.
“The Turbo FattyZ is a really interesting bait,” notes Z-Man pro and bait designer, Miles Burghoff. “We built it with a thick, wide body and 15-percent salt content so the bait casts a mile. But the kick-tail is the key; has a nice slow roll action that spits and sputters the surface. Really, you can fish this versatile bait any way you want.”
A compact flipping and swimming craw, the category-winning Hella CrawZ™ sports broad thumper claws that vibrate and pulse at all retrieve speeds. “The ElaZtech composition of the Hella CrawZ means its super soft yet tough as nails— and it’s buoyant too, so at rest, the claws rise up in that natural crayfish defense posture,” asserts Hella CrawZ creator and Z-Man pro Mark Daniels Jr.
Further legitimizing their status as a go-to source for creative, pro-grade jigheads, Z-Man also won the Tackle Warehouse Viewer’s Choice Award for Best New Fishing Hook, Weight & Jig Head with its new finesse Football NedZ™ Jighead. “This cool little jighead lets us drag and maneuver right across those snaggy rocks with minimal snagging,” notes Z-Man pro Brian Latimer. “The custom 1/0 black nickel hook is the perfect fit for your favorite TRD™-style or finesse baits. The Football NedZ definitely takes your Ned rig program to new heights.”
“Naturally, we’re thrilled and honored to win four Tackle Warehouse Viewer’s Choice Awards in one year,” notes Young. “But to be chosen by so many loyal Z-Man customers, those everyday anglers who provide the true pulse of the fishing industry, wow, that speaks volumes.”
