I was really excited when I stumbled across this Z-Man Midwest finesse jig and had really high hopes for it, so I ordered 5 of them to try out.
At 5/32 oz. It has a 3/0 hook, which falls squarely in my BFS wheelhouse.
The head is great, it slides right over rocks and cover and the design helps the bait in an always upright position on a retrieve.
The welded on hook keeper keeps ElazTech baits firmly in place without glue.
Now the Cons:
It retails at around $5 over twice the cost of the Bitsy Bug.
The band holding the skirt in place slides off. I frequently found the skirt down around my trailer. Now I could tie around the skirt with some braid, but on a $5 bait I don't think I should have to.
The hooks seem brittle and I've had at least 3 of them break down by where the bait keeper is welded on.
And lastly, and this is the deal breaker for me, the brush guard is made of stiff clear strands that virtually glow in the water. In the clear lakes I fish with dark jigs and trailers this is BAD! The Bitsy Bug was hit 3 to 1 over this jig and I strongly suspect the glowing brush guard was the prime culprit.
So there you have it. I simply can't recommend this BFS jig. I'll stick with my $2 Bitsy Bug and am grateful for it.
Dan
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