July 20, 2016
By Ned Kehde
There are several Midwest finesse anglers who are constantly in search for soft-plastic creature baits that they can affix to a small mushroom-style jig. And in late March one of those anglers alerted the Finesse News Network to Zoom Bait Company's new Z Craw Jr.
It is a 3.5-inch beaver-style bait and a downsized replica of Zoom's five-inch Z Craw.
Its torso is graced with 15 ribs, which Zoom describes as being forward-facing ribs. The tail end of its torso is flat and button-like. Its back is flat and endowed with a hook slot that begins at the second rib and ends at the eighth one.
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Its head is small and cone-shaped. A large appendage, which Zoom calls a paddle-tipped claw, radiate from each side of its head. And two thin and cylinder-shaped antennas branch out from the tip of its nose.
Midwest finesse anglers do a lot of trimming and customizing on soft-plastic baits that are longer than three inches, and it is likely that they will trim as much as a half of an inch off of the tail of the Z Craw Jr. before they affix it to a mushroom-style jig.
It is impregnated with salt. It is manufactured in the following hues: Black Flash, Black Light, Black Sapphire, California 420, Green Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin Flash, Junebug, Late Nite Gold, Rootbeer Pepper Green, Sapphire Blue, Watermelon Red, Watermelon Seed, and White Pearl.
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Anglers can purchase a package of eight for $3.99.
Endnotes:
(1) In the lexicon of  many bass anglers, the Z Craw Jr. is  regularly called a punch-bait, which is used to penetrate thick aquatic vegetation, and it is rigged Texas-style on a 3/0 to 5/0 hook and weighted with a one- to two-ounce slip sinker. Besides employing it as a punch bait, Zoom says it works well as a trailer on a skirted jig and a Z-Man's Chatterbait. Anglers can also affix it to a Gene Larew Lure Company's HardHead. Of course, punching and those other rigs are not Midwest finesse motifs. For the retrieves that Midwest finesse anglers will employ with the Z Craw Jr. rigged on a small mushroom-style jig, please see the story at this link: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/ .
(2) We once thought that a finesse-size jika rig would become a popular tool with Midwest finesse anglers, but it has not happened. Zoom's Z Craw Jr., however, might work on a finesse-size jika rig. For insights on the jika rig, please see the Midwest column at this link: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/stacey-the-jika-rig-king/ .
