Lure of the Month: Baby BallerZ
by Terry Madewell
Competition inspires lure creators to be innovative when generating new lure concepts as they’re developed, tested, refined, and implemented.
The latest entry into the crappie-fishing world from Z-Man baits is a unique grub sculpted with a pyramidal cross section, with the goal being to develop a superior shape for energy transfer to produce profile, and movement patterns, that crappie can’t resist.
And the incredible action of this new-to-the-market lure has proven to catch crappie like crazy, making the Z-Man Baby BallerZ the November 2023 CrappieNow Lure of the Month.
Cory Schmidt, Prostaff Director for Z-man Lures, said the innovators worked on developing the best way to maximize tail movement relative to the energy, or jigging motions, imparted by anglers via rod and line.
“During development and testing we realized that much of the soft plastic material in the tail section was unnecessary and it absorbed, rather than transferred, energy to the ball tail,” Schmidt said. “By removing the excess material in the ventral portion of the tail the bait became more hydrodynamic; the ball tail literally never stops moving. I can hold the bait in my hand and can’t prevent tail movement, no matter how still I hold it. The pyramidal shape cuts water with less effort, producing a lively, crisp, action that tempts crappie.”
Extended testing of the lure verified the productivity of the design of the Baby BallerZ.
“It literally exceeded our expectations,” he said. “Made with ElaZtech, a super-soft, buoyant, and resilient ‘superplastic’, it’s productive in many fishing applications and most importantly catches crappie consistently.”
“While testing the lure under various conditions, in many different waters, I was very impressed by the versatility and longevity of the lure and received identical feedback from all Prostaff members testing the product,” Schmidt said.”
Schmidt said the lure produced excellent results with cast and retrieve, vertical fishing, fishing under a bobber, as well as proving ideal for longlining. Two other tactics were identified that can be game-changers with the Baby BallerZ.
“Shooting docks is a universal crappie-fishing technique employed by anglers across the country,” Schmidt said. “With this lure, I can use Loctite Glue to seal the body to the jighead and because of the ElaZtech plastics durability, I’ll hold the back of the grub on the small ball tip and pull it back without having to get my fingers near the hook. It enables me to generate more shooting power, allowing me to effectively launch the lure from a greater distance, with improved accuracy, to better work small targets or openings.”
Schmidt said another tactic where the lure excelled is fishing it on a drop shot rig.
“Using drop shot rigs is becoming more of a recognized technique for crappie and this bait naturally sits horizontal when used in that manner,” he said. “It can be fished like a live bait because of the lively action of the lure.
“The realistic live pulse to the tail enables me to fish right at the top of brush, or underwater targets, and along the sides of brush and weeds while maintaining precise depth control,” he said. “Also, when working weedy bottom cover the drop shot rig enables me to hover the lure so it flutters right at the top of the weeds, a prime strike zone for crappie.”
Schmidt said when using Forward Facing Sonar the lure’s signature is enhanced because of the ability to use a larger jighead and the ribbed-body design displaces water and creates a bubble trail.
From my perspective, the ability to perform under multiple crappie-fishing scenarios, with lifelike action and a profile that attracts crappie, make it a winner. One benefit I’ve personally enjoyed is I recently included dock-shooting on a trip when taking an inexperienced angler fishing. He was able to successfully ‘shoot docks,’ without the apprehension of hooks getting into fingers.
Terry Madewell of Ridgeway, S.C. has been an outdoor communicator for more than 45 years. He holds a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management and has a long career as a professional wildlife biologist/natural resources manager. He’s passionate about sharing outdoor adventures with others.
