Z Man TRD GobyZ Trial on Susquehanna Smallmouth

I think that this little bait is going to absolutely rock the big smallmouth this winter! Call them a Goby if you want, the Susquehanna Smallmouth will be thinking "Stone Cat" or "Madtom". This quick trip to just test this bait out proved successful. Once it cools off some more, and the fish tighten up in calm water areas, I think that this new offering from ‪@ZManFishingProducts‬ will be lights out!

[@scottfrey2710]

Thanks for all the insights on river fishing , Jeff! I kayak fished the " Susky" for the first time last week and got two fun size Bass, but river fishing is a whole different ballgame than the Pocono Lakes I am used to.. Much appreciate what you do and how much I am learning, even at 66 years old!! THANK YOU!! :-)

[@TheLittleStuff]

The learning new stuff is the fun part. Find the video “River Kayak Fishing Skills DVD” on this channel. It is my oldest, but most valuable video to those new to river kayak fishing.

[@scottfrey2710]

As always, Jeff! THANK YOU!! I am fascinated at the stuff you share with us and everything I am learning from you! Hopefully by Gods grace I will bump into you out on the river one day! I'll be the old guy you see trying to get back upstream to his truck!! :-) @@TheLittleStuff

[@michaelloucks4448]

Hey little stuff what a beautiful smallie that is some fisheriesy there's 5 6 pounders in there unbelievable place to fish . I never have fished there but man those smallies look super healthy. Thanks for the great video and God bless you and your family your pal fisherman Mike from Missouri. Ps I was surprised that that goby bait will work in lake's where there is no gobys but that's good for fisherman like us who don't have them .

[@johnwhite993]

Great video and info as always Jeff. Thanks for bringing us along

[@TheLittleStuff]

Right on John. It was a quick trip. Wish I had longer with it. Maybe later next week!

[@johnwhite993]

@@TheLittleStuff weather goes from baking your GoPros too freezing them

[@thescornedgentleman7484]

Jeff Little "it's a good fish"...how I perceive that.." ITS A MONSTER". 😊 Im an hour from Marietta, I need to start making the trip. The Schuylkill just doesn't produce like the susqy. From what I see at least.

[@TheLittleStuff]

Lots of monsters in the Susquehanna. Jake Harshman got one last week - a 21.25 inch, 5 lb even smallmouth. I drive between 1:20 and 2:15 hours one way to fish it. Schuylkill River area to Harrisburg isn’t any further is it? This isn’t my back yard, but it is my home water. Worth the trip!

[@thescornedgentleman7484]

@@TheLittleStuff I'm just saying you catch beasts constantly imo bro. And no, the distance is about the same. I just need to commit. I fish almost every day somewhere. But " locally"

[@flyslinger2]

LOL ... fishing Gitzit on Erie, the Goby will snuggle up to it and you end up bringing the live item up. Nothing gets Smallies dander up more on Erie than tasty Gobies.

[@TheLittleStuff]

I’ve snagged a few Erie gobies on a Ned rig. They must be as plentiful as flies on 💩 down there.

[@glenndaugherity6187]

Just got some of the Goby’s today to try here on the Kankakee River !!

[@TheLittleStuff]

How are you rigging them?

[@glenndaugherity6187]

@@TheLittleStuff I was figuring a small football jig also.

[@rjmfishtales]

Thanks for sharing sir. If it wasn’t for Zman I would not know what I would fish. They are right down the road from my house. I need to go there and do another tour soon.

[@TheLittleStuff]

I was there in 2019. Very cool operation.

[@jasonvenesky2438]

Great explanation of why the water is or gets higher in the fall.

[@TheLittleStuff]

It took me a few decades to make the connection. It’s upon us with that last cold front rain.

[@sp00kyd0g]

Haven’t had much luck with them. The Undercover Baits LiL Stoner has been producing. Can’t wait to watch this one.

[@TheLittleStuff]

Spoiler alert. Got three or four fish in a quick trip with them, including an 18 incher. I think that they will excel once things cool off.

[@zoommaster7253]

It’s Sunday coffee and Jeff on a rainy ct morning !! Jeff what is it that the fish relate to the foam? You had a winter video a year or two back on the foam ? Thanks mike ps thanks for content always nuggets of info to digest

[@TheLittleStuff]

Mike, it depends on the day. Watch this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3mqn39uqtpgqZYsi=fI9xku4sWtwFb9iP

[@robswoodsandcustomsawmilli9940]

That should work really well in the Penns creek I will have to try some

[@TheLittleStuff]

Penn’s specifically? The whole watershed is full of them.

[@robswoodsandcustomsawmilli9940]

@@TheLittleStuff well I live right on the penns creek. I know there are local guys who fish with live stone cats and crush the bass. I don’t fish with live bait.

[@robswoodsandcustomsawmilli9940]

@@TheLittleStuff Do you still have your active target and do you use it in the river?

[@georgetollefsen994]

I have been using them, it’s a tricked out Ned 👍. I’m waiting for the video 😊

[@TheLittleStuff]

Way better than Ned. Ned has pivot. This has subtle quiver and snag resistance.

[@robertpatterson3406]

I use the 1/4 oz. brush jig and I take the teflon weed guard pin and drill a small hole through it and put a wire weed guard in it and it makes a great finesse jig .

[@TheLittleStuff]

That’s a great design idea Robert!

[@robertpatterson3406]

@@TheLittleStuff thanks

[@ponton650]

Going to try them on the New tomorrow.

[@robswoodsandcustomsawmilli9940]

I think green pumpkin just seems to work

[@TheLittleStuff]

I have some of those on order too.

[@RiverSmalliesOn]

So I remember something from the early 2000s about Mad Toms being fire down your way. Ahead of their time.

[@seantaylor6953]

The Case Mad Tom

[@TheLittleStuff]

Case was the first one I remember using.

[@HookLife]

Jeff I’m interested to know what mold that is. I see a 1/4 oz football head with a 3/0 is that what you’re using?

[@TheLittleStuff]

That mold was a 1/16th oz ball head with bristle guard. Then I built it up by removing mold material with a ball mill bit on my Dremel tool. It’s something of a cross between a football head and a stand up head. It might be 3/16th.

[@thescornedgentleman7484]

Jeff, FITT Premium Lures has some awesome PBJ baby cats. Check em out brotha. They are in PA.

[@TheLittleStuff]

Is that the line that Al Winco started?

[@thescornedgentleman7484]

@@TheLittleStuff I'm not sure Jeff but I'll tell you the baby cats they have are awesome ,If I was home right now I send you a screenshot. I'm heading to fish up north above Reading PA.

[@Nunyabizzked]

Should switch it up so we can see where you’re casting and not just watching you talk the whole time 😂 underwater footage is cool though.

[@seantaylor6953]

I'm not feeling them for the river, plenty of other baits that fill that niche out there.

[@TheLittleStuff]

Sean, here’s a checklist of what I like in a winter bottom bouncer: 1. Short overall profile. - This is why/how I developed The Little Tube, a 2 1/8th inch long tube. Why so small? They “nip” at baits in cold water. Their grabbing just the tentacles of a 3.25 inch tube and my setting the hook and not poking them got my gears turning. The smaller profile immediately worked better. 2. Some subtle feature that NEVER STOPS QUIVERING. When I tie a finesse jig, this is the large round rubber. A Ned Rig lacks this feature. The tail on the GobyZ is this feature. 3. Rigs well with a fine wire hook. I pour jig heads on an Owner 5318. The one in the video was a 1/0. Fine wire catches fish that we don’t really deserve to catch because we never felt the bite. The 1/0 is as big as I would go with this bait. 4. Snag resistant. I put the FG-9 on this 1/8th oz football head that I modified to have a collar and a shield of sorts that keeps small brush away from the eyelet. It’s probably a 3/16th oz head. I believe that the bait design itself has some snag-resistant properties. The ElaZtech keeps the head down, hook up so the hook isn’t likely to roll its point into wood or rock. But even before that, the girth of the head of the Goby keeps the head from wedging in a rock crease. It keeps the hook shank pointed away from whatever snaggy surfaces the bait drags across. I tried snagging it by just pulling it slowly across a craggy bottom. That’s not how the handful of fish ate it that day. They ate it just sitting still (even though that tail was quivering). But it’s snag resistant quality was excellent. 5. Scent holding. Lots of baits have ribs. They are a great feature. If you aren’t feeling it with the GobyZ, I recommend the smaller Trick ShotZ. They hold scent well and the paddle tail keeps moving. I actually cut the 3.5 inchers to be around 2.75 inches in winter. With the GobyZ rig I used in the video, the FG - 9 bristle guard does a nice job holding scent. 6. Bigs just eat it. Sometimes there is a bait that checks all the other boxes, and it catches fish, but just isn’t the bait that bigs eat unconditionally. I caught one decent fish on this, so I can’t check off that box yet. I’ll keep at it, and rotate in BatWingZ, Trick ShotZ, hair jigs and TRD BugZ to keep me honest on how effective the GobyZ are. I do like to have multiple different profile baits at the ready to throw into a spot. It gives them a fresh forage target to check out. The GobyZ is a different profile compared to those other bait profiles. Is it “the best”? I don’t know, but having a different “follow up bait” to show them is valuable.

[@seantaylor6953]

@TheLittleStuff exactly man, that's why I've been trimming grubs for the last almost 20 years of you remember when I showed you that truck at Hawghead so many years ago. Small profile, they love it. Remember trimming the 3 inch dinner to the egg sack before the ned rig?