Fishing with soft plastic lures are very versatile and you can catch a lot of species of fish.
The curly tail 2.5 inch grub design would have to be the most well-known soft plastics in use and the Z-Man 2.5” Grubz is a very popular choice. But how do you rig it up for fishing? So in this article we are going to cover – how to rig a Z-Man soft plastics 2.5” grub.
This article is also useful for rigging up the Daiwa Bait Junkie 2.5 inch grub, Squidgies, Keitech, Yamamoto Baits, Strike King, Zoom Baits, Bite Science, Berkley Gulp soft plastics, the old Mister Twister and any other soft plastic curly tail grub as well.
The 2.5” curly tail grub can be fished many ways and rigged several ways, like using them with spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, weedless, Ned rig, etc.
For different ways to fish and rig the curly tail, visit – 9 Ways To Rig Z-Man Soft Plastics 2.5” Grub
To store the fishing soft plastics safely and transport them, click on – How To Store Your Soft Plastics
How To Rig The Z-Man Curly Tail 2.5 Inch
Here is the step by step process for rigging the soft plastics with a standard jig head.
Step 1. Place the jig head on the back of the soft plastic body. Measure the jig head and make a mental note of where the hook should come out of the body.
Step 2. Hold the body with one hand and thread the body of the grub in the middle with the hook. (Just like threading a bardi grub on a hook, for any of you Murray cod fisherman.)
Step 3. Continue threading the hook slowly in the centre of the body of the grub, until you get to the spot where you want the hook to come out.
Step 4. Push pull the grub body on, until it is up to the jig head.
Ensure the body is straight and aligned on the hook. If it isn’t straight, the lure can spin and look unnatural when retrieved in the water. Re-adjust the grub so it is straight.
Z-Man Soft Plastic Rigging Tips
Don’t be afraid to unthread the hook partially on the grub body and rethread the hook.
The more you practice it, the better you will get at it. Also you will get quicker at it.
If you are a beginner, try practicing rigging up some soft plastics at home, before you go fishing. (If the fish are jumping, windy conditions, or you are in a rocky boat, you don’t want to struggle threading a soft plastic on a hook, otherwise in can be overwhelming. The same with fishing knots as well – practice beforehand.)
Some people add a touch of super glue on the grub and the hook, so the soft plastic doesn’t come off. (Most times you don’t need to do this if you choose a quality jig head with a good keeper as the soft plastic won’t come off easy. However, use the glue if you are getting smashed by lots of fish, or they really wreck your lure.)
FAQs
Do You Rig It With The Tail Up Or Down?
Overall it doesn’t really matter and is a personal choice if you want to rig it with the tail up or down, (Or even sideways.) compared to the hook.
On the curly tail 2”, 2.5”, or 3” grub, the tail when mounted up, can get caught more frequently on the hook when casting. So a lot of anglers will position the grub tail down, away from the hook. This makes it less likely to get tangled.
If I am working the curly tail along the bottom slowly, then I will sometimes rig the tail up, level with the hook. So it still has action and not just dragging along the bottom. With small bits of weed or debris on the bottom, the tail up or level with the hook position, should be free to flutter. (However, depending on the weight and design of the jig head, it will tip it up, so it probably doesn’t matter that much.)
What Is A Jig Head?
A jig head is a hook and sinker combined to be used with a soft plastic lure, or with a skirt. Jig heads can also have a bucktail, fur or feather type hair rig design on it.
You can get several types of jig heads, like Ned rigs, weedless and even unweighted jig heads.
What Weight Jig Head Do I Need For The 2.5 Inch Grub?
If you are fishing the 2.5 inch soft plastic size, it is important to match the hook size and weight of the jig head.
The jig head weight will depend on what depth you want to fish at, conditions and fish species and soft plastic.
Here are some weight sizes that are available and suit the 2.5 inch curly tail grub size.
1/40 oz, 1/20oz, 1/16oz, 1/12oz, 1/8oz, 1/6oz, 1/4oz. You also have unweighted jig heads.
(For reference 1/40 oz is light and 1/4 oz is heavy.)
For deeper water, strong tides, or rough water where you want to get the lure down to the fish’s, you might have to go heavier to get the lure down, like a 1/4oz or 1/6oz weight jig head. However if you want to use a 2.5” size soft plastic, it will be a bit more limited for selection for heavy weights from the manufactures.
For shallow water or calm water, a lighter jig head would be used. As an example for chasing trout on calm, flat water you don’t want to be casting a heavy weight, bombing the water. So a 1/20 ounce, or 1/16 ounce jig head might work.
Also for a bream fishing, you might have a lighter weighted (or unweighted) jig head to have an enticing action, slowly sinking down.
The negatives of too light of a jig head is, it is harder to cast a longer distance. Or it takes too long to get down to where the fish are.
The cons of a too heavy are the jig head can plummet to the bottom and not be in the strike zone for long. Also for fishing in weedy areas, it can sink too fast and you get snagged.
If you do want to fish a much heavier jig head, you may have to go to a 3 inch of 4 inch size soft plastic to match the bigger hook / heavier head weight.
What Size Hook Do I Need?
As well as jig head weight, hook size is also important when rigging the soft plastic grub.
Because the 2.5 inch grub is only relatively small, you don’t want to use a big hook / jig head. As the hook will stick out at the tail, and the ruin the tail’s action.
From biggest to smallest, a size #1/0, #1, #2, #3, #4 size hooks will work with the 2.5” size curly tail.
Hook size will also depend on the fish species targeted. Some fish have smaller mouths and will have a hard time taking a bigger hook.
However, a too small hook won’t stick out of the body
Feel free to go up or down sizes depending on personal preference and local fish size, but taking into account if it is the correct size match for the lure.
If you are targeting smaller fish, as an example small trout, a smaller hook size could be used.
For bigger fish, a bigger hook size could be used.
(On the Daiwa Bait Junkie packets, they recommend what size hook on the back. I wish Z-Man would put this on their packets as well.)
What Type Of Fish Can The 2.5” Grub Catch?
From freshwater to saltwater, here are some common fish species caught with the curly tail, either targeted or as a by catch:
- Bream
- Trout
- Bass
- Redfin (English Perch)
- Yellowbelly (Golden Perch)
- Flathead
- Salmon
- Tailor
- Estuary Perch
- Jungle Perch
- Whiting
This is only a small amount of species of what the curly tail has caught.
How Do You Attach Soft Plastic Lures To A Line?
You can rig the Z-Man soft plastic to a jig head, and then tie a fishing line leader directly to the jig head.
Or use a snap or clip like the Mustad Ultrapoint Fastach Clip that unclip quickly to the jig head or lure. For more information visit, – How To Use The Mustad Fastach Clip
For the leader, you could use monofilament, (normal fishing line) or fluorocarbon.
Summary
The soft plastic Z-Man 2.5 inch grub is a very adaptable lure, which has caught a huge variety of species. It is easy to rig up and you can fish it with different techniques and retrieves.
We hope you enjoyed the article on how to rig a 2.5 inch Z-Man soft plastic.
Related Article
How To Rig A Soft Plastic Frog For Fishing: A Step-by-Step Guide
