Ladson, SC (Might 5, 2025) – Twenty years of fishing historical past within the making, TPE baits are trending in a giant manner. However what precisely is TPE? What are its advantages over conventional PVC tender plastics? And extra to the purpose, as knock-off TPE baits proceed arriving from abroad, why do the unique made-in-the-USA TPE baits—often called ElaZtech®— stay superior in underwater motion, longevity and strike technology?
The story started shortly after the arrival of the brand new millennium. Artistic minds on the lab of an nameless South Carolina sort out firm often called Z-Man® started quietly concepting an thrilling new softbait recipe with intriguing potentialities. The mission was formidable but undeniably thrilling: To pioneer a collection of groundbreaking softbaits composed of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE)—a singular, ecologically impartial substance utilized in cosmetics, canine chew toys, child bottles and medical and healthcare merchandise.
The day the calendar flipped to 05/05/05— following a number of begins, stops and reboots— the primary batch of the newly perfected baits just about crawled out of their aluminum molds.
However even for the originators of this distinctive, dynamic bait method, evolving from uncooked supplies to completed, fishable product required a singular imaginative and prescient and the fervour to pioneer a wholly new lure class.
Virtually instantly, these distinctive subsequent technology softbaits caught hearth with the inshore saltwater group surrounding Z-Man headquarters, spreading up and down the East Coast like excellent news. “All the things about ElaZtech baits, that are a extremely cultivated type of TPE, scream saltwater fishing,” notes Captain C.A. Richardson, a legendary inshore information and proprietor of Florida based mostly Flats Class Charters. “From the very starting, we realized these have been probably the most resilient baits we’d ever used. They transfer simply and freely. Arise on backside and mimic feeding shrimp and baitfish like no different bait. They’re extremely tender and fish completely engulf them—however they’ll’t destroy ‘em like they do each different one-hit marvel bait.”
Conversely, maybe akin to the preliminary arrival of braided superlines, the baits’ plain benefits weren’t instantly embraced in freshwater. Bass professionals belittled each the baits and a brand new finesse approach referred to as the Ned rig, that’s till the resilient little morsel began profitable tough-bite bass tourneys in every single place.
The legendary Ned Kehde, nevertheless, acknowledged the baits’ potential from the soar. “ElaZtech baits excel as a result of the fabric is exceptionally sturdy, permitting dozens of fish to be caught on one lure,” wrote Kehde in 2016, one yr after Z-Man created the archetypal bait often called the Finesse TRD™. “Furthermore, the baits are supple and lifelike, and float off backside, offering their very own built-in motion,”
On the event scene, Luke Clausen, longtime Z-Man professional and winner of each the Bassmaster Basic and FLW Cup championships, additionally embraced the baits from day-one. “ElaZtech is the bait of the long run, a real tremendous plastic,” stated Clausen in 2012. “Simply as fluorocarbon is completely different than monofilament and tungsten is completely different than lead, ElaZtech provides some uniquely highly effective properties that more and more get the nod over standard tender plastics.”
Formulation 050505“From early on, we have been motivated by the thought of making a bait from an environmentally benign, phthalate-free substance that outperformed conventional PVC (polyvinylchloride) baits within the water,” recollects Z-Man Operations Supervisor Jolee Myers, one of many key creators of the unique ElaZtech method.
“However there was no playbook for creating new baits from a state-of-the-art materials. In truth, we initially realized that nothing that works with plastisol (PVC) works with ElaZtech, so Z-Man grew to become floor zero for creating a wholly new bait method.
“Even immediately, ElaZtech nonetheless amazes us. It’s actually fantastic stuff, like, we typically marvel if it got here right here from one other planet,” Myers laughs.
By now, most anglers are conscious of the outstanding fish-friendly benefits: ElaZtech is no less than 10-times extra sturdy than conventional baits composed of PVC. Z-Man has lengthy chronicled the endurance benefits of ElaZtech, evidenced by the 238 largemouth bass caught by the legendary Ned Kehde on a single Finesse WormZ™ in 2015. Or the present ElaZtech report of 255 bass and different fish, caught on a single TRD TicklerZ™ by Brian Waldman in August and September 2021.
You may say that throughout the previous few years, the status and fish-catching prowess of ElaZtech has reached an all-time excessive. Anglers have embraced the baits for bass, crappie, walleye, redfish and area of interest species like striped bass, snakeheads, and northern pike. Internationally, ElaZtech baits have remained pink scorching for years. Lots of the greatest anglers in Australia and Scandinavia flip to Z-Man superplastics for brawling predators like barramundi and pike. (A 7” Scented Jerk ShadZ™ lately broke the world report cobia, caught off the Western Australian coast.)
Factoring Bait SoftnessEventually, maybe predictably, the development from conventional PVC to excessive efficiency ElaZtech spawned TPE imitations. In recent times, quite a few corporations have tried to seize a chunk of the pie, importing “over-the-counter” TPE baits made in China and Taiwan.
Z-Man President Daniel Nussbaum suggests a number of key variations between ElaZtech and its imitators. “Z-Man continues to be the one firm who manufactures TPE baits within the US,” notes Nussbaum. “Clearly, we’ve lengthy supported US manufacturing, however by retaining bait manufacturing in home, we’re additionally capable of provide a better range of bait shapes and colours and faster turnaround instances–all direct outcomes of the moment, seamless communication between completely different departments working below the identical roof.”
Provides Myers: “The good half about working with such a singular, uncommon materials is that it permits us to continually innovate new formulation and methods to enhance on the fishability of the baits proper on website. We are able to management and excellent each facet of bait making, from altering the baits’ softness and buoyancy to including salt, scent or fine-tuning colours to the precise specs required by anglers.”
Among the many manifold benefits of manufacturing ElaZtech baits of their US-based labs, Myers highlights Z-Man’s adaptability to tweak the method and alter bait softness to match the scenario. “For probably the most half, PVC baits all exhibit the identical hardness or durometer, which measures how resistant supplies are to indentation,” explains Myers.
“When designing a brand new bait, we analyze the highest purposes and modify durometer to match. We consider, different components being equal, a softer bait strikes extra freely and naturally. Fish chew and maintain these baits longer, but even at low (further tender) durometers, ElaZtech baits stay amazingly resilient—which is a part of their magic (baits will stretch as much as twelve instances their size with out ripping).
Myers continues: “Whereas most conventional PVC baits measure a 21 to 22 (Shore Hardness Scale), we make ElaZtech baits with a method that ranges anyplace from 6 to 12 to 18—orders of magnitude softer than conventional stuff. For finesse baits, we use the softest method potential, including salt as wanted to change buoyancy and improve hardness. The ZinkerZ, for instance, begins at a 6, which is softer than a gummy bear, however the salt slides it up the dimensions, barely. A few of our flipping baits, just like the Gremlin, make use of a more durable materials from 15 to 18.” (For reference, a marshmallow measures a ten, gel shoe insoles are a 30 and rubber bands are simply over 60 on the Shore 00 Hardness Scale.)
Anglers who’ve fished ElaZtech baits extensively uncover that fish enamel will usually create tiny tears within the materials. “However what anglers quickly understand is that these little cuts don’t develop into any larger with time as a result of ElaZtech is exceedingly immune to tear migration,” provides Myers. “In truth, many anglers consider that the extra our baits get chewed up by fish, the higher they produce. Actually, as fish create extra of those micro cuts within the ElaZtech, baits develop into spongier to the contact, really feel extra alive to fish. Anglers have additionally found out that these cuts are wonderful little conduits for absorbing and retaining scent, equivalent to Professional-Treatment, for lengthy durations of time.
“Doesn’t matter should you’re fishing a dropshot, swimbait or a Ned rig,” says Clausen. “ElaZtech baits excel in each scenario as a result of they self-activate and transfer by themselves. Evaluate that to a PVC bait that falls over and lies lifeless on the underside, and also you rapidly perceive the attract of ElaZtech.”
“No different bait kind provides so many apparent angling benefits or so many under-the-radar rewards, together with new hacks and bait mods anglers proceed to find every season.”
But the query stays: Are all TPE baits created equal? Let’s simply say 20 years, lots of of thousands and thousands of baits offered and an ever-expanding statline of fishing success equals a big head begin.
About Z-Man Fishing Merchandise: A dynamic Charleston, South Carolina based mostly firm, Z-Man Fishing Merchandise has melded vanguard fishing sort out with expertise for practically three a long time. Creator of the Authentic ChatterBait®, Z-Man can be the famend innovators of 10X Powerful ElaZtech® superplastics, among the many most coveted baits in fresh- and saltwater. Z-Man is likely one of the fastest-growing lure manufacturers worldwide.
