Z-Man's new Goat ToadZ

The new Z-Man Goat ToadZ is revolutionary in the category of soft plastic frogs. St. Croix Bassmaster Opens pro Joey Nania will share the stand-out features of the bait in this gallery.

Like Z-Man’s other soft plastic baits, the Goat ToadZ is made with Z-Man’s proprietary ElazTech material that’s soft, pliable and 10 times tougher that traditional soft plastics.

ElaZtech is also naturally buoyant and for the Goat ToadZ that means a true, floating topwater frog.

You Designed It. Now Fish it. That marketing slogan is not advertising fluff. Z-Man invited every day anglers to share what they most want in the ultimate lure and Z-Man integrated the feedback into the design.

Here are the results. The ultimate floating frog.

Dorsal ridges protect exposed hook points, preventing fouling in grass. “The hook fits perfectly between the ridges, and you get good, solid hooksets,” Nania said. The four ridges are spaced far enough apart for rigging with single or double hooks used for frogs.

“Never before have we had a buzzing-style frog that can be retrieved to make the feet kick like a plopping-style topwater,” Nania said. The cupped kicker feet provide a gurgling, bubbling action at all retrieve speeds.

A thick, bulky body and streamlined design enhances castability. “We now have a frog that can be cast without having to add a weight,” Nania said. “That’s key when long casts across shallow water are needed to prevent spooking fish.”

A belly hook slot means easier, more solid hooksets.

Nania and his peers apply a drop of super glue to the head of the Goat ToadZ when used as a trailer. “You get the most out of the ElaZtech, because the bait lasts even longer, stays in place and makes the bait run true,” Nania said.

“It’s really neat when you can have one soft plastic bait that can be rigged multiple ways,” Nania said. The Goat ToadZ can be rigged Texas style, as a topwater frog, as a buzzbait trailer, and on a weighted hook, like the Z-Man TT Lures ChinlokZ SWS.

A skirtless buzzbait with a soft plastic trailer is ideal when a slim profile bait is desirable. “You get added buoyancy with ElaZtech, and it stays firmly in place on the keeper of the lure.”

“The Goat ToadZ kicking feet add even more strike appeal, giving pressured bass a different look,” Nania added.

High on the list of fan feedback was for Z-Man to create the ultimate topwater frog. “The fans wanted something to throw weightless and make long casts, which a lot of times you need to make across really shallow vegetation when fish are easily spooked,” Nania said. The Goat ToadZ is the result.

“For the first time, we have a soft plastic frog that won’t sink on a stop-start retrieve for a true natural presentation,” Nania said.

“Most soft plastic frogs sink when stopped over an open hole in vegetation.” Nania said.

With the Goat ToadZ, you can stop it, twitch it, and then wind it again to look like the real thing.

Rigging the Goat ToadZ on a ChinlokZ is another option. You get even longer casts, while adding another benefit in heavily matted vegetation. “The weight creates a depression in the mat, so when a fish blasts the bait, it won’t go flying out of the water,” Nania said.

“The weighted hook helps increase hooking percentage, while the ChinlockZ prevents the bait from sliding down on the hookset,” he said.

The Goat ToadZ is available in eight colors: Black, White, Green Pumpkin, Coppertreuse, Rebone, The Deal, Hot Snakes and Purple Death.

And there you have it. A multi-tasking frog with enhanced strike appeal, greater castability, and features that are unique in the soft plastic frog category.