Gobius
The first thing you notice when you see the Gobius is its strong resemblance to Megabass' Dark Sleeper. You might wonder if one has copied the other, but that's not the point.
As for its underwater performance, it's not really worth making a comparison between the two, as they're very comparable, if not the same thing. Anyway, that's not the point, and the Gobius deserves a closer look. To sum up: it's more "alive" underwater, more durable and a hair less expensive.
First of all, the Gobius benefits from Z-Man's traditional patented plastic: ElaZtech. This plastic, for which only Z-Man has the secret, gives the lure everything you could wish for: suppleness, elasticity, strength, smooth swimming and realism!
What's more, the plastic completely covers the sinker and hook, making the trap almost invisible to the fish.
The other interesting point is that even the eyes are molded in plastic and colored, for absolute durability, instead of simple stickers that peel off.
There's also a lot of detail on the fins, which have the particularity of creating a multitude of weak vibrations, even when the lure is static. Indeed, the static aspect of the lure is important, because with its silhouette and realism, it can be left motionless for a long time without fear of the fish detecting the deception.
Use
The Gobius is primarily designed for black-bass fishing, and for good reason: the goby is one of its favourite prey! It's very easy to use: just drag it, rod down, over flat, rocky or sandy ground. It can also be used on rougher bottoms, but in this case, a more lively, saw-toothed action with the rod raised is more appropriate to avoid getting it stuck between two rocks.
It can also be used to fish other species, such as bass in rocks, or perch and pike-perch in submerged roots, thanks to its all-purpose design that doesn't stick to the bottom too much.
My opinion
The simplicity and ease of use of the Gobius, and above all the fact that it's ready to use, make it a superb lure for beginners, or for light fishing without having to bring along lead heads and several lure pouches. The price seems a little high for such a rudimentary lure designed to scrape the bottom, with the likelihood of losing it easily depending on what's there, but it's very good, not to say indispensable in certain situations.
Finally, I recommend keeping the original, resealable packaging for storing Gobius. This allows them to be stored separately, without fear of a reaction with the pigments or plastics of other lures.
Gobius
- Brand: Z-Man
- Length: 7.6 centimetres
- Weight: 10, 14 or 21 grams
- Type: soft lure
- Price: ?13.95 each
- Distributor France : Autain
