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Lure Review

 

 

Not Really Defying Gravity, But Better For the Environment : Catch Outdoors's Z.G.H.A. Underspin

 

Date: 10/7/19
Tackle Type: Lures
Manufacturer: Catch Outdoors
Reviewer: Cal






Total Score: 7.83 - EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD

Introduction:
Bladed baits are on somewhat of a revival it would seem. For whatever reason, spinnerbaits are not nearly as popular as they once were, but baits like 'bama rigs, vibrating jigs, even crankbaits with attached blades continue to gain popularity. One blade configuration that exists in more anonymity is the underspin. Yes, they are out there, and obviously anglers use them, but they're not talked about as much as they were maybe ten to fifteen years ago. Today, we take a look at an intriguing interpretation of the underspin by Catch Outdoors. Introducing their Zero Gravity Hybrid Airdrop Underspin.

 


Take a deep breath... ready? Introducing the very long named "Catch Outdoors's Zero Gravity Hybrid Airdrop Underspin"

 

Catch Outdoors Zero Gravity Hybrid Airdrop Underspin Specifications

Type Jighead
Weight 0.40 oz
Colors/Patterns 4
Hook BITE! 5/0 black nickel hook
Additional Features Willow leaf blade, Sampo ball bearing swivel, lead free design
MSRP $6.49


Detailing on the heads is excellent

Impressions: Right away Catch Outdoors takes the prize for longest underspin name on the market. Normally, with names this long, we abbreviate into an acronym, but ZGHAU doesn't sound like much except for maybe a city in Asia somewhere. Nevertheless, this underspin first intrigued me for the first part of its name "Zero Gravity". If you recall, we fished and reviewed Catch Outdoor's Zero Gravity Jig back in 2011.

 


The willow leave blade is attached to the jighead via a Sampo ball bearing swivel

 

I was intrigued to find out if this underspin had the same, super slow fall feature, so I acquired a couple of heads without even thinking. When I took one out of the package, it was obvious these didn't have the same design as the jig. A quick check back at the company's website reveals why they use the term "Hybrid" in the product's name. This underspin head is essentially weighted sixty percent (60%) of normal, so there's an air cavity or something in the head to take away some of the weight, but the weight is obviously still there.


Two heads better than one? Tipped with a Big Bite Baits Suicide Shad

Real World Tests: This probably equates to something like if you were fishing a standard underspin at a lake on the moon. Not having those resources, all we can do is fish this product at some of our local testing waters. I did this on a variety of different combos with all three types of line so a bit much to list here, but one thing that was consistent was my choice in trailer. It was usually either a Big Bite Baits Suicide Shad, Reins AX Craw, or Strike King Rage Swimmer.


Success tied to the end of an Abu Garcia IKE Delay Series rod

First thing I did after tying the Hybrid Airdrop Underspin to the end of my line was to drop it in the water next to the boat and determine if I could notice a difference in its fall rate. Unfortunately, in a static drop, I could see no difference.


Tipped with a Reins AX Craw

So the next thing to do was just start fishing it. The Hybrid Airdrop Underspin casts easily through the air and comes through the water as you'd expect - true with the blade fluttering underneath. There seems to be a small effect with this bait not that it swims through the water any more shallow than a standard weighted head, but I think it bounces off obstructions more easily because it's not as heavy. Whatever the case, it is undeniably effective especially when tipped with a paddletail swimbait.


It looks like an awkward trailer, but it works!

Design & Ergonomics: The attraction of this bait from a design and ergonomics perspective is the detail in the paint job and the quality of components. It's subtle, but the paint schemes on the head of the Hybrid Airdrop is very intricate. The underspin blade is attached to the head via a Sampo Ball Bearing Swivel to ensure trouble free spinning of the willow leaf blade.

The Zero Gravity's hook (designed by Kelly Barefoot and manufactured under Catch Outdoor's BITE! sub-brand) has a nice long hook shank and the wire bait keeper helps keep your plastic in place even after a few hits, and perhaps my favorite feature of this product is that it's a lead free design.


The hook shank is just a little longer than usual

Price & Applications: Retail price on Catch Outdoors's Zero Gravity Hybrid Airdrop Underspin is $6.49 - on the high side of middle of the pack after quick review at TackleWarehouse, but not bad considering the detailed head finishes. This bait worked best for me tipped with a paddletail swimbait and thrown in search of active fish.


Tipped more appropriately with a Strike King Rage Swimmer

Ratings

Catch Outdoors Zero Gravity Hybrid Airdrop Underspin Ratings (?/10)

Construction/Quality Quality underspin head 9
Performance No complaints here 8
Price Not too bad considering the detailed paint schemes 7.5
Features Long hook shank, wire keeper, ball bearing swivel, lead free design, custom designed hook 8
Design (Ergonomics) Only one size and limited number of patterns 7
Application Excellent in pursuit of active fish 7.5

Total Score

7.83

Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable!
For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

 

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus

Minus
+ Really nice finishes on the heads - Take a deep breath before trying to say the product's name
+ Long hook shank for short strikes  
+ Ball bearing swivel attachment to blade  
+ Nice separation between head and blade  
+ Lead free design  

 


Underspins might be a little under appreciated at times, but baits like Catch Outdoor's Zero Gravity Hybrid Airdrop Underspin help to alleviate some of that neglect

 

Conclusion: Underspins might be a little under appreciated at times, but baits like Catch Outdoor's Zero Gravity Hybrid Airdrop Underspin help to alleviate some of that neglect by providing detailed finishes that inspire you to fish them. I mean really, it's just an underspin jighead, but this is a really good looking underspin jighead. Little tweaks like that longer than usual hook shank give you a little leg up on those short strikers, and that custom hook is really sharp and holds up well. Lastly, Catch Outdoors weights this jighead without the use of lead. They just seem to get everything right with this product, well, except for the excessively long winded name. Despite that quirk, Catch Outdoors has won this Editor's Choice Award for the lead free design of their Zero Gravity Hybrid Airdrop Underspin.

 

Looking for Catch Outdoors Zero Gravity Hybrid Airdrop Underspin?

Try TackleWarehouse

 

 

   

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