Zoom Bait Company’s Prolific Crop of Watermelons

Gear

Mar 22

The Zoom Bait Company, started in a barn by the late Ed Chambers Sr., has grown in to a soft plastics behemoth, leading the way in innovative designs and colors for several decades. From the Brush Hog to the Horny Toad, their product names have become category standards.

That leadership extends to colors, too. Go to their website and you’ll see an amazing array of active stock colors (Bruised Banana, anyone? Baby Duck? Toxic Shad?). What makes it even more amazing is the ridiculous assortment of special distributor colors like Japan Gill, Florida Orange and Blood Clot.

Where they really shine, though, is their selection of watermelon variations. Tackle Warehouse alone has nearly two dozen varieties.

Must-Have Zoom Plastics

Before I dig into Tackle Warehouse’s selection of Zoom watermelon shades, here are the Zoom products I can’t live without:

Zoom Baby Brush Hog – My number one pitching bait before the Senko came along, and I should probably still use it more that way, but these days it’s my number one Carolina Rig offering.
Zoom Centipede – I C-Rig it like everyone else, but I particularly love it on a Slider Head when the bite is tough.
Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw – Possibly the most versatile soft plastic I own. A great bed bait, sneaky pitching lure, and a great all-around trailer for various jigs.
Zoom Super Chunk – As far as I know, this was the first “bunny ears” jig trailer and still a go-to want a heavy fluttering presence.
Zoom 8” Lizard – If you go to Mexico and don’t bring a stash of these (default to watermelon red if you’re not sure what colors work best), your guide will look at you like you’re crazy.

Zoom Ultra Vibe Magnum Speed Worm in four shades of watermelon

How Many Watermelons Do You Need?

Straight watermelon or watermelon red probably get the most usage and press, but if the craws or bluegills or other prey species on your local waters have a tinge of purple or orange or some other differentiating appearance, Zoom has you covered. Check out the following variations: