Z‑Man® and Capt. C.A. Richardson Collaborate to Advance Saltwater Jighead Design
LADSON, S.C. (July 8, 2026)— Few anglers have spent more time dissecting shallow‑water environments than Capt. C.A. Richardson. For more than 30 years, Richardson has lived and breathed inshore fishing as a guide on the Florida Gulf Coast and Louisiana Delta, a tournament pro during the heyday of redfish circuits, an educator and speaker, and the long‑running host of Flats Class TV. His work has taken him from the grass flats of Texas’ Laguna Madre to the oyster‑rich estuaries stretching up the Eastern Seaboard.
Inshore fishing revolves around soft plastics, and the jighead ultimately determines how effective those baits will be. The right jighead keeps a paddletail swimming without rolling, slips through grass instead of fouling, settles upright on the bottom, and crawls across oysters with fewer hang‑ups.
If anyone knows what makes a jighead perform across so many different environments, it is C.A. Richardson. That experience is the foundation of the new Z‑Man® Flats Class™ JigheadZ™, a jighead shaped by thousands of days of real-world insight and engineered for the demands of serious inshore anglers.
Designed for the Shallows
“When we started working on this project, the goal was simple: build a jighead that could handle everything inshore anglers face on a daily basis,” Richardson said.
“We wanted a design that would fish equally well whether you were swimming a paddletail across shallow grass flats or working it along the bottom,” Z‑Man Director of Product Development Jose Chavez added. “The tapered nose slips through vegetation cleanly, while the broad base gives the bait excellent stability.”
The low‑center‑of‑gravity head tracks naturally, resists rolling, crawls over shell, and navigates grass with minimal hang‑ups. Even the smallest details were refined to improve fishability. The lead transitions smoothly into the hook eye, eliminating sharp edges where grass and debris often collect.
Built for Saltwater Strength
Richardson and Z-Man homed in on the features needed for the ideal inshore jig hook: an upsized wire diameter for strength, a short shank that allows soft plastic action, a 30-degree hook eye that enables the streamlined head shape, a corrosion-resistant black-nickel finish, and a long tapered needlepoint for easy penetration. No off‑the‑shelf hook offered all these attributes, so the team went fully custom.
“We designed a hook that penetrates easily with light braided line but is strong enough to land the fish of your dreams,” Chavez said.
From redfish and seatrout to snook, flounder, striped bass, and small tarpon, the hook is built to handle the full spectrum of hard-charging inshore gamefish.
Multi-Stage Keeper, Maximum Hold
Soft plastics, especially ElaZtech® baits, require a keeper that is easy to rig but grips securely to eliminate baits sliding out of place. The Flats Class JigheadZ uses a hybrid multi‑ridged molded keeper paired with an integrated wire keeper to lock baits down firmly through repeated casts, aggressive strikes, and bottom contact.
“Throw the glue away,” Richardson said. “That hybrid bait keeper absolutely ‘glues’ plastic baits to the jighead.”
Finished for the Flats
Detail matters in shallow water, and the Flats Class JigheadZ is finished to match the environments where it excels. Each jighead features realistic 3D eyes, multi‑step hand‑painted color schemes, and six captain‑approved colors designed to match water clarity, bottom composition, and forage patterns. Anglers can choose a seamless bait‑and‑head combination or a contrasting color that stands out and grabs attention.
Additional enhancements elevate the Flats Class JigheadZ above other options. Weights are printed on the underside of each head for easy identification, and hook eyes are masked during painting to eliminate residue that can slow rigging or foul during fishing.
Available in Fall 2026, the Flats Class JigheadZ comes in 1/8‑, 3/16‑, 1/4‑, 3/8‑, and 1/2‑ounce weights with proportionate 2/0 through 4/0 hooks that pair seamlessly with Z-Man baits including MinnowZ™, DieZel MinnowZ™, DieZel KickerZ™, Scented PaddlerZ™, Scented Jerk ShadZ™, and Big BallerZ™. MSRP is $6.99 to $7.99.
For more information, visit www.zmanfishing.com or see it in action at the ICAST, booth 4808.
About Z-Man Fishing Products: A dynamic Charleston, South Carolina based company, Z-Man Fishing Products has melded leading edge fishing tackle with technology for over three decades. The company’s roots trace back to producing silicone skirts for many of the industry’s top lure makers, a foundation that set the stage for its evolution into a full-fledged lure brand. With the addition of the Original ChatterBait® bladed jig and the development of its proprietary 10X Tough ElaZtech® superplastic material driving its transformation, Z-Man broadened its offerings into a comprehensive lineup of innovative freshwater and saltwater lures. Today, Z-Man remains family owned and is among the fastest growing lure companies in the fishing industry, with its products distributed across North America and in more than 40 countries worldwide.
