Wes Littlefield 06.26.26
I set the hook and immediately thought to myself, “Oh my God, this could be the biggest fish of the day.” The fight made me laugh like a little kid, but as I pulled the 4-pound bass onto the gunwale of my kayak, I noticed something strange around its neck. I went into its mouth and pulled out an orange 12″ worm, which had obviously been in the water for some time. That was the moment I started looking for a more eco-friendly option for my bass baits. I’ve tried a few now, but none have performed as well as the Zero Trace Baits Deadly Ned 2.8″. As you continue reading my honest Zero Trace Batts review, I’ll tell you why.
What makes Zero Trace Batts special?
zero trace bait “Are made of biodegradable, food-grade ingredients” (gelatin and glycerin special blend) and contain fish by-products and krill. Once they enter the water, they begin to release an odor which increases over time. Deadly Ned starts off with little action, but picks up pace due to being in the water for extended periods of time. You will still need to dispose of the bag properly as it is not biodegradable, but the lure tray and tissue paper are biodegradable.
Pros and cons
Pros
- better for the environment
- actually catches fish
- catches different types of fish
- Scent technology makes fish bait more realistic
Shortcoming
- Delicate, the longer you fish with them the more delicate they become
- Very sensitive to heat/sunlight
- Costly
- Only a few bait and color options
How well do they fish?
I’ve tried using eco-friendly baits in the past, but I haven’t caught fish with them. So I started going back to traditional soft plastics. So when I received my shipment from Zarrow trace batsMy expectations for fishing with them were not high. However, when I opened the package, I could immediately tell that it was different from other packages I had fished with. The smell and feel of Zero Trace Baits Deadly Ned was different, and maybe that was the difference the fish needed, so I headed over to my pond to catch the fish.
Zero Trace Baits has several images of fish allegedly caught with the bait, but I had no way to verify this. I had never fished on a Ned rig, and a high pressure system had just gone through; It would be an understatement to say that the odds were stacked against these baits.
To increase my odds a bit, I rigged a drop-shot hook and a Ned rig with different colored baits. If I got bit, I expected it to be on a drop-shot. I made several types of nets in the middle of the pond by slowly dropping the bait without biting it. Then I dropped down a bank and got a few quick nibbles from what, it seemed, was a bluegill, which is more than I can say about any other eco-friendly bait I’ve used.
As I moved closer to the spot and cast a few more onto the windswept shore of the pond, a faint hope began to emerge. On one of those casts, I noticed my line was spinning against the wind, so I lowered the reel and set the hook on a 2-pounder. As I turned it around, I saw that it had bitten Ned Rigg, but not just bitten, but had inhaled it.
Luckily, I had a hook remover and I immediately removed the hook, releasing the fish back into my pond to be caught another day. That fish almost swallowed my Ned Rig, I had to be convinced enough to accept it zero trace bait Catches fish even in difficult conditions.
How long can you fish with them?
As soon as I removed the hook from the first bass, I noticed that my bait was no longer usable, as it had almost split in half. I was a little disappointed because these Ned rigs are not cheap and I only fished with them for about 30 minutes. One of the drop shots was still fishable, but I think after a fish or two, it will need replacing as well.
If you’re not catching any fish, you’ll have no problem fishing with these all day long, but that’s not what we want. As anglers, we want to catch fish, so be prepared that these baits are quite delicate and you won’t get a ton of fish per bait.
Do they really disappear?
This spring, I conducted an experiment to see how well these baits dissolve by placing them in a crawfish trap and setting the trap on the bottom of my pond. I have tried it with other eco-friendly baits in the past and did not get good results. but after fishing with zero trace baitI expected them to disintegrate, and they disintegrated. It only took a week for the Deadly Ned 2.8″ bait to completely disappear while water temperatures were in the mid to upper 60s. I expect these baits to dissolve more quickly as temperatures continue to rise.
Everyone is screaming, “But those horrible microplastics are now in your pond!!!” No, they are not, at least not before and no more than the petroleum-based plastics that are so dangerous. zero trace bait Made from odor-free soft bioplastic that keeps harmful plastics out of water.
Last Cast: Zero Trace Bats Review
At almost every stage of my testing, I have been impressed by zero trace bait. They are a little expensive because it is a small company, and each bait is hand crafted, but not so expensive that the average fisherman can’t afford them. I think the biggest step forward for these baits will be durability; If they can survive for more than a couple of fish, it will go a long way in justifying the cost. However, as long as they are catching fish and not destroying my favorite fishing hole, I am happy to support Zero Trace Baits and preserve fishing for future generations.
