Product Review: Z-Man 2.5” Grub vs Cast King 2.5” Thug Grub Soft Plastic

By Darren Lord

Introduction

I started chasing black bream in southern Tasmania one year ago. Having never caught bream on lure I sort advice from the local tackle store on what to use. Z-Man grub 2.5” in motor oil was the go to and highly recommended. Once I worked out how to use them I caught my first bream... The addiction had started.... a few months later is when the Cast King 2.5” Thug Grub was introduced to me.

Over the last 12 months I’ve been using Z-Man 2.5” Grub and Cast King 2.5” Thug Grub soft plastics side by side and comparing my results. In this review, I’ll go over what I think are the pros and cons of each and their unique features.
At the end of this review, you’ll be able to judge for yourself which of these two soft plastics are suited to you for maximizing your results.

The Cast King 2.5” Thug Grub in Mutant Oil colour (Left) and the Z-Man 2.5” Grub in Motor Oil colour (Right)

Here are the core categories I’ll be considering:

• Durability: How easily is it damaged? How easily does it degrade, dry out or lose its shape? How many fish per bait can be caught?
• Utility: How well it stays on the jig head, swims/twitches
• Packaging: Does the packaging make for easy resealing and storage once opened, and how well are the baits protected?
• Range and Value: Do they have an extensive colour range? What is the most value for your money?
• Availability: Are they easy to purchase or do you need to do something special (i.e. widely available in shops or do you have to visit a website)

Cast King 2.5” Thug Grub

There is a vast array of soft plastics on the market, some good and some bad. Therefore, I was a bit sceptical of the Cast King 2.5” Thug Grub at first. Nevertheless, I gave it a try.

The Cast King 2.5” Thug Grub in Mutant Oil colour

Pros:

• Damage is minimal; however, like a lot of plastics they do leach colours into others if mixed together, and like most soft plastics they don’t do well in the heat/sun. 
• I have caught upwards of 15-20 fish in a session on the same plastic. 
• Stays on the jig head, only sliding down when hit by fish. Much less frustrating! 
• Has a vibrating ball at the end of tail, with the action becoming more exaggerated when used with very light jig head (1/28 hidden weight). 
• Individual plastics are stored in a hard clam type plastic case in the packet that is easy to open/close and reduces bent tails.

Cons:

• Limited colour range. 
• Online sales only

Z-Man 2.5” Grub

The Z-Man 2.5” Grub has been around for a very long time. As I wrote at the beginning of my review, these were the first soft plastics I used for bream.

The Z-Man 2.5” Grub in Motor Oil colour

Pros:

• It has a lot more colours to choose from.
• It is available in most tackle stores and online shops.
• Is often cheaper in the Online/BCF/ANACONDA sales etc.

Cons:

• Manages to catch only several fish from one plastic.
• Starts sliding down the jig head after about a dozen casts, then keep happening most casts thereafter.
• Seems to be made of lighter plastic and does not cast as far or sink as good as the Cast King.
• Comes in a tray type plastic in the packet that can often leave bent tails.

Overall Conclusion

Here’s my favourite for each of the five core categories discussed above:

• Durability: Cast King
• Utility: Cast King
• Packaging: Cast King
• Range and Value: Z-Man
• Availability: Z-Man

It should be noted that both these products are excellent soft plastics, and both catch fish. Overall, however, I prefer the Cast King Thug Grub because I found that they are more durable, don’t slide off the jig head as easy, come better packaged, and catch more bream per bait.

I recommend if you use the Z-man 2.5” grub, do yourself a favour and check out the Cast King Thug Grub in mutant oil. You will not be disappointed!

In the video below, Darren Lord, shows the Cast King Thug Grub in action:

Click Here To Visit the Cast King Facebook page: CastKing-Australia

Note: Darren’s background behind using the cast king soft plastics is that he won a competition to compete for a pro staff position with 16 other anglers from Australia. He was sent some plastics to get him started. However, Darren is not a pro staff member for cast King nor is he pitching anything for them. His opinions on both products are made purely from using them day in day out and his passion for passing helpful info onto other keen anglers.