Zoota Lures

Zoota Lures – Wobbly Bob, Deep Jack and Wagtail

Zoota Lures

RECENTLY I WAS asked to do a talk for the Cambridge branch of the PAC, and as this is quite a way for me to travel I decided to mix in a bit of fishing and arranged for a couple of days trout water pike fishing. Whilst on the boats with a couple of lure anglers we were passing the time of day by having a good root about in each other’s lure selection and I came across a few fantastic looking lures that I hadn’t seen before.

I was told that they were all the rage in this part of the world and were made by a local chap, Alex Prouse, who upon making lures for himself soon got inundated by requests from friends who wanted some of his highly successful lures for their own use.

The next logical step was for Alex to start to charge for his mates for lures to cover his costs and eventually this lead on to turning it into a small business and he is now the proud owner and sole employee of Zoota Lures. Later that night I met Alex who came into the pub for a few beers after the fishing was complete and I couldn’t help but be impressed with his enthusiasm and attention to detail that he puts into his lures.

Alex with a 24.08 pike caught on a wagtail

More and more manufacturers are using soft plastics for catching pike these days and there will be few pike anglers who are unaware of just how effective these lures are, but they all have one significant drawback. That is that after a few fish are caught most are ruined, sometimes beyond repair and this can get quite expensive when you live in an area crawling with pike like Fenland.

This is where Zoota lures have the edge. These lures are not only designed to catch pike (which they certainly do!) but the material used is able to withstand multiple captures without losing any of its action. Remember all Alex’s lures were originally made by himself, for himself and by his own admission he’s tight, and wants the lures to last as long as possible.

All the lures are rigorously tested by himself and his friends, and it is only when he is 100% happy with its action, results and durability does he make more of them to sell. In fact he has had feedback from customers stated that he is doing himself out of business as his lures last so long!

Typical hook-up when using Zoota Lures, with the lure (a Curly Jack in ‘fire leopard’) hanging safely outside of the Pike’s mouth

Another significant plus in the design is the underside rigging system, rather than the more traditional ‘through the bait’ that most soft plastics utilise. Once the hook is set the rig falls away from the fish’s jaw making the unhooking much easier, reducing the number of fish that throw the lure and minimising the teeth damage thereby increasing the life of the lure.

Not only do Zoota Lures produce a full and varied range of soft plastics they also do a full range of high quality wire mounts, dyes, replacement tails and many more vital components in a lure anglers armoury. Rather than try and review or comment on each one individually I would recommend you take a look at the website where full details of the Zoota range can be seen along with prices and description of uses.

If you are interested, and any pike or zander anglers should be, then you can view his website at www.zoota.co.uk and I strongly recommend you do this to get a flavour of what he has to offer or, alternatively, he can be contacted via email at alex@zoota.co.uk

	Gary Knowles’ Verdict
	This is a small business where product quality and customer care count. Every step of the manufacturing process is carried out by hand and not only is there a large selection of quality lures available Alex is happy to make lures to suit your own colour requirements, usually at no extra cost. In this day and age this is a level service that we should not take for granted.