The Georgia State Record was announced in SaltWater Sportsman in the Catches on Note section. “Angler Mike Stefanick – fishing on Captain Jeff Millis’ Cold Duck – used a Z-Wing planar to put a rigged ballyhoo 55 feet down on the last day of the Bull Rover Yacht Club Billfish Tournament. A big wahoo took the bait, and Stefanick won the 35-minute battle – and the tournament. The fish tipped the scales at 123.2 pounds.

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“Don’t Leave Home Without It, Downriggers Are A Valuable Tool For Serious Fishermen”, written by Michael Lewis talks about the Zwing as being an essential part of every fisherman’s toolbox. Michael Lewsi title “Z-Wings Are Superior” describes, “if you fish offshore in deep water, there is a device that is much more effective than the lead ball. It is called a Z-Wing…” he concludes the article, “The bottom line is you can’t beat a downrigger for fishing productively. If you put one on your boat, learn how to use it and use it faithfully for guaranteed success.”

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This article was written by Capt. Billy Thomas and discusses the problems with blowback caused by friction when using a lead ball. The Zwing, as a hydrodynamic depressors eliminates these issues. The article reads, “The Zwing (www.zwingdownrigger.com) attaches to the downrigger line and replaces the heavy ball. Its design allows it to “dig” and maintain a constant depth with no blowback, at a wide range of speeds. You can figure on deploying 52 feet of downrigger line to keep a Zwing riding 50 feet deep because the line will hold a 16-degree angle.”

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Charter Industry Magazine published a product field test repost conducted by Capt. Mike Lewis. Capt. Mike Lewis tested the Zwing downrigger on Capt. Kit Kuittenin’s boat, Alpha One, off the coast of Key West. It reads, “There is no question that the Z-Wing tracked much straighter down below the transom that a lead downrigger ball… The Zwing was superior to a lead cannon ball.” In summary he writes, “The Z-Wing is a good, indestructible product that is definitely better to use on your downrigger than the old lead ball. We both recommend it.”

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In Tony Pena’s article, “A Tale of Two Cities” describes the marlin of Mexico’s coastal cities, Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo. In his section titled, “Big Marlin in Little Places” he writes, “Top Captains spend a lit of their time over these high spots (ocean ridges often fished off coast of Bahia de Tequepa) and have introduced something new to Zihuatanejo: Z-Winging. Captains such as Miguel Alvarez and Luis Macial Castro were two of the first practitioners of this downrigging technique, whereby the lead ball is replaced by the Z-Wing adjustable planar – or ‘hydrodynamic depressor,’ as the manufacturer calls it.” The article continues, “Castro took a 330-pound yellowfin… on a live skipjack trolled from the Z-Wing.” Pena describes, “One reason the Z-Wing is so popular is because it is so simple. Most Zihuatanejo crews simply attach it to a heavy cord rather than using an elaborate downrigger system.”

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