Future Anglers Will Never Know You Were There With Zero Trace Baits
I set the hook and immediately thought to myself, “Oh dang, this could be the biggest fish of the day.” The fight made me giggle like a little kid, but as I pulled the 4-pound bass over the gunwale of my kayak, I saw something strange in its throat. I reached into its mouth and pulled an orange 12” worm out, which had clearly been in the water for a while. That was the moment I began looking for a more eco-friendly option for my bass baits. I’ve now tried a few, but none have performed as well as Zero Trace Baits Deadly Ned 2.8”. I’ll tell you why as you continue reading my honest Zero Trace Baits review.
What Makes Zero Trace Baits Special?
Zero Trace Baits are “Made from biodegradable, food-grade materials” (Gelatin and Glycerin special blend) and contain fish byproducts and krill. Once they hit the water, they begin releasing scent that increases over time. The Deadly Ned begins with less action, but it gains movement as it’s in the water longer. You’ll still need to properly dispose of the bag because it’s not biodegradable, but the lure tray and tissue paper are.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Better for the environment
- Actually catches fish
- Catches a wide variety of fish
- Scent technology makes the bait appear more real to the fish
Cons
- Delicate, they become more delicate the longer you fish with them
- Very sensitive to the heat/sun
- Costly
- Only a few bait and color options
How Well Do They Catch Fish?
I’ve tried using eco-friendly baits in the past, but I haven’t caught a fish with them. So I ended up switching back to traditional soft plastics. So when I received my shipment from Zero Trace Baits, my hopes of catching a fish with them were not high. However, when I opened the package, I could immediately tell it was different from the others I’d fished with. Zero Trace Baits Deadly Ned smelled and felt different, and maybe that was the difference the fish needed, so I headed to my pond to start fishing.
Zero Trace Baits has many images of fish supposedly caught with their baits, but I had no way to verify that. I’d never caught a fish on a Ned Rig, and a high-pressure system had just moved through; to say the odds were stacked against these baits is an understatement.
Just to up my odds a little, I tied on a drop-shot hook and a Ned Rig, with different colored baits. If I did get a bite, I expected it to be on the drop-shot. I made several casts, slowly working the baits in the middle of the pond without a bite. Then I made a cast down a bank and got a few quick nibbles from, what felt like, a bluegill, which is more than I can say about any of the other eco-friendly baits I’ve used.
A slight hope began to rise as I moved closer to that spot and made a few more casts down the wind-blown side of the pond. On one of those casts, I noticed my line moving against the wind, so I reeled down and set the hook on a 2-pounder. As I reeled it in, I noticed that it had bitten the Ned Rig, but not just bit it, it had inhaled it.
Luckily, I had my hook remover on hand and quickly removed the hook, releasing the fish back into my pond to be caught another day. That fish nearly swallowing my Ned Rig was all the convincing I needed to admit that Zero Trace Baits catches fish, even in tough conditions.
How Long Can You Fish With Them?
As I removed the hook from the first bass, I noticed my bait was no longer usable, as it was almost split in half. I was a little disappointed because these Ned Rig aren’t cheap and I’d only fished with them for about 30 minutes. The one on the drop shot was still fishable, but I would think after a fish or two, it would need replacing, too.
If you’re not catching any fish, you’ll have no problem fishing with these all day, but that’s not what we want. As anglers, we want to catch fish, so be prepared that these baits are pretty delicate and you won’t get a ton of fish per bait.
Do They Actually Disappear?
This spring, I set up an experiment to see just how well these baits dissolved by placing them in a crawfish trap and setting the trap on the bottom of my pond. I’ve tried this with other environmentally-friendly baits in the past and didn’t get great results. But after fishing with Zero Trace Baits, I expected them to dissolve, and they did. It only took a week for the Deadly Ned 2.8” bait to completely disappear while the water temperatures were in the mid to upper 60s. I expect these baits will dissolve much more quickly as temperatures continue to rise.
For everyone screaming, “but the horrible microplastics are now in your pond!!!” No, they are not, at least not any more than were already present, and not the petroleum-based plastics that are so dangerous. Zero Trace Baits are made from scent-infused soft bioplastics that keep harmful plastics out of the water.
Last Cast: Zero Trace Baits Review
In nearly every step of my testing, I’ve been impressed with Zero Trace Baits. They are a bit costly because it’s a small company, and each bait is hand-crafted, but not so ridiculously expensive that the average angler can’t afford them. I think the biggest step forward for these baits would be durability; if they could last more than a couple of fish, that would go a long way toward justifying the cost. However, as long as they’re catching fish and don’t destroy my favorite fishing hole, I’m happy to keep supporting Zero Trace Baits and preserving fishing for future generations.
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