Entry 228-1

Strike King Intervenes to Save the Day with Tim Ungaro

Part 1: I’m Going to Get Me Some of Those Zulus

Question: Tim, you’re part of an exclusive fly-fishing club that travels the world, aren’t you?

Ungaro: Yes, I am. We’re all saltwater fly-fishermen. Our group is made up mostly of doctors and other professionals.

Question: I understand at one time you were having a problem with your tackle.

Ungaro: Yes, we were. We travel to many remote locations to fish, and oftentimes we fly in small planes that have a strict weight limit of 50 pounds of gear per person. The other problem is that fly-fishing tackle takes up a lot of space, especially when you have to carry six or seven-different rods and boxes full of leaders, hooks and line. One of the ways we solve our weight problem is by only carrying two changes of clothes, even if we’ll be gone a week or two. We learn pretty early in our trips that there are some days that if you fish with fly tackle; you’re not going to catch any fish.

For this reason, we’ve all started carrying one spinning rod and reel, which creates another problem for us because of all the lures we have to take with us to fish with spinning tackle. However, we’ve found that we can take two or three styles of hooks and one pack of Strike King Zulus made out of the 3X material. Then even if we have to fish with spinning tackle all week long, when we come home from a trip, we’ll still have three or four Zulus left in our pack. Those lures are virtually indestructible, and they’ll catch every saltwater fish that swims. Too, they’ll keep on catching fish, regardless of how sharp the fish’s teeth are, or how many fish we catch.

Question: Tim, I understand you just got back in November from Panama City, Florida.

Ungaro: I went to Panama City for a family vacation and didn’t really plan to go fishing. I have an emergency kit that I carry with me everywhere I go that has a fly-rod, reel and equipment in it, a spinning rod, a reel, a pack of Zulus and an assortment of hooks. One of the days that we were on vacation, time worked out so that I had an afternoon to go fishing. The tarpon run was on at that time, but the fly-tackle I had wasn’t big enough for the size tarpon we were seeing.

I took a shot at the tarpon with the Zulu, and the fish did look at it. However, the tarpon were too deep in the water column to come up and take the bait. I asked the guide if we could go fishing for another species. He said, “Sure.” We went back up in the cove, and I invited the guide to fish with me. He was a natural-bait fisherman and fished with crabs. He never had seen a Zulu before, and I could tell he was snickering about this piece of rubber I was going to use to catch fish. However, when I started catching three fish to his one, his opinion of the Zulu changed drastically.

I’d never seen so many fish in water this shallow. I caught so many fish, I couldn’t even count them. I caught well over 20 bluefish that had razor-sharp teeth. I caught several redfish and about a bazillion lady fish. I caught quite a few speckled trout that would take the bait as soon as they could see it and plenty of Spanish mackerel. The first time I threw to the Spanish mackerel, they cut my line because I didn’t have a wire leader. But that was the only Zulu I lost that day. I re-rigged with a wire leader on the Zulu and caught three to four Spanish mackerel. At that end of the day, the guide said, “Man, I love that lure.” I showed the guide how to work the Zulu with a walk-the-dog type action. He was amazed that I could fish the top of the water, the middle section of the water and near the bottom with a Zulu. Finally, he said at the end of the day, “As many clients as I take fishing every year, I’m going to buy some of those Zulus and keep them tied to rods on every trip. I can’t believe how many fish you’ve caught on that lure.”

Question: How are you rigging your rods?

Ungaro: I use 12-pound-test braided line, and I change out the leader section, depending on the size and type fish I’m fishing for and hoping to catch. I’m fishing with a spinning rod. I’ve learned that if you set your drag right, you can land fish over 40 pounds with light line.

Question: When you’re fishing for inshore saltwater species, what size leader are you using?

Ungaro: If I’m fishing for Spanish mackerel, of course I use a wire leader. For lady fish, I use 20-pound leader. For redfish inshore, I like 10-pound fluorocarbon. If you’re fishing out in the Gulf of Mexico for big reds, you’ll want to use a heavier leader.

Next: The Teeth Tell the Tale

Contents:

• Part 1: I’m Going to Get Me Some of Those Zulus
• Part 2: The Teeth Tell the Tale
• Part 3: Tarpon and the Zulu
• Part 4: The Bass Bonanza
• Part 5: If You See Them, You Can Catch Them