2026.10.25

Zipbaits ZBL Slide Swim Minnow 120 Enshu: A Beefed-Up Sinking Pencil for Meagre and Hirasuzuki

minagiman

Anyone who has fished the Enshu-nada surf will react to this name: the ZBL Slide Swim Minnow 120 Enshu. It takes Zipbaits’ classic sinking pencil, the Slide Swim Minnow 120 — first released about 20 years ago — and rebuilds its hooks and colours specifically to land oonibe (Japanese meagre) and hirasuzuki on the Enshu coast.

It is a 120 mm, 27 g sinking pencil with the standard 120’s action, plus hooks for big-fish fights and Enshu-only colours. Release: late October 2026 — just as big-fish season starts on Enshu-nada.

Contents

Specs
Colours
Key features
Background
Slide Swim Minnow family
How to fish it on Enshu-nada
Compared with other surf lures
Tackle
Minagiman’s take
Read next

Specs

Item	Detail
Length	120 mm
Weight	27 g
Type	Sinking pencil
Hooks	Cultiva STX-50 BF-SP #2
Rings	#5
Weight transfer	Mag-Drive system
Eyes	Glow eyes (all colours)
Colours	3
Price	3,608 yen (incl. tax)
Release	Late October 2026

#2 hooks and #5 rings on a 120 mm sinking pencil is a very strong setup — clearly built for heavy, hard-pulling fish.

Colours

Colour	Character
952 Testarossa	Red head; shows a clear silhouette
953 Monster Black	Special colour for clear water and wary big fish
954 See-Through Purple	Translucent body with chartreuse belly — natural yet visible

All three have glow eyes — useful because oonibe chances peak before dawn, at dusk and in stained water.

Key features

Mag-Drive. On the cast the weight moves back for distance; locked forward, it swims as a normal sinking pencil. It uses a magnetised stainless shaft.
S-curve when slow, darts when jerked. A slow retrieve gives a snaking S-path with the current; jerks and twitches make it dart. When it hits a change in current it slides on its own — a built-in trigger around rips and seams.
Cultiva STX-50 #2 hooks for rigidity and penetration against heavy meagre and hirasuzuki — no need to upgrade them yourself.
Same action as the standard 120 — only hooks and colours changed.

Background

The model came from a proposal by a Zipbaits staff member, aimed at landing oonibe and hirasuzuki on the heavily fished Enshu surf. Enshu-nada has long, shallow beaches with frequent strong wind and waves; big fish there need distance, a good swim in current and strong hooks — this lure puts all three together.

Slide Swim Minnow family

Model	Role
85	Standard surface model
85MDS	Heavier; distance, mid-depths and river drifting
85MDS Sagoshi Edition	For sawara and sagoshi
120	Drifts slowly just below the surface further out
120 Enshu	120 action + #2 hooks, #5 rings and Enshu colours for meagre and hirasuzuki

How to fish it on Enshu-nada

Slow, just under the surface, far out — cast long and let it snake in an S.
Feed it into rips and seams where the current makes it slide.
Jerk if nothing happens — twitches and jerks make it dart.
Focus on dawn, dusk and pre-dawn — the glow eyes help in the dark.

Target	Approach
Oonibe	Stained water or pre-dawn, slowly from the shorebreak out to the drop-off
Hirasuzuki	White water and breaking lines, especially over boulders and rock
Flounder / yellowtail	Often hit while working rips on days with bait

Compared with other surf lures

Lure	Size / weight	Type	Character
ZBL Slide Swim Minnow 120 Enshu	120 mm / 27 g	Sinking pencil	S-curve + dart, beefed-up #2 hooks
Shimano Hikage 125S	125 mm / 40 g	Heavy sinking pencil	Up to 96 m (test conditions)
Bassday Hades 150F	150 mm / 40 g	Floating minnow	For big bait, surface–40 cm
Jackson Athlete+ 16FVG	160 mm / 39 g	Floating minnow	Meagre and big flounder, #1/0 hooks

Strong headwind? Hikage. Want to show it slowly in current? 120 Enshu. Big bait around? Hades. Searching wide with a minnow for meagre? Athlete+ 16FVG.

Tackle

Part	Recommendation
Rod	10–11 ft surf rod (M–MH)
Reel	4000–5000 high-gear
Line	PE 1.2–1.5 with 25–30 lb leader

Minagiman’s take

A lure named after Enshu means a lot to anyone who fishes there. It is not a flashy new mechanism — it keeps a proven action and gives it gear that will not lose to big fish, exactly what anglers in the field asked for. Drift it in the current, and land what you hook. With only three colours, I would start with Testarossa for stained water and Monster Black for clear water.