Ladson, SC - A five-tool player is the ultimate in athletic talent. In baseball, a true 5-tooler is a unicorn, an athlete who excels at hitting for average and power, who exhibits speed in the field, with arm strength and fielding skills to match.

If ever the term applied to fishing lures, a new swimbait by Z-Man® might have just hit the mark. Up until now, such a lure has been as rare as baseball’s Shohei Ohtani, but the new SWAG LT performs at the highest levels in the field, exhibiting an exceptional stat line of talents. In short, the SWAG’s got swag.

Exactly three years ago, Z-Man® embarked on an ambitious project aimed at proving what was possible when smart lure-making melded with 10X Tough ElaZtech®. Unveiled at ICAST 2023, Z-Man’s first stab at a line-through swimbait (Mulletron™ LT) earned the winning votes for Best Saltwater Soft Lure. Then, at last year’s fish-industry expo, Z-Man unveiled the Shadtron™ LT, another step toward five-tool perfection, this time winning Best Freshwater Soft Lure—and showcasing a superior two-way line through harness.

New for 2025, the Z-Man SWAG™ LT has shifted the swimbait paradigm once again. Visually stunning and seemingly primed to flop out of your hand, the 5- and 6-inch SWAG LT exhibits all the realism of live prey, while a groundbreaking SWAG™ tail empowers an incredible range of retrieve speeds. Add that to at least four other “tools”—exceptional hookup and lip-lock ratio, bigtime trophy bass attraction, soft and lifelike yet remarkably durable, plus numerous difference-making talents baked into the lure’s anatomy—and you understand the confidence driving the SWAG LT.

“Three years into our line-through swimbait program, we’ve created a best of all worlds big bass lure,” believes Z-Man Director of Product Development Jose Chavez. “Not only have we made further enhancements to our award-winning dual line-through harness, but we’ve also designed an exclusive, hybrid SWAG tail— part wedge tail, part T-tail. The result of this design is a consistent, wide swinging action capable of any speed. From freefall or slow crawl to all-out turbo mode, the SWAG tail thumps and swims true, so you’re maximizing every cast and big bass opportunity.”

“As pro anglers, we’ve seen so many issues with other harness swimbaits over the years,” notes Luke Clausen, Major League Fishing/Bass Pro Tour angler and tenured Z-Man pro. “From hookup and landing rates to inconsistent speed, action and the propensity to roll out of tune at the wrong time, we knew we could correct these common issues and create a true high-performance lure that exceeded angler expectations. For example, unlike other swimbaits in the category, you’ll never need to add extra weights to the lure just to keep it tracking true and swimming without rolling out. That’s a testament to Z-Man’s attention to detail and unwillingness to cut corners. The SWAG is the real deal.”

Among those difference-making elements is Z-Man’s optimized Over/Under Line-Through harness, which gives anglers the freedom to choose between a dorsal single (sickle-shaped black nickel) hook or a custom belly double hook to match any situation.

“I’ve thrown the SWAG LT all over the country now and find myself reaching for it anytime big bass occupy the upper portion of the water column, especially that key 1- to 5-foot zone,” adds Clausen. “The lure performs so well at all speeds that you never waste a single cast untangling fouled hooks or prematurely reeling in because the lure spins out. When you can use speed as a trigger—ramping up your retrieve from slow-roll to burner-fast—it unlocks a fish-catching superpower that very few swimbaits can match.”

Clausen notes that when fishing near cover (same places you might cast a ChatterBait®), he rigs the SWAG LT with the single dorsal hook. For fishing deeper water (especially with forward-facing sonar) or casting to smallmouth or spotted bass, he’ll make the quick switch to the custom belly-rigged double hook for max hookset efficiency. (Both hooks are included.)

With either rigging option, the internal harness snaps the hook firmly into place, so vital hookpoints won’t roll out of position on the cast. The SWAG LT design also features a twin clip belly hook keeper that pins the shank tight to the bait. When bass bite, the hook auto-releases from the bait, which slides up the line so bass can’t leverage its weight to shake free.

“Gotta mention, too, that the SWAG is one of the best skipping baits I’ve ever thrown,” says Clausen. “So, it’s a huge deal that the hook stays in perfect position with the point exposed at all times, especially key when I’m tossing the bait aggressively around docks or laydowns.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence casting the SWAG way up shallow, watching the bait as it tracks and tail-bulges the surface,” he adds. “Mostly, I keep the retrieve slow and steady, particularly around cover. But I also like to burn it around big smallmouths, just like you’d fish a spinnerbait. Actually, anytime you’ve got a big bass that follows but won’t bite, ramp up the speed and see what happens next.”

Chavez calls out other next-level SWAG details: “A lot of swimbaits use glued on eyes that often come loose or fall off after a few fish. To eliminate this frustration, the SWAG’s eyes and the entire bait’s body are hand-painted for max durability. The patterns on these baits are dead-on— the right combination of natural and neutral. They’re really detailed, but lack the glossy, loud, over-the-top coloration you see on other baits. Big bass and other predators know the difference.”

For a final bit of “swag,” Chavez carved out a few hidden features. For subtle sound attraction, an internal glass rattle adheres to the inner harness, producing refined baitfish clicking sounds. Further, for injecting the bait with scent or to insert auxiliary rattles or tungsten weights, (for altering rate-of-fall), Chavez created a secret chamber toward the lure’s backside.

Propelled by a cutting-edge keeled SWAG Tail, the Z-Man® 5- and 6-inch SWAG LT (Line-Through) Swimbait performs at the widest range of retrieve speeds with a proprietary wide wag/swim action. Armed with the ICAST award-winning Over/Under Line-Through harness, the SWAG LT lets anglers choose between dorsal single or belly double hook rigging options. Baits include a heavy-duty sickle-shaped black nickel hook (5”-3/0 or 6”-5/0) for dorsal rigging around cover, and a custom needlepoint double hook (5”-#4 or 6”-#2) for belly hook rigging.

The toughest, longest lasting swimbait available, the SWAG LT’s 10X Tough ElaZtech® body offers the ultimate in natural softness, lifelike buoyancy and free-flowing range of motion. Fish it fast, fish it slow—the SWAG LT swims with stability in all situations. Available in 8 true-to-life baitfish patterns. MSRP $15.99 (5”) and $17.99 (6”).