Matrix Shad is a great choice for inshore anglers! These are all the good reasons why you want to have a few of their colors ready to fish in your tackle box.
Product Review: Matrix Shad Soft Plastic Lures
Having good fishing gear is important to me because I don't want to spend time missing fish and fixing equipment.
I can't afford to deal with hooks that straighten out or plastics that fall apart quickly. My stamp of approval does not come easily and I endorse only the best equipment.
Now you understand this lets talk about my favorite soft plastic.
Matrix Shad and Golden Eye jigheads can take the abuse. This jighead caught 300+ speckled trout and the Matrix Shad survived 50 or so.
Why I like Matrix Shad
Look, plastics are plastics. But sometimes there is a champion that stands out from the rest:
I buy Matrix Shad for two reasons:
- They are made by hardcore inshore angler and Louisiana native, Chas Champagne
- I have caught a ton of fish on them
With that said, I don't think fish care for name brands so much as they do presentation and action, which Matrix Shad has in spades!
A Soft Plastic, For Anglers By Anglers
As mentioned, the creator of this versatile soft-body lure is a hardcore angler who enjoys sight casting reds and jigging for trout. If you don't know Chas Champagne, then know that he could jig speckled trout out of a block of concrete.
Yeah, he's that good, and Chas is familiar with lure design:
- which action fish prefer to strike
- the body-shape a finfish imitation needs
- how it must perform to be the best
These Lures Caught a Ton of Fish
Matrix Shad is great tight-lined using a Golden Eye jighead, also sold by Dockside, or under a cork on an Inshore Rig. Of course, they also do great on a Double Rig, which enables you to catch two trout at once.
I got started with them in 2011. Inshore Interviews guest Lou Paretti brought them on a fishing trip to Bayou Biloxi. We tossed them into tidelines to catch 83 speckled trout, keeping our limit and throwing back the rest.
I was using Hybrid Flurries at the time but found Chas's creation to have more action and withstand the abuse of a fast trout bite. The Flurries just fell apart. I also like how vibrant the colors are; they are bright and don't fade in the tackle box.
It's no surprise I fish Matrix Shad so much in my YouTube videos.
I especially love Lemon Head, since it is basically chartreuse and we all know that is a go-to color for speckled trout!
Since then I have used Matrix Shad in various colors extensively. Lemon Head and Shrimp Creole are the primary colors I've used to catch, tag and release over 1,300+ redfish and speckled trout.
That's a lotta fish falling prey for one kind of lure.
Better Plastic + Better Jighead
Matrix Shad also offers a line of jigheads with a holographic eye, ribbed shank and superior hooks.
The hooks on the Golden Eye jigheads are stronger and sharper than conventional hooks. I successfully fought and landed a jack crevalle in 24ft of open water using a Golden Eye jighead and Matrix Shad. The hook didn't bend at all.
Chas Champagne knows exactly what anglers need to kick ass on Louisiana's coast.
That's how he put together one helluva combination with his Matrix Shad line of products.
