ICAST 2024: ZMan's Shadtron LT

 

New Shadtron™ LT merges realism & durability with cutting-edge line-through hook system A golden age of angling now under the bridge, the era of true-to-life swimbaits and bass of freakish, blimp-like proportions still reminds us of the lures’ potentially outlandish attracting power. Everyone who once slung these big slabs of PVC has a crazy fish story to tell. But what swimbait practitioners today still mourn are the number of fish most of these lures fail to hook— and how frequently the gill-rattling headshake of a big bass can eject the baits and crush our spirits in one breath.   Exactly one year ago, Z-Man® innovations in swimbait design nullified previous hookset and hardiness standards immediately, as the Mulletron™ LT (line-through) shined the spotlight on a new swimbait archetype, winning the 2024 ICAST Best Saltwater Soft Lure award, and showing Florida and the world what was possible when smart lure-making melded with 10X Tough ElaZtech®.   New for 2025, the Z-Man Shadtron™ LT has shifted the swimbait paradigm once again. Visually stunning and seemingly primed to flop out of your hand, the Shadtron LT exhibits all the realism of a live shad, while a groundbreaking dual line-through system empowers incredible upticks in hookset success and holding power to the nth degree.  Topside, Chavez notes, the Shadtron LT is equipped with a specialized hook pocket and harness that stations a custom, heavy-duty 3/0 (4.5”) or 5/0 (6”) sickle-shaped, black nickel needlepoint hook parallel to the dorsal fin. “The harness is designed so the hook slides in and sits recessed within the bait’s spine,” explains Chavez. “Thread your line through the bait’s nose and out the slot, tying to the single hook. Pull the line tight and the hook clicks back into place, giving the whole bait a clean, seamless appearance, like a molded-in jighead. Hook eye and knot are recessed and completely protected inside the bait. But when a fish eats the Shadtron and attempts to dislodge the hook, the bait body slides up the line, where fish can’t leverage its weight to come unbuttoned.”