This lure is fantastic for multiple species of fish and styles of fishing
It was like Christmas in July for Chas Champagne, a Slidell outdoorsman who’s all about family, catching fish and making lures that get the job done from coast to coast.
The artificial lure making guru’s latest launch, the Matrix Shrimp, arrived that month to the delight of saltwater fishermen, particularly those who fish deep, moving water in the dog days of summer. Of all the successes over the years, the Matrix Shrimp perhaps might top each one, including Matrix’s previous shrimp imitations like the Weedless Shrimp, Twin Tail Shrimp and TKO Shrimp.
“It’s the most excited I’ve been about a product … except the first Matrix itself,” Champagne said a few days after the 3-inch-long Matrix Shrimp hit the market on July 20.
Then he thought more about what he just said and added, “Ummmm, except for topwater, too.”
As for the previous shrimp imitations, Champagne said, “Most of them were just generics, mostly that I didn’t cut the mold for. This one I actually built from scratch. Yeah, the others worked pretty good, but this one is in a league of its own. It gives me something to really market in the dead of summer. When you’re on 8- to 12-inch croaker, when croaker are eating it, that’s when I knew I had a good product.”
Dropshot fishing
Champagne, 43, realized two years ago it was past time for a truly premium, durable soft plastic shrimp with incredible action. After all, he said, the crustaceans are king in local waters.
“What I really built it for is here in my estuary, Lake Pontchartrain. We fish a lot of deep, moving water in the summertime. I wanted to build something that would be very effective on a dropshot rig,” he said, noting he uses a 1-ounce sinker tied to the main line and ties a loop knot for the Matrix Shad.
Dropshot fishing has become very popular, especially among charter boat captains who, coincidentally, tallied fish after fish after fish on the Matrix Shrimp for months before it hit the market in mid-July. The dropshot technique also is popular in bass fishing.
The pronounced tail makes it go. Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) in the tapered lower body gives it lifelike movement.
“It’s just really hard to mimic a shrimp with plastic because a shrimp’s motion is so unique,” he said. “The tail being fat makes it so any friction in moving water gives it fabulous action.”
Indestructible plastic
Champagne, who started Matrix in 2010, called the Matrix Shrimp “virtually indestructible.”
“The stuff is bulletproof. I can literally keep one on a pole for a month,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve tore one up on a fish that I can remember. Granted, we don’t have bluefish and mackerel.”
He went through three prototypes before settling on one.
“The manufacturer finally got the lure right. Then, using the prototypes fishing, I almost told her to go with it. Then one day I got out there and got into a school of 4-pound redfish and broke the hook,” he said, noting that changed his plans. “You need a strong hook, but you’ve got to make sure it doesn’t inhibit the action of the lure.”
Champagne named one of the colors, Blakeleigh Bug, after his daughter. It’s a brownish shrimp color. Other top colors are Ghost Pepper (with a chartreuse tail), Pinky Prawn and Royal Red.
Dropshotting isn’t the only method of getting fish to bite the Matrix Shrimp. Champagne said it’s effective under a popping cork, obviously, and freelined. For more information on the Matrix Shrimp and other Matrix products, go to matrixshad.com or contact (985) 707-9049.
