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Matrix Shad · #1 04-10-2016, 10:47 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otwoyAfTh4Y

If you are looking for a Lake Pontchartrain report, well it’s the same ole story as every year in the spring. The trestle is extremely crowded, the river systems are extremely high, the wind is howling but the specks are biting. The annual run of specks is happening across all the bridges in Pontchartrain as usual but the trout have been way below average and trophies are far and few between. If you are wanting to read a fishing story from a different and unique area well this one is for you.

For several days this spring while shooting our most recent DockSide TV episode we fished far to the east armed with products from Matrix Shad. The species targeted on this trip was big trout, slot reds and flounder but we caught much more while fishing near the Flora-Bama line. If you are looking for a challenging but rewarding place this area is for you. A wonderful part about fishing this area is that on any given cast you can put either a trophy speckled trout on the wall or luck up and even land a gag grouper. The biggest issue is that the water is clean making the fish smart and finicky. When fishing the Panhandle for coastal species you have to make a stealthy approach and most importantly use fluorocarbon fishing line. The fluoro is a style of fishing line similar to mono-filament except that it becomes rather invisible in the water. The water is so clean on the Panhandle that having a line the fish have trouble seeing is by far the most crucial item in your tackle box.
When we fish the Panhandle area we like to throw the Matrix Mullet Top Water early in the morning over grass flats or shallow docks then as the sun comes up we seem to find success switching to the Shrimp Creole Matrix Shad on a 3/8oz and 1/2 oz Golden Eye Jig and focus on deep water structures such as bridges and underwater reefs. The best part about fishing waters as salty as these is that you never know what species is on the end of the line. While fishing near the Ono Island area this month we boated the following species on Matrix Shad products: red fish, speckled trout, flounder, white trout, pin fish, sheepshead, croaker, flounder and even a gag grouper. Surprisingly we caught all these species withing a half of mile from land while fishing inland waters near Perdido Bay and Wolf Bay. There is not many places where you can catch that many different species especially in an eighteen foot boat.
If you are looking to fill 120qt coolers this may not be the place for you as the limits are very low and reaching them are very challenging. If quality fish and beautiful scenery is what you are looking for than this area and style of fishing is right up your alley. To see DockSide TV episodes showing just how and where we fish near the Panhandle go to www.MatrixShad.com and “Until Next Time Good Fishing”