AVAILABLE NOW: Z-Man® Shadtron™ LT

Breaking down the award-winning line-through swimbait

Ladson, SC (February 27, 2025) – “Can’t imagine a more versatile, durable, go-anywhere swimbait,” affirms Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Beau Browning, with a nod to Z-Man’s ICAST award-winning Shadtron LT.

Like Browning, anglers today face the burden of selecting from a surplus of specialty swimbaits. Most of these lifelike lures do one or two things particularly well, yet often lack the intangibles to close the deal. Consider the confident hope of a big bass hookset, swiftly shattered when the hawg in question head-rattles free on the first jump. Or the angst of a giant in hot pursuit gone horribly wrong . . . As the lure tries to accelerate, it rolls on its side instead, spooking the bass and breaking your heart. Or, perhaps worst of all, sacrificing the tail off your prized swimbait when a pike or other toothy critter chomps down on your very first cast. Ouch.

Last July, solving each of these dilemmas and more, the fishing world witnessed the arrival of the Z-Man® Shadtron LT, stamping the line-through swimbait with its seal of approval and ICAST’s Best Freshwater Soft Lure award. Finally, after months of salivating over YouTube videos and watching bass pros rave about its performance, anglers are finding Shadtron LT swimbaits at their favorite fishing retailers, ready to crush personal-best bass, everywhere. 

The Deets
Offered in two sizes (4.5” and 6”) and two rates of fall (Slow Sink and Fast Sink), the Z-Man Shadtron LT leads with its supernatural shad sculpt and visual sizzle, exact to every scale. The Fast Sink version sinks 12 feet in 10 seconds (ROF 12), while the Slow Sink Shadtron is rated ROF 5. Eight photo-printed and hand-painted shad patterns include vivid Gizzard and Threadfin Shad models, as well as Blueback Herring, Sight Flash and other strike-inducing hues.

Matching the prevailing sizes of threadfin and gizzard shad eaten most often by predators, the 4.5-inch Shadtron LT gets gobbled by bass of all sizes, while the meatier 6-inch appeals to bigger bass, stripers and other predators. 

Dual Line-Through Design
“LT stands for line-through, but they should have called it ‘DLT’ or dual line-through,” Browning laughs, “because the bait’s hidden core contains an impressive two-way harness for fishing it around cover or open water. Factor in its durability, and you can throw this swimbait almost anywhere, including places you’d normally cast a ChatterBait®.”

Beneath its malleable yet impossibly durable ElaZtech® body, the 10X Tough Shadtron’s two-way line-through harness can be rigged with the included single sickle-style dorsal hook, ideal for rolling through cover, bottom bumping or skipping beneath boat docks.

Alternatively, for casting around openwater shad schools, or for smallmouth or spotted bass that bite from below, arm the Shadtron with a favorite belly treble hook. The bait’s underside sports a smart hook claw that clips the hook tight, pinning the shank against the bait’s body until a fish pulls it free. In either case, hooksets almost always culminate in liplocks and fist-bumps in the boat, a direct result of the line-through system that slides the lure up the line, where bass can no longer leverage lure weight as a means of a headshaking escape.

Multi-Speed Wedge Tail
Generating the most realistic shad-swimming action attainable, the Shadtron’s calibrated wedge-shaped tail empowers a versatile range of motions—from slow-roll to escape velocity. Further imitating the locomotion of a live shad, the Shadtron swims with minimal body roll and just a hint of head wag—all in the name of enticing eagle-eyed predators.

“If I’ve got a big fish that’s following but won’t eat, I can give the bait a quick burst of speed—or twitch the rod to make it slash right or left—to induce a positive reaction,” Browning explains. “Try the speed thing with most swimbaits and they’ll usually roll over or crash and burn—spooks bass every time. But the Shadtron nails it, keeps its composure at almost any speed.”

Oppositely, Browning often retrieves the Shadtron extra slow, which shines in cooler water. “Even in the clearest water, a slow retrieve can be so good as it lets bass get a good look at the bait and inspect its natural shad body before it eats,” explains Browning. “I’m also digging the bait’s flat sides, which let me skip it under docks like the perfect pancake rock.”

Factoring Rate-of-Fall
For slower tail-thumping retrieves, particularly near cover or bottom, Browning suggests opting for the Slow Sink version and the dorsal hook option. “Particularly for moving a big fish off a dock or a cool piece of cover, slow-rolling or surface-bulging the Shadtron is always a tasty tactic,” he suggests.

“If I’m working deeper water or want to fish the swimbait a little faster, the Fast Sink version counts down quickly and stays at depth. I can also burn the ROF12 version faster across shallow water, which can be great in warmer conditions.”

Durability to the Max
Two vital elements ensure the Shadtron LT’s long, fruitful, fish-catching lifespan. One, when a bass or other predator engulfs the soft swimmer, it automatically slides up your fishing line where it’s removed from powerful jaws and plastics-piercing teeth. Two, the Shadtron’s exclusive ElaZtech composition prevents it from tearing or sacrificing its tail. Z-Man’s proven superplastic formula is soft and active underwater, and yet almost impossibly durable. At just $13 to $16 a pop, it’s likely the best value in high-end swimbaits today.  

Tips & Tricks
Among its numerous above-and-beyond design elements and extra fish-catching goodies, the Shadtron LT features a refined sound-making rattle implanted deep in the line-through harness itself. It’s just enough audible enticement—a restrained clicking noise—to complement the full meal deal. Activate the rattle by giving the lure occasional rodtip action, creating subtle clacking sounds.

Finally, to keep your bait in mint condition, Z-Man has packaged the Shadtron LT in a special protective clamshell. When you first open the lure, don’t discard this storage package. Instead, when you’re done fishing, put the lure back into its clamshell, hooking it to a reel or rod guide. This will keep the lure’s tail perfectly straight, even in cramped rod boxes

The new Z-Man Shadtron LT mimics the bass’ most prolific meal on every level. Available in stores now, the Shadtron is perhaps the most user-friendly shad swimbait ever made. MSRP $12.99 (4.5”) and $15.99 (6”), www.zmanfishing.com.