VuDu Shrimp is magical on a variety of fish species

This spotted seatrout inhaled a VuDu Shrimp on the first cast!

What I love most about the various social medias is that I get to see what folks in other regions are catching and what they're using.

When I saw fishing guru Jerry McBride's impressive catches on Facebook, I took note of a lure I hadn't seen before.

VuDu Shrimp are tough and come in many colors.

The lure looked very real and accounted for a variety of large fish.

I contacted McBride and asked what lure he was using.

"Vudu Shrimp," he replied.

I checked local tackle shops in Sarasota, Fla., where I run Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing (www.kayakfishingsarasota.com), but was unsuccessful in locating Vudu Shrimp. I figured I'd just have to order a few.

A week later,  I received a package of lures to review from Darryl Barrs, publisher of The Fisherman's Journal. Lucky me. There were two packs of VuDu Shrimp among the bounty.

Next trip out, I had a Vudu Shrimp tied on a light rig.

I'm not easily impressed. Nor am I eager to try things out of my realm of familiarity. But if Jerry McBride is impressed,  that's good enough for me.

I know it sounds too good to be true, but I really did catch a feisty spotted seatrout on my first cast! I was fishing four to six feet of water in Sarasota Bay off Stephens Point. On the day, I caught and released 50 seatrout, several ladyfish, a mackerel and two pompano  -- on one Vudu Shrimp.

Talk about durable!

Vudu Shrimp are made by Egret Baits (www.egretbaits.com) in Many, La. I'm sure the lures work well on Cajun redfish and trout. But catching finicky Florida fish is another matter.

The lures look very realistic and come in a variety of colors. My lures were VuDu Tiger and VuDu Natural.

Toothy fish are always a concern when fishing plastic lures. I've subsequently found that Vudu Shrimp are no match for bluefish and/or mackerel. Even the Kevlar weave through the plastic body can't prevent a blue or mackerel from cutting through your leader. But that's not the lure's fault.

What intrigued me was the lure's toughness. I caught nearly 60 fish the first time out, and my VuDu Shrimp was still in good enough shape to use again.

I tried a variety of retrieves. I cast it out and jigged it in. I worked it like a live shrimp. On occasion, I simply
reeled the shrimp in slowly.

All retrieves caught fish.

I'm going to put a Vudu Shrimp under a popping cork next time out and see what happens.

You'll want to fish a VuDu Shrimp on a light rod.  The lure is small and doesn't cast well on heavy line or gear. A light rod with 8-pound braided line is perfect.

I reported my experience to the folks at Egret and they weren't surprised.

"Glad the fish in Florida like out product," the company responded.

VuDu Shrimp come two to a pack and retail for $6.99.

Since that initial experience, I've used Vudu Shrimp in a variety of situations. And I've added redfish, snook and silver trout to my list of species caught on the shrimp.

And, oh, yeah, I forget to mention that Jerry McBride caught some lunker largemouth bass, monster bluegill and slab-sized speckled perch (crappie) on them.

Vudu Shrimp are versatile lures that hold up against constant pounding.

'Nuff said.