Z-Man® Expands Its Realistic Shrimp Family with a Versatile New Loose Body Size
LADSON, S.C. (September 24, 2026) – From Texas through the Carolinas, shrimp are the currency of inshore fishing. Everything eats them, everywhere, all year. That simple truth puts a shrimp imitation in every inshore angler’s lineup. What makes the Z-Man® PrawnstarZ™ the go-to is how convincingly it delivers one: hand-painted realism, legs and tail that come alive on the fall, and 10X Tough durability that holds up fish after fish.
Since debuting in 2024, the PrawnstarZ family has grown from the original rigged 3.5- and 5-inch models to include compact 2.5- and 3-inch versions, plus the 3.5-inch PrawnstarZ LB (Loose Body), the Best in Category winner for Saltwater Soft Lures at ICAST 2025. Anglers took to the LB format for its customizable rigging versatility. Then they asked for a smaller one.
Now they have it. The new 3-inch PrawnstarZ LB matches the shrimp inshore predators encounter most, in a loose body format anglers can rig however the situation dictates.
Staple Size, Endless Setups
Three inches is a workhorse size in inshore fishing: small enough to mirror everyday shrimp forage, subtle enough to land softly when targeting wary fish, and substantial enough to draw quality bites. And because the loose body arrives unrigged, anglers can match the presentation to depth, current, and cover. It pairs cleanly with a Trout Eye™ Jighead for open water applications, rigs weedless on a 2/0 ChinlockZ™ SWS when working through grass and oysters, and comes into its own on a Texas Eye® Finesse Jighead when a snag-resistant, free-swinging presentation is the right call. A nose hook channel and belly and dorsal hook pockets make precise alignment and weedless rigging quick and intuitive.
“I’ve had this bait tied on every trip for the last few months here around Charleston,” says Z-Man Media Manager Christian Conley. “When I’m fishing deeper docks and creek bends, I’m rigging the 3″ PrawnstarZ LB on a jighead. When I’m fishing around oyster beds and grass I rig it weedless. I’m able to fish the same bait all day. The shrimp popping around me have all been the exact size of this bait, and everything from reds to tripletail have been eating the new 3″ LB. That’s not a coincidence.”
Real Shrimp, Real Tough
The 3-inch LB carries the same true-to-life shrimp anatomy that defines the PrawnstarZ family. Deep abdominal segmentation lets the body and upturned tail flex naturally, while swimming legs and a broad tail fan pulse and flutter as the bait falls, swims or hops along the bottom. A streamlined nose slips through seagrass without fouling.
Built from 10X Tough ElaZtech® superplastic, the PrawnstarZ LB backs that lifelike movement with the durability inshore fishing demands. It shrugs off the nicks and tears that come with oyster shell, barnacled pilings, and pesky pinfish, holding its shape and action through countless catches. The material’s natural buoyancy enhances the bait’s realistic posture and affords precise depth control throughout the water column.
Another StarZ Takes the Stage
Whether sight-casting shallow flats, working grass edges, or probing oyster bars, dock pilings and deeper drops, the 3-inch PrawnstarZ LB puts the perfect profile in front of redfish, seatrout, flounder, snook, tripletail and juvenile tarpon.
Available now in 12 hand-painted, shrimp-matching colors at a $9.99 MSRP per 3-pack, the 3-inch PrawnstarZ LB delivers exactly what inshore anglers need: proven PrawnstarZ realism and rigging freedom, in the size fish eat most.
About Z-Man Fishing Products: A dynamic Charleston, South Carolina based company, Z-Man Fishing Products has melded leading edge fishing tackle with technology for over three decades. The company’s roots trace back to producing silicone skirts for many of the industry’s top lure makers, a foundation that set the stage for its evolution into a full-fledged lure brand. With the addition of the Original ChatterBait® bladed jig and the development of its proprietary 10X Tough ElaZtech® superplastic material driving its transformation, Z-Man broadened its offerings into a comprehensive lineup of innovative freshwater and saltwater lures. Today, Z-Man remains family owned and is among the fastest growing lure companies in the fishing industry, with its products distributed across North America and in more than 40 countries worldwide.
