The Neo Shallow, a shad developed and marketed by Delalande since 2020, is no longer a novelty in itself. Nevertheless, while this lure was offered in two sizes, 13 and 16 cm, 2021 marks the arrival of a new size in 9 cm.
Presentation
If the 13 and 16 cm versions, offering nice bites, mainly targeted pike, this new size, in addition to mister Esox, could easily interest black-bass and big perches.
The other novelty 2021 is the appearance of 5 new colours in addition to the 6 already existing ones. Note that of the 11 colours in total, 4 are UV-triggered. They can easily be recharged in UV by using a lamp provided for this purpose.
Aesthetically, the Neo Shallow is like the other lures of the brand: simple and well finished. At Delalande, we favour efficiency over sophistication. Note however, that the level of finish rises instantly a notch on the glittery colours.
The Neo Shallow, as the name implies and regardless of size, was designed and developed for fishing in shallow and congested areas. So far no revelation since it's all in the title. Now let's take a closer look at the design of the Neo Shallow.
A shad designed for shallow areas
the Neo Shallow has a flat profile that will ensure a good footing on the water and increased stability on slow retrievals. This is a feature often found in soft lures designed for shallow fishing.
Also, since it is designed to operate in congested areas, the Neo Shallow's armament was designed accordingly. The Neo Shallow is sold pre-armed with a Texan hook strong of iron and very prickly leaded on the shank. The hook is very well protected by the dorsal slit. The wide and deep ventral slit allows the lead to pass through without forcing and allows the perfect release of the hook when the lure is caught in the mouth by the fish, optimizing at the same time the success of the strike.
Finally, not negligible point, the eye of the Texan hook equipping the 16 cm version of the Neo Shallow allows the mushroom to pass through a knot-hook made with a fluorocarbon of more than 90 hundredths (test carried out with 86 hundredths and there was still some margin).
Launching of the Neo Shallow
The Neo Shallow gives us a very demonstrative swim characterized by the association of a wobbling (oscillations from right to left along a vertical axis) and a rolling (oscillations from right to left along a longitudinal axis) very pronounced, especially on the 13 and 16 cm models.
The dense rubber that keeps a good flexibility allows Neo Shallow to be very alive in the water, to produce big vibrations while offering a good solidity.
Another noteworthy feature is that the Neo Shallow tends to raise its nose slightly on recovery. This is quite normal and was designed upstream, predisposing the Neo Shallow to quick buzzing recoveries.
On the other hand, if it behaves perfectly in the water, some may deplore the fact that the lure does not swim down but it was primarily designed to fish shallow areas. A sawtooth animation is rarely relevant in these conditions.
Small downside
The only negative criticism we can make of the Neo Shallow is that the section of the iron and the size of the hook are too large for the smaller size. The swimming is then slightly impeded, making the 9 cm version less "lively" in the water. Also, the iron section of the hook requires the use of a rod of disproportionate strength compared to the size of the lure if one wishes to ensure an effective shackling.
In summary
As you will have understood, the Neo Shallow excels in the prospection of the upper water layer and shallow areas. It is therefore a lure to be drawn as early as spring when it comes to fishing the congested edges, the herbarium plateaus and, more generally, it will fully express itself for all obstacle and surface buzzing fisheries during the summer period in the river. Also, due to its design, the Neo Shallow is a live lure offering a perfect compromise between flexibility and resistance. Finally, and this is not a revelation about Delalande, the quality/price ratio is once again there. The only defect that we will retain: the hook is too big for the small size.
Neo Shallow Delalande
- Type: Shad
- Size: 9, 13 and 16cm
- Hook weight: 4g (9cm), 5g (13cm), 7g (16cm)
- Action: Wobb n' Roll
- Swimming depth: up to approx. 1m
- Colour : 11
- Recorded Public Price: from 4.10 to 7.90 euros depending on size
- Distribution: Delalande
