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Previously known as a dominant lure for the northern states, X Zone Lures has evolved to now include new waters including California, where X Zone Pro Staff Matt Luna has been using them on the tournament trail.
Matt Luna is a tournament angler in the San Diego CA area and has been fishing the Wild West Bass Trail as a pro angler this season. An avid youtuber and writer, he shares his experiences with us:
Q What are your favourite techniques to fish?
My favorite technique to fish has been the Carolina rig. Its's a technique that catches a lot of fish and has the potential to catch big fish as well. It's a technique that allows me to cover water quickly and I can get a good feel for the type of cover under the water.
I fished a team tournament about 5 years ago. My team partner and I primarily fished a Carolina rig. We caught 27 pounds and finished in second place.
Another staple technique is drop shotting. When the fishing gets tough, a drop shot is hard to beat. It can be fished shallow or deep, and in all types of cover.
Lately I've been fishing the jika rig a lot. The water levels on the lakes in my area have come up and there is a lot of brush in the water. The jika rig comes through the brush very well and has been catching a lot of fish.
Q What are some highlights of your fishing career?
The highlight of my fishing career has to be winning a team tournament with my dad a couple years ago. It was a December National Bass West event at El Capitan Reservoir. I caught a 6 pound largemouth bass on our first spot on a jig. That fish carried our weight for the day. The fishing had been pretty tough and we were able to grind out a limit and ended winning the event.
This past year I have begun fishing pro/am tournaments with the Wild West Bass Trail as a pro angler. I fished tournaments at Lake Havasu and Lake Mohave. I've learned a tremendous amount through fishing these events, and am looking forward to the 2018 season. 
Q How does fishing for bass in San Diego differ from some of the other states?
Fisherman in San Diego have the potential to catch huge bass. Those huge bass have eluded me so far, but giants live in the San Diego lakes and reservoirs.
Big swimbaits have accounted for a lot of large catches and stringers in the past, and a lot of the small lakes with trout plants have the potential for world class catches.
One major difference about fishing in San Diego compared to other states is the size of our lakes. San Diego lakes overall are small compared to the river systems and lakes throughout the United States. As a result our lakes receive a lot of pressure. Primarily in San Diego we fish for largemouth bass. In order for us to fish for other species we need to leave San Diego. Thankfully, Lake Havasu, Lake Mohave, and Lake Mead aren't too far away. I fell in love with Lake Mohave after fishing a Wild West Bass Trail event there this past February. The fishing was extremely tough and bites were tough to come by. Once you got a bite, there was a quality smallmouth or largemouth on the other end.
Q What are your aspirations for the remaining 2017 season?
For the remaining 2017 season I am most excited about the WON Bass US Open at Lake Mead this coming October. I've fished this event as a co-angler before, but this will be my first US Open as a pro angler. During this event, I'll have the opportunity to fish against some of the best fisherman in the country. Lake Mead has clear water and can be a very tough fishery. The event is three days and overall weights in the 30 pound range typically win the event. I'm looking forward to testing myself against some really accomplished anglers. I'm also looking forward to what I can learn from this event.
I'm also looking forward to the 2018 season. Besides fishing locally in San Diego, I am planning to fish 5 pro/am events. I'll be fishing events with the Wild West Bass Trail and the WON Bass US Open.
At this stage of my fishing career, I'm trying to learn as much as possible from each tournament and each trip out to the lake. Hopefully, this approach will lead to success.
Check out this great video that Matt created to show the X Zone Lures in action!
Written by Shelley Langley / Matt Luna, the expressions and opinions are that of the author's