Paddle Tails 2025

CTBassin860 reply :

I really plan to fish the crap out of small plastic swimbaits (3-5")next season.My question is,do you guys prefer to throw your SI Fats and the like on say a 7' MHF or something shorter like a 6'6" M Mod on a weighed swim hook?

Swamp Rat reply :

For me, it really depends...I know, not a great answer. I switch between throwing this presentation on 7' M spinning when using lighter weight and 7' MH casting when heavier weight is needed.

Oklahoma Mike reply :

I throw them a lot and on two different rigs, both spinning and casting.

Spinning: Loomis GL2 853S JWR with a Pflueger Supreme XT

Casting: St. Croix AXC68MXF with a Lews Team Lite 7.5:1

Both will throw a weightless paddle tail a country mile, and both can still handle them just fine with a 1/4oz jig head. No problem getting good hook sets with either rig, even with the heavy wire hooks I typically use. These are also my senko rods, and I use the same hook for throwing those weightless, so the versatility in that plays a big part in my rod selection here

MassYak85 reply :

Generally I am fishing them on casting gear, either on the back of a swimjig or on a weighted swimbait hook. When I fish them weightless or on an open hook jighead like the dirty jigs matt allen swimbait heads I might use my MHF spinning rod.

portiabrat reply :

IMO, the main things that matter are casting distance and not losing fish, so I use the longest rod I can find and avoid XF action rods. For weights less than 1/4 oz, I use a 7' ML/F spinning rod with 6 lb braid. I'd get a longer rod, but I've never found any long one-piece rod rated for light lures. For weights greater than 1/4 oz, I use an 8' MH/moderate casting rod.

Sensitivity matters, too. In my experience, it's rare that a big fish hammers a bait. Most of the time, while I'm retrieving the lure, something just feels different.

CTBassin860 reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 8:28 AM, Oklahoma Mike said:

I throw them a lot and on two different rigs, both spinning and casting.

Spinning: Loomis GL2 853S JWR with a Pflueger Supreme XT

Casting: St. Croix AXC68MXF with a Lews Team Lite 7.5:1

Both will throw a weightless paddle tail a country mile, and both can still handle them just fine with a 1/4oz jig head. No problem getting good hook sets with either rig, even with the heavy wire hooks I typically use. These are also my senko rods, and I use the same hook for throwing those weightless, so the versatility in that plays a big part in my rod selection here

I guess throwing them on spinning gear didn't even cross my mind.I planned on using my spinning rod strictly for worms so I would take it out more.

On 12/12/2016 at 8:37 AM, MassYak85 said:

Generally I am fishing them on casting gear, either on the back of a swimjig or on a weighted swimbait hook. When I fish them weightless or on an open hook jighead like the dirty jigs matt allen swimbait heads I might use my MHF spinning rod.

Are you using a MHF in the 7' range? I was going to throw them on my 7'1" MHF jig and pig rod.7.1:1 baitcaster

MassYak85 reply :

If I am using casting gear it's a 7'2" MHF baitcaster. Once it get's too light I switch to spinning. I am also usually using the 4.3 or 3.8's a lot. Next season I might try the 2.8's on my MLXF spinning rod.

CTBassin860 reply :

I picked up some 4.8s for weighted swimbait hooks and 3.5s for trailers

MassYak85 reply :

Lol now you got me thinking about catching smallies on my ML with those 2.8's. Now THAT would be a fun fight.

CTBassin860 reply :

I was going to get the SI Fats but I didn't feel like driving 40 minutes to Cabelas when I live 10 minutes from BPS and had Reward Points to blow.

UKCATSBASSER reply :

I love throwing the 3.3 on a 1/8 head with spinning gear.

Use a 852S Loomis.

CTBassin860 reply :

Haha that's what I have.ML Berkley Lightning.I leave it home most of the time.

Yeajray231 reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 8:56 AM, MassBassin508 said:

I was going to get the SI Fats but I didn't feel like driving 40 minutes to Cabelas when I live 10 minutes from BPS and had Reward Points to blow.

So you got the speed shad and rage swimmer ?

CTBassin860 reply :

Speed shad and grass pigs.I have a bad addiction to the Havoc line

Speed shad and grass pigs.I have a bad addictio to the Havoc line

Yeajray231 reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 9:01 AM, MassBassin508 said:

Speed shad and grass pigs.I have a bad addiction to the Havoc line

Berkley has a swing impact look-alike called the beat shad I believe. Haven't tried it yet. But 2.99 I think ..

CTBassin860 reply :

I was looking at them.They are really thin. 2.99 for everything in that line-up

webertime reply :

I fish the 4.8 a lot. I've used a lot of rods, reels and lines over the years with these baits and have a pretty dialed system at this point. (For me... But I let guys use it sometimes and they love it)

Rods I've used: Phenix Recon 715, St Croix Avid 70MHF, Daiwa Tatula 7'2" HF before settling in on the Daiwa Tatula 7'2" MHR. The Avid and Heavy Tatula work, but you pull the bait away on hook sets. The Recon was nice, but broke twice. The MHR Tatula is NOT a crankbait rod its actually fairly similar to a Dobyns rod. Feels like a 734.5 (if they made one.)

Reels I've used: Citica E, Zillion HSLA, Fuego HL, and TD-Z. All work... I currently use a TD-Z with the 5.7 ratio as I slow roll the bait a lot and use Owner Flashy Swimmers as well. The slower retrieve helps negate the lift they cause.

Line: either Sunline Sniper 16lb or 30lb Braid with a Flouro leader.

Keitech footballs with tiny fats= Smallie Crack... Use a fast rod.

Yeajray231 reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 9:05 AM, MassBassin508 said:

I was looking at them.They are really thin. 2.99 for everything in that line-up

I wish they would make that beat shad in the gulp variation. The havoc line has got to be one of the best value brands there is.. got to love that made in the USA too.

On 12/12/2016 at 8:57 AM, UKCATSBASSER said:

I love throwing the 3.3 on a 1/8 head with spinning gear.

Use a 852S Loomis.

Yea 1/8oz jighead is my favorite way to fish them as well.

webertime reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 9:03 AM, Yeajray231 said:

Berkley has a swing impact look-alike called the beat shad I believe. Haven't tried it yet. But 2.99 I think ..

Stiff and not that great.

Yeajray231 reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 9:10 AM, webertime said:

Stiff and not that great.

Lol hmm. I wonder how they are thin and stiff ? Thanks for the heads up though.

Where were you when I bought a clackin crayfish lol

CTBassin860 reply :

I almost ordered an Owner flashy swimmer today.Then I remembered I have a fish head spin I don't use much already.@webertime

On 12/12/2016 at 9:15 AM, Yeajray231 said:

Lol hmm. I wonder how they are thin and stiff ? Thanks for the heads up though.

Where were you when I bought a clackin crayfish lol

Is the clicking crayfish that bad?

Yeajray231 reply :

Umm yea basically for 13 dollars it's total garbage. It wouldn't land right side up no matter what line or knot I used. I had to use suspend dots to get it to land properly. Maybe I got a defective one but the action was crap too. I'm sure you could catch a fish on it.. but I felt like a fool for even trying it. Ya live and learn.

I could have got a pack of hooks, lead sinkers, and almost any craw on the market for what I paid for that stupid thing.

MassYak85 reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 9:03 AM, Yeajray231 said:

Berkley has a swing impact look-alike called the beat shad I believe. Haven't tried it yet. But 2.99 I think ..

I've used those before, not bad. They are a little too thin for my liking and pickerel chew off the ends too much.

And LOL, I got that clackin crayfish too haha. It looks awesome in the water until you try and move it. The action is garbage and you are right it rarely lands correctly.

CTBassin860 reply :

You would think for 13 bucks it would work correctly.

Yeajray231 reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 9:38 AM, MassBassin508 said:

You would think for 13 bucks it would work correctly.

It was actually the first and only river 2 sea product Ive ever bought. I know they have some big winners. People on these forums are nuts about some of their products, like the whopper plopper for example. .. but that one product left me pretty sour. And I don't need their products to catch bass. Not with the seemingly unlimited choices I have at my disposal.

CTBassin860 reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 9:41 AM, Yeajray231 said:

It was actually the first and only river 2 sea product Ive ever bought. I know they have some big winners. People on these forums are nuts about some of their products, like the whopper plopper for example. .. but that one product left me pretty sour. And I don't need their products to catch bass. Not with the seemingly unlimited choices I have at my disposal.

The Whopper plopper is the only thing I have from river2sea.That thing is temperamental.Wants to roll and takes 5-10 feet of retrieval before it gets to plopping.

I only have it because it came in my LTB. I'd buy 2 Pad Crashers before I got another Plopper

Yeajray231 reply :

Lol there were threads made almost daily raving about the plopper. I've seen threads for rods dedicated just for the plopper. Ha-ha.

Apparently the R2S "slammer" is nice too. I've seen it get some praise. But like I said, so many choices... after they burned me on that crayfish they won't get my business anymore.

How long you been using the swing impact ?

CTBassin860 reply :

I haven't.I've only used a few small paddletails as trailers,and the zoom swimming fluke on the weighted hook.

MassYak85 reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 9:46 AM, MassBassin508 said:

The Whopper plopper is the only thing I have from river2sea.That thing is temperamental.Wants to roll and takes 5-10 feet of retrieval before it gets to plopping.

I only have it because it came in my LTB. I'd buy 2 Pad Crashers before I got another Plopper

The 90 and 130 are like completely different lures in how they fish honestly. I have both and rarely use the 90 anymore, it's really temperamental like you describe. The 130 pretty much eliminates all the issues the 90 has.

I'm usually not quick to give something so much praise but that lure was by far my biggest producer in both quantity and size this summer.

CTBassin860 reply :

Interesting.Maybe ill pony up for it one of these days.I have to buy a filing cabinet to organize my soft plastics too.

frogflogger reply :

Whopper plopper is for real - very effective - from Johns lake in Fl to smallmouth streams in appalachia - it has been a very reliable producer.

River2sea is a creative company with some excellent products - many of their products have been copied by the big dogs.

roadwarrior reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 9:57 AM, Yeajray231 said:

How long you been using the swing impact ?

Since they were first introduced. After fishing the Rage Tail Swimmer I have given all of the Keitech away.

8014

Paddle Tails 2025

related Fishing Tackle topic

previous topic

next topic

most viewed Fishing Tackle topic