Paddletail Shapes: How To Choose The Right Lure For Every Situation
- By: Tony Acevedo
- on April 9, 2021
Not all paddletails are created equally.
Some have big, thumping tails, while others have thinner, quieter tails.
And today, we’re doing a deep dive into the specifics of tail shapes and why this matters if you want to catch more fish.
You’ll learn how paddletail shapes vary, which shape to use based on the conditions, and much more.
Let’s dive in!
Choosing Paddletail Shapes [VIDEO]
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Here’s a general rule of thumb:
If you’re fishing in calm, clear water, use a stealthy lure.
If you’re fishing in dark or choppy water, use a lure that gets a little more attention.
So going off of this rule, if you’re fishing in water that’s on the calmer and clearer side, go with a paddletail with a smaller tail.
Examples of this include:
If the water is choppy or murky, go with a paddletail that has a larger tail.
Examples of this include:
Another thing to consider when using paddletails is how thick the base of the tail is, and how fast you want to retrieve your lure.
Lures with a thin base will have more action when you retrieve them slowly.
If you’re retrieving your lure quickly, or in deeper water, the thickness of the tail doesn’t really matter, since there will be plenty of water resistance to get it wobbling.
Conclusion
When the water is dark or choppy, fish rely more on feeling vibrations in the water to find food.
In this case, use a paddletail that has a big tail that makes a lot of vibration.
When the water is clear and calm, fish are more easily spooked.
In this case, use a paddletail with a smaller tail that makes less vibration.
You can get these lures from our shop here:
Smaller tails:
Larger tails:
Have any questions about which paddletail to use and when?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who loves to get nerdy about paddletails, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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One of the most interesting things is that Tony is dyeing his slam shady tails chartreuse! Maybe they should make an Acevedo model with the signature tail color!
Haha the secret is out! It can help in dirty water but I dont do it often because puffer fish and pinfish love it as well.
So what’s the difference between vibration and thump? or are they the same. Great video and great summary on when and where to use!
Great question!
I refer to “thump” as how much vibration the tail has. A larger tail tends to have more “thump”
thx so much for clarifying.
Thanks Tony
You’re welcome Jerry!
Spot on as usual Tony! What’s your thoughts on the Spike it dip. I’ve used it before and just in my experience it seems to attract more fish like pins and puffers. On the flip side of that, if it attracts more trash fish then it must be more visible and therefore attract predators, maybe? What’s been your experience?
Thanks Pat! The only time I really use it is if I am in an area and I know the fish are there but they aren’t finding my bait due to the water being super murky. I haven’t had too many issues with puffers and pins here on the east coast lately, more so on the west coast but you don’t really need to brighten up the tail in clear water. It’s just one of those things i will add if the bite is very slow, just like adding scent.
Thanks Tony. This was a good and informative video.
My pleasure Glenn and thank you for the great feedback!
How about times of year to throw smaller or larger paddle tails? I’ve found winter is the best time to use smaller baits, due to a fish’s metabolism. Late spring through early fall I’ll use large baits to weed out smaller fish to target the larger fish.
As far as the overall length of the bait, yes you want to downsize in the cooler months and you can go bigger in the summer and fall. I personally like to stick with a 3.5 to 4″ as a year round size. For the size of the tail itself, it’s more of a water clarity/fish activity decision.
Absolutely! Bite the head off if you’re in a hurry! 😀
The conclusion wraps it all up nicely and makes perfect sense. Thanks!!
You’re welcome Steve! Thank you for the great feedback!
Angle of the tail is also important. The closer the angle is to perpendicular relative to the direction of retrieve, the more resistance there is and the greater the vibration, especially at slower rates of retrieve.
For sure! Great tip David!
What about notching the tail on the bomber for less heavy vibration and a higher frequency of vibration? Maybe a 1/8″ notch on each side about a third of the way down the tail will definitely change the characteristic of the vibration to be less “thumpy” and more “fluttery”.
I haven’t tried that but would be curious to experiment with that! The only issue you may run into is that tail may not kick very well since the base of the tail is pretty firm.