Which paddletail should I buy?

Snookman77

I've been doing some research, and I've found that there are so many paddletail swimbaits out on there. I've found Hogy, DOA, Mirrolure, Zoom, and many other brands all have paddletail baits. So, which should I buy for targeting Snook at the Jupiter inlet? I know this is very broad, but I'm just looking for opinions from people who have used them.

Thanks.

superduper

i would consider what you are talking about a shad bait or something like that, i always see a wooden/flat paddle when someone says paddle tail.

haven't seen the hogys, but they make great baits for big fish, they are probably nice.
my favorite right now is the new 4inch DOA shad. they flop around like crazy, been having good luck getting tarpon to hit them.

Net 30

Slayer makes a great paddle tail. I've never used them in fast, deep water but have caught a lot of Reds and Snook on their tails.

smooth move

DOA airhead is great and can be rigged to float or sink. a little piece of foam in the cavity will make it a topwater on a weightless hook.

Snookman77

superduper wrote: »

i would consider what you are talking about a shad bait or something like that, i always see a wooden/flat paddle when someone says paddle tail.

haven't seen the hogys, but they make great baits for big fish, they are probably nice.
my favorite right now is the new 4inch DOA shad. they flop around like crazy, been having good luck getting tarpon to hit them.

Thanks for the reply. I have considered the DOA, but the Snook around here have been eating bigger baits lately, which is why I took a look at Hogy.

That is the type of paddletail I am talking about.

Net 30: The slayer paddletails are just too small, I had already taken a look at them.

0119

Gambler EZ Swimmer

stephenr_123

I second Slayer paddle tails. The tails are little bigger than DOA's which seems to give them more action in the water. While you are on their website I would also look at their weedless jig heads which are also great.

twirp

Nothing wrong with the SLayer, but that big tail makes them not cast nearly as far as say a DOA, Bass Assassin etc. Strike King makes a bigger paddle tail that thumps like crazy. I've got some, but don't recall ever using them. Go figure.

superduper

0119 wrote: »

Gambler EZ Swimmer

yeah the BIG EZ might be the ticket, pretty darn big.

Cameron

4" DOA C.A.L. Shad Tail in Fiji Chix. The 3" Greene versions work better in general but bigger snook like bigger bait.

SouthshoreSlayer

Elephants eat peanuts

Snookman77

Thanks for all the help. Is the EZ swimmer jointed in any way, or does it just appear that way in photos?

Also, does anyone know about the Bass Assassin paddletail shad?

I'm looking for something either 5" or 6".

I found this from Hogy:

http://shop.hogylures.com/category/1048/Hogy-Swimbaits/1.html

Reel Teal

When did snook fishing get so complicated?

Snookman77

Reel Teal wrote: »

When did snook fishing get so complicated?

Since 2015.

congoman775

My personal favorite is the DOA 3" in Arkansas Shad (406), Glow/Gold (309), and Key Lime (417)

bsnookn584

I've been crushing them lately on the Spooltek 6" and 9".

duckmanJR

Still searching for that magic bullet I see....:rotflmao

roto7777

I also like the Slayer, but if you need a bigger bait, look at Bitter's Naked Swimmer in White. Put a 5/0 Slayer head on it.

The Naked Swimmer is also priced great. 2 bags/$5

Go to Bitter's Bait and Tackle website.

Snookman77

duckmanJR wrote: »

Still searching for that magic bullet I see....:rotflmao

Again, I'm just trying new things.

Snookman77

bsnookn584 wrote: »

I've been crushing them lately on the Spooltek 6" and 9".

I've considered that, but I just can't justify the price.

congoman775

Snookman77 wrote: »

I've considered that, but I just can't justify the price.

Here, give this a shot. See what you like, what you don't like. http://www.doalures.com/product-p/80-999.htm

Pilchard

Snookman77 wrote: »

I've considered that, but I just can't justify the price.

Who could? Soft baits are disposable.

duckmanJR

Snookman77 wrote: »

Again, I'm just trying new things.

And with that strategy....you will end up with a whole lot of stuff you never use.

Stick with tried and true stuff in well know and solid patterns...Then, fish it with confidence that the next cast is the one...pay attention to WHAT you are doing so that when the time comes...you will have "repeatability" in that.

Your "luck" will get better just by doing that.

Net 30

Pilchard wrote: »

Who could? Soft baits are disposable.

In reality, all baits/lures are disposable.

I hate it when one of my favorite hard baits just plain old wears out. Even with new hooks/rings…..they just take a dirt map after a while and lose that magic ju-ju.

bonephish

Big Bite Baits 5" Shads
http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_767211_-1?color=Black&ICID=CRT:201397426

FlatsFrenzy

Net 30 wrote: »

Slayer makes a great paddle tail. I've never used them in fast, deep water but have caught a lot of Reds and Snook on their tails.

Slayer SSTs are the only plastic I buy.

0119

They are so much the same now, I choose based on the color I want really. I dont really want to bother with the zman type plastic and having to segregate them though.

Pilchard

0119 wrote: »

They are so much the same now, I choose based on the color I want really. I dont really want to bother with the zman type plastic and having to segregate them though.

Just mix them all together. It will be like Baltimore. You will have a bunch of useless slimey pieces of crap that are impossible to clean up and get rid of.

Split Shot

I'm much better off fishing a bucktail jig than any paddle tail. Though I can increase the size of a bucktail with a soft plastic tail. Soft plastics have an advantage if you need a suspending bait situation as in a light or weightless head etc, but other than that give me some bucktails!

0119

Pilchard wrote: »

Just mix them all together. It will be like Baltimore. You will have a bunch of useless slimey pieces of crap that are impossible to clean up and get rid of.

Aint that the truth....

1simplemann

No mention of Z-man? They come in lots of color and sizes. My favorite is just plain old white w/ a chartr. head. 4" Very durable!