Going to pick up a 2 pack at BPS tomorrow and give them a try. What's a good universal size you'd recommend I start with? 5/16 maybe?

1/2 or 5/8

I use 3/8 and go to 1/2 for deeper water. 

If I could only fish one it would be the 7/16ths.

Does the depth you anticipate fishing and/or the plastic you fish on it explain the different answers or just personal preferences?

If I'm fishing deep, over 15 feet, I use half an ounce. Anything less than that, I use 3/8. Hardheads are great for dragging baits around sparse grass and logs laying on the bottom. 

I pour my own and use the 1/4oz a vast majority of the time. 

On 2/23/2019 at 10:58 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

I pour my own and use the 1/4oz a vast majority of the time. 

What sort of plastic bait are you putting on a 1/4oz? What type of rod would you fish it on?

10 minutes ago, pauldconyers said:

What sort of plastic bait are you putting on a 1/4oz? What type of rod would you fish it on?

Anything other than a tube really, but I fish beavers, brush hogs, ribbon tail worms, straight tail worms, lizards, most anything on them. I mostly pour them with a 4/0 hook but do some 2/0-5/0 for different baits.

 

Mainly fish them on a 7' 3" MH/F but most any jig or plastics rod will work.

7 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Anything other than a tube really, but I fish beavers, brush hogs, ribbon tail worms, straight tail worms, lizards, most anything on them. I mostly pour them with a 4/0 hook but do some 2/0-5/0 for different baits.

 

Mainly fish them on a 7' 3" MH/F but most any jig or plastics rod will work.

Out of curiosity why do you specifically say not a tube? What depth would you throw a 5/16 at versus say a 7/16 or are they so close you'd fish them the same?

For me its more about speed than depth. If you want to go fast use the heavier one , if you want to go slow use as light a one as you can and still keep bottom contact.

Like Blue I pour my own.  I’ve tried most sizes but use 1/4 to 1/2 most of the time.  My favorite baits on them are Paca craw juniors and Gene Larew salt craws.

Pick up a couple of packs of those Mustad Fastach Weights I think they start at 1/4oz and go up to 1oz and attach your own hook. Freedom tackle uses a similar attachment and have an arky, football and ball style heads.

47 minutes ago, pauldconyers said:

Out of curiosity why do you specifically say not a tube? What depth would you throw a 5/16 at versus say a 7/16 or are they so close you'd fish them the same?

Tubes get most of their action from spiraling towards the bottom, or being popped off the bottom, neither of which a swinghead does really well. 

 

I drag them, I have never had any luck cranking them like they were designed for, so the 1/4oz is what I use 90% of the time.