I caught some decent bass on the Basstrix 5" paddle tail this year but haven't tried too many other brands. What do you guys use in the 4-6 inch range? How do they compare to the Basstrix? I mostly fish them weedless but this spring I will try with a jig head or swimbait head because there will be less vegitation.

Big hammer swimbaits. I use them for largemouth and some saltwater bass @ www.swimbait.com

3:16

Berkley Hollowbelly are my personal favorite. I can swim them very slow and still get a good kicking action off them.

Dare I say it?

Keitech Swing Impact Fat. I usually fish them on their Super Round Tungsten jig with an exposed hook.

swim senko for me. simple and very versatile.

little creepers trash fish. they swim perfect. they look perfect.. and they now make a small one for places like the northeast... look them up, there is nothing better for the money.... i've been a co-angler at some flw tour events and been at elite series events and these are being used far more than you'll ever hear about in the magazines

I have tried: Reaction Strike, Yum, Shadaliscious, Berkley and Basstrix. So far the Basstrix has been the best producer for me. I'm looking forward to opinions too. I have heard good reports on Netbait's offering. Anybody ?

gambler's big ez and little swimmer

Gambler Big EZ

Skinny Dipper

Roboworm EZ Shad ( One of my favorites )

GYCB Swim Senko

LFT Live Magic Shad ( Technically not a Paddletail )

I have to second the trash fish. This bait is amazing, it has become one of my favorite soft 6in swimbaits. Its not just a slow roll bait. The way the fins are there is alot of secondary action to the bait and it performs well at slower speeds.

Keitech Fat Impact.

And I'll give a tip on making a Frankenbait... Sebile Magic Swimmer Soft + Mend-It + tail off hollow belly/shadelicious type bait = BOOM, there goes the Dynamite!

I used to throw a lot of the Basstrix swimbaits but my new all time favourite by a long shot is the X-Zone Swammer, unreal action.

Dare I say it?

Keitech Swing Impact Fat. I usually fish them on their Super Round Tungsten jig with an exposed hook.

I agree!

I also fish the Shadalicious, Hollow Belly and GYCB SwimSenko.

In my experiance the shadalicious swim like a stick..... Don't know if I was just using a bad batch or what, but I'm not buying any more.

You are not rigging them properly. Use a 1/4 oz weighted 4/0 offset worm hook.

Make sure the bait is not bowed.

:reindeer:

I understand that improper rigging is an issue in the poor performance of many soft swimbaits. This is not a case of improper rigging however. The issue is the fact that the tail will not thump or even more at speeds less than Mach 2. The Hollow Belly swimbait is so far superior to the shadalicious its not even funny.

The trash fish really does look good. I will probably pick up some of those and a few other brands. Thanks for all the good input guys.

In my experiance the shadalicious swim like a stick..... Don't know if I was just using a bad batch or what, but I'm not buying any more.

Remove some ot the material at the base of the tail. Be sure it's a mirror image on both sides, and take a TINY bit away each time.

The trash fish really does look good. I will probably pick up some of those and a few other brands. Thanks for all the good input guys.

I prefer to rig it with the 8/0 Beast. If you go to the little creeper website there is a really good rigging video.

I've been using Poorboys Kickin Darters with a good amount of success although they are good for only a couple fish max. I bought some Trash Fish and Keitechs on Black Friday. They will sit in my garage until March

My favorite is a Gambler's big EZ rigged on a 5/0 owner screw lock hook.

IMO, Rolo has the definitive post on soft paddletails.

For my money it's probably

1) Gambler BigEz

1a) RI Skinny Dipper

The big ez is so versatile and the tail action is unmatched. You can work it on the top of the slop like a weedless spook. If you have a fish following, you can kill the retrieve and the tail will keep shaking on the way to the bottom. You can keel-weight it and swim it thru grass. C-rig. T-rig, etc.... It casts a mile and is more durable than most swimbaits that I use.

I have three +26lb bags this year and the Ez was primarily responsible for two of those.

I started fishing the Keitech on JFs recommendation late this season and have done very well. The trash fish is also one of my favorites. I very much like another handpour that is only available locally.

Another suggestion: Dip some of the tails in JJ's Magic, chartreuse.