Paddletails / Grubs
- Buoyancy
- Material and hook/head determine buoyancy
- Working layer
- Control depth with head weight, sink time and speed; not limited to bottom fishing.
- Example size
- 30–110 mm
- Example weight
- Head 1–20 g
- Tackle notes
- Use the total plastic-plus-head weight and an abrasion-resistant leader around rock.
Use and limits
When & Where
From small stream fish to mandarin fish and coastal seabass, with suitable size and head weight.
Limits and common errors
Crooked rigging spins; oversized hooks suppress action and excessive weight changes the fall.
Retrieve steps
- Thread centrally through the nose and keep the body straight.
- Check low-speed tail action nearby before retrieving at the chosen layer.
- Use controlled hops for bottom work or continuous swimming for open-water searches.
Rigging options
Jighead Rig
An integrated weight and hook threaded with a softbait, a direct way to learn depth control.
Texas rig
A bullet weight and offset hook with a protected point to reduce fouling.
Carolina Rig
A forward weight and a swivel-linked leader separate bottom contact from the softbait.
Drop Shot Rig
A hook above a weight holds a softbait in a small area above bottom.
Free Rig
Line slides through an eyed weight before the hook, allowing separation during the fall.
Weightless Rig
No weight at all, just a soft plastic on a hook (usually a dense stick worm or soft jerkbait). It sinks slowly and naturally under its own weight. In wacky rigging, the hook goes through the middle of the worm so both ends quiver as it sinks.
Target examples
Target links are starting points; match the model to fish size, depth and cover.
References and scope
- Vermont Fish & Wildlife · Jigs ↗
Skirted, hair and soft-plastic jigs; jig fishing is not limited to vertical hopping.
- Vermont Fish & Wildlife · Swim and Bladed Jigs ↗
Swim-jig and bladed-jig construction and swimming retrieves.
- Take Me Fishing / RBFF · Freshwater Fishing Lures ↗
An introduction to hardbaits, plastics, spoons and rotating-blade lures.