FIRST PUBLISHED:(28/11/23)
This is a generic representation of a bait fish. It has a big oblong paddle tail which not only moves really well itself but also generates enough movement throughout the body to give the lure a strong shoulder roll.
This softy is 140mm long and 30 gram in weight and casts well.
At this stage I have concentrated on just three colours:
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- Translucent white belly with plenty of 3mm silver shred fleck throughout and a back which is gold with 0.03mm hex flex.
- Translucent white belly with plenty of 3mm silver shred fleck throughout and a back which is olive with 0.03mm hex flex.
Both of these colour combinations are great search colours for most big fish species. In Central Queensland that included but is not limited to:
Barramundi (both freshwater & saltwater)
Kingfish (Yellowtail and Cobia)
Lutjanids (Mangrove Jack & Fingermark
Javelin fish (Barred Grunter and Silver Grunter)
Flathead (Dusky and Bartail)
Trevally (including Giant Trevally and Golden Trevally)
Queenfish
Reef fish
Mackerel - Almost translucent chartreuse belly with a sprinkling of 0.03mm silver shred fleck throughout and a back which is red with 0.03mm hex flex. This is my goto soft plastic lure for dirty water.
The key features of my paddle tail shad:
- Realistic durable 7mm plastic eyes that are moulded permanently into the body.
- Vigorous tail action and shoulder role.
- Rigs up well on a wide range of 7/0 to 3/0 jig hooks that carry a great range of weights making it a great lure to fish at different depths.
- Alternatively it presents very well when rigged on on 3/0 weedless either unweighted or with differently weighted jig hook heads. In that form it’s a great option when fishing deep into structure.