Kris Mann says it’s important to match your jig tail to the technique you’re using.
The right action will lead to good success as displayed here.
Choosing the Right Jig Tail & Blade
by Tim Huffman
No one jig is perfect for every situation. A tail with good action today may be terrible tomorrow. Do you know the characteristics of all the different jig tails so you can make wise choices?
The following is a guideline to plastic tail actions and how to choose them. Also included is a bonus section for choosing blades.
Kris Mann is the Prostaff Manager of Crappie Magnet and has won four national points championships fishing Crappie USA tournaments. He has other national tournament wins and two Sportsman of the Year Awards. He says God has blessed him and his dad’s tournament fishing, opening doors for him in the fishing industry. Mann shares his thoughts on different tail actions and his method for choosing the right tail.
Split-Tail Grub– “The jig I use most is the split-tail grub,” says Mann. “It has a unique action that works great for vertical jigging. Its tail moves just a little, but it’s basically a do-nothing bait. It has no action for casting or retrieving, so it’s not for those techniques. However, use it when dead-sticking and it triggers a lot of bites. I believe it works because crappie don’t often see it. I reel it slowly up the water column or hold it still.” Examples include: Crappie Magnet Split Tail; Johnson Beetle; Slider Whirley Bee Grub.
Baby Shad & Stinger– These baits have a variety of designs with a thin, single tail, often called a stinger tail. Mann says it’s funny because you would think these would be great for casting since they are minnow imitators, but they work best when vertically jigged or pitched. That’s when the tail has the most action. The amount of tail action depends upon the design and how much action is applied to the bait. Often, holding the bait still is best because there is still just enough movement to give the tail a little quiver. These baits are likely the most popular in today’s jig market. Examples: Bobby Garland Baby Shad; Southern Pro Stinger Shad; Strike King Lightning Shad.
Minnow Imitator– These are similar to the stinger tails except they have a more realistic minnow tail. They have a minnow profile and, depending upon design, can add side-to-side motion or a tiny, rapid vibration. Examples: Bobby Garland Slab Hunt’R; Z-Man Micro Fry-Z Smelt; Northland Mimic Minnow.
Curly Tails & Paddle Tails– “These baits excel when presented horizontally in the water, like with casting or pulling,” says Mann. “You can catch some fish with them with vertical presentations, but their design is to give maximum movement when coming through the water. I consider swim baits to have and east to west movement to imitate a minnow. The paddle tail does this while the curly tail has more of a circular motion. Key techniques are casting, pulling (trolling) jigs and power trolling.” Examples include: Brewer Crappie Slider Grub; Crappie Magnet Tiny Dancer and Slab Curly; Bobby Garland Stroll’R; Kalin’s Triple Threat; Southern Pro Hot Grubs.
Tube Jigs, Tentacle Tails– “We used Southern Pro tube jigs for years. They worked then and will work today. The design of a hollow body with tentacle tails is a classic design that provides lots of tail action when vertically jigged. That’s all we had back then, and we used it for a lot of applications. Today there are more options.” Examples include: Southern Pro Lil’ Hustler; Southern Pro Umbrella; Z-Man TRD TubeZ; Big Bite Tubes; Brushpile Diver; MidSouth Super Jig.
Flat Tails– Mann says, “A flat, long tail provides a slower fall. I think the overall profile of the bait is great in muddy-stained waters. These baits give more water displacement so it’s easier for a fish to feel and find the bait, along with the slower fall.” Examples include: Beaver Bottom; Muddy Water.
Creature Baits– “I’ve seen many of these come and go,” says Mann. “They are huge in the bass market, but they just don’t seem to be consistent enough to catch more crappie than the other styles of crappie jigs and tails. However, there are situations when they can be good, especially for black crappie. Best for jigging or under a float.” Examples: Bobby Garland Mayfly; Z-Man LarvaZ.
Hybrid Tails– “There are unlimited designs for baits. A stinger tail may have a bulb or tiny paddle. Curly tails can be thin or fat. Crappie Magnet makes a bait I use a lot, called the Slab Magnet. It has a straight, single-tail minnow design, but also, it has a flat tail the whole length of the bait. The bait has a slower, more horizontal fall that makes it best for vertical jigging. It also displaces a lot of water to help fish find the bait. A fisherman must try a bait to know if it works for them.”
Technique vs. Tail Action
Jigging: single tail; minnow imitation; grub; tube jig; flat tail; creature
Shooting: minnow imitation; grub; tube; flat tail
Pitching: any tail
Jig & Float: minnow imitation; grub; tube jig; flat tail; creature
Slow Trolling/Spider Rigging: single tail; minnow imitation; grub; flat tail; tube
Cast/Retrieve: curly tail; paddle tail; minnow imitation with a minnow tail
Pulling/Fast Trolling/Pushing: curly tails; paddle tails
Kris Mann Notes & Tips
- I like all tails for pitching. I pitch out as far as 20 feet and let the jig pendulum down to the boat. Beyond 20 feet, the action tails are best.
- When fishing muddy water, I like a big bait with a flat tail that displaces a lot of water.
- Baits fished horizontally should have action tails.
- Tipping with a minnow will interfere with the action of a curly tail type jig. Use non-action type tails.
- Pay attention to tail actions in different water temperatures. Fish in cold water want as little action as possible. Summer fish want action and flash.
- Active fish like tails with action. I also like to use a spinner head. Fish are aggressive and will chase baits.
- Negative fish want smaller baits and a tail with less action. A 1/32- or 1/64-ounce jig will fall slower. Think small, less action and slow movements when fish are negative.
- Line is important to tail action. Stiff line interferes with jig movements. Smaller line diameter provides better bait action and control of the jig. Line should be as invisible as possible.
- Plastic hardness plays a part in jig action. Soft plastic has the best movement but may tear quickly. Harder plastic is durable but has less action. Most companies strive for a good compromise of softness and durability.
BLADES
Fast tail action on a jig is a good way to catch a crappie’s attention, but a blade can be a game-changer. Blades are funny because fish either love or hate them, with very little middle ground. Two fishermen and manufacturing experts gives us insights to blades.
Ron Stallings with TTI-Blakemore, aka Road Runner, says, “I’ll get right to point that fishermen want to hear. The most popular blade for crappie fishermen is the willow leaf blade with the hammered finish.
“Blade type is important. The Indiana blade is mainly used in non-current situations because it catches a lot of water. The willow blade is good with or without current and is a favorite of crappie fishermen. Our Road Runner works best when fished fast enough to make the blade turn. It creates flash, sound and vibration. You fish it slow, but fast enough for blade spin. The easiest way to see turn speed is to put it in the water where you can see the bait. See how fast you must go to get it to turn.
“The advantage of a blade is it does the work for you. They often work best in stained and muddy water. The vibration helps fish find the bait.”
Jeff Smith, owner of Trout & Crappie Magnet, says, “Blade movement is important. We don’t have scientific date about the spin, it’s more like redneck science by sticking it in the water and use GPS on the boat. We had a lot of tries making the Fin Spin before we learned that a tilt on the head pushes just enough water down over the blade to make it work at 0.3 or 0.4 mph. This made it good for slow trolling.
“It’s not always important to have a blade, but sometimes it is. A small willow blade is the easiest to turn. The great thing the Fin Spin blade does is periodically stop and flutter for a millisecond, creating a cool sound and action. The blade provides vibration, sound and flash. We also make them with a Colorado blade that gives more vibration than a willow leaf.”
SPEED
How fast is your bait travelling?
CrappieNOW Editor Richard Simms says his B’n’M Pro 100 reel has a 5:1:1 ratio, giving 21 inches per turn (IPT). Determine the IPT for your reel by marking your fishing line with a Magic Marker at the end guide. Turn your reel handle exactly one turn, then measure how many inches your mark moved from the guide. Now go to this online calculator to covert IPT to MPH. The Pro 100, at one handle turn per second, moves a lure at 1.19 mph. A fisherman can accurately gauge retrieve or trolling speed.
CLOSING
Plastic jigs are often recognized or defined by their tails. Tails create different looks to help entice bites from fish. Apply Kris Mann’s tips to put more fish in your livewell. If catch action is still slow, try adding a blade to create more noise and flash.
CrappieNow senior writer Tim Huffman, has a new crappie fishing book for 2024, Papermouth, Modern Crappie Techniques, available as an ebook or paperback version at Amazon.
