Provide Lure Action: Either the paddle tail or the less common wedge tail provide natural looking swim action to lures.
Understanding Swimbait Soft Plastics
CommonSizes: 2 to 5 inches.
Distinguishing Features: Generally mimics a bait fish. Generally has a paddle tail [Figure 1, 2, 3, 4,8,9] or wedge tail [Figure 5, 6, 7,10] design.
Enabling Lure Action: Swimbait soft plastic often enables lures to have a swim action. Some do introduce a rolling action. Retrieve speed can significantly impact lure action.
Vibration: Tail section when the lure speed is sufficient to enable the tail to kick. Some soft plastic tails will kick on a slack line descent depending on the weight used.
Options:
Body Types:
Hollow Body: [Figure 1] . Designed for better hook penetration, for example a weighted EWG swimbait hook. The hollow body is not distinguishable by just looking at it, best to consult the package
Solid Body: [Figure 2] Designed for a jig head. The solid body is not distinguishable by just looking at it, best to consult the package
Line Through: [Figure 3,7] There is a tube to pass the fishing line through the swimbait soft plastic to tie on a treble hook on the belly. The results being when a fish is hooked the swimbait soft plastic separates not interfering with landing the bass.
Split Body: [Figure 4, 6]Body has a split in it for better hook sets. Some also come with a grove on the top to better hide the hook.
Full Body: [Figure 5, 6] Less common of a category, sometimes referred to as a wedge tail, fork tail, more common in molded/prerigged soft swimbaits, hard swimbaits and glide baits.
Blue Gill Category: Some categorize full body soft plastics as blue gill soft plastics, in many cases they are molded(see below)
Paddle Tail: [Figure 1, 2, 3, 4,8,9] Sometimes called boot tail. More action than a wedge tail.
Boot Tail: A wider thumping kick that allows the bait to roll slightly from side to side.
Wedge Tail: [Figure 5, 6, 7,10] Sometimes referred to as fork tail (see jerkbait soft plastic) or flat tail. Wedge tail provides a much more methodical, realistic action. Instead of the aggressive action of the paddle tail, the wedge tail has more of a lethargic action that pushes water.
Head Types:
Flat or Pointed Head: [Figure 2] Does not have eyes typically used with a jig head.
Molded: Hook, weight and soft plastic pre-rigged.
Top Hook Exposed: [Figure 7] A single hook exposed. Some offer line through as well.
Hidden Top Hook: [Figure 8] A single hook hidden.
Treble Belly Bottom Hook. [Figure 9] Treble hook on the belly.
Top Stinger Hook: [Figure 10] Stinger hooks (trailer hook) are more commonly an add on to swimbaits and less commonly pre-rigged.
Figure 6: Berkley PowerBait Gilly (Split Body, Full Body)
