Swimbait tails

[RiverSmallieGuy]

Hey fellas been a while, but I have a question about swimbaits and how tails affect the action. I have noticed that a lexan tail can sometimes kill the action, but dont know what to expect of any of the other styles for a jointed lipless bait. Which tails are the best for getting a lot of motion out of a bait?

[azsouth]

It depends on the bait, how big the tail is relevant to the bait, type of tail ( hard to soft )...

Generally for argument sake glide baits have a stationary tail and wake/divers have a moveable tail.

Yes the type of tail can/will drastically give or take away movement depending on the bait.

Specifics can only be answered properly with the type, size and weight of the bait.

Built a few baits.... I always try several different tails to get the exact action I want.

My .02 

[RiverSmallieGuy]

10 hours ago, azsouth said:

It depends on the bait, how big the tail is relevant to the bait, type of tail ( hard to soft )...

Generally for argument sake glide baits have a stationary tail and wake/divers have a moveable tail.

Yes the type of tail can/will drastically give or take away movement depending on the bait.

Specifics can only be answered properly with the type, size and weight of the bait.

Built a few baits.... I always try several different tails to get the exact action I want.

My .02 

thank ya man. I found that even with a soft tail, one of my 3pc wakes wouldnt swim great, so im rollin tailless on that one, i plan to use a hard lexan tail on a small glide that im building. Will post pics of both baits

[azsouth]

Wake baits normally do quite a bit better with a moveable tail.

A fixed tail seems to kill the action on any wake I have made.

[RiverSmallieGuy]

2 hours ago, azsouth said:

Wake baits normally do quite a bit better with a moveable tail.

A fixed tail seems to kill the action on any wake I have made.

yea ive noticed that

[Flaswimbaiter]

When I use lexan I make a wide triangular slot so it can move back and forth. I mainly use them for wake baits. I have used them for lipped divers too. But most of the time I use a silicone tails, give better action, especially for lipless jointed baits 

[JD_mudbug]

I have used a part of a feather cut into a tail shape, paint brush bristles, or a fin cut from a thin silicone place mat or under sink mat. These don't noticeably affect the action on my baits.

I also make the tail fin slot wider at the end of the bait and cross pin the fin through holes in the fin that are bigger than the pins. The fin will flap with the motion of the bait. Similar to the tail fin mounting on the Black Dog G2 Shellcracker. See the post below.

https://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/38362-jointed-lexan-tail-what-effect-does-it-have-if-any/#comment-313700

It is possible to make a flapping feather or bristle fin. I have done it by laying the feather or bristles out on a piece of scotch tape with just the mounting part of the fin on the tape. I then put epoxy on the part resting on the tape. Once the epoxy cures, I carefully peel off the tape and epoxy that side of the mounting part of the fin. Once that cures, I can drill holes in the epoxy part and cross pin in the bait. Sometimes the epoxy cracks and I have to fix it with a bit more epoxy. It's a pain to do, but can can give some really nice waving action even when the bait isn't moving.