Are You A Tail Addict? By Brian Kaiser

Although tails are nothing new to the fishing industry there seems to be a growing trend of adding tails to just about every type of muskie lure on the market.

Buck tails, jerk baits, glide baits, and crank baits even top water lures are being enhanced by adding a tail.

I have to admit I got caught up on this tail thing about seven years ago when I purchased what I thought was a very funny looking lure called the squirrelly Burt. To this day its one of my favorite lures! Do tails really help that much? When if ever are tails considered to be detrimental?

There is no doubt in my mind that adding a tail to spinner bait or buck tail can help you entice more strikes, but adding them to glide bait, well, that’s another story. I’ve tried some of the new lures that normally would have walking the dog type action with large tails added and it almost seems the large tails take action away from the lure. My success has been very limited using this type of presentation. On the other hand I have added tails to the back of my Jerk baits and although I can’t say that adding a tail was a magic bullet it sure doesn’t seem to hurt as I boated two nice upper 30 inch class fish one afternoon using this method.

Tails come in a variety of sizes styles and colors. The 4-inch standard grub style seems to be the most widely used, however the larger 5-inch magnum works well in many applications. The thick mogambo tail can be used as a replacement on many of the new lures that have recently hit the market. I use the long 7-inch magnum on large spinner baits or glue them in the back of my squirrelly Burts when I lose my original. I glue them in using fast drying super glue say 15 seconds or less that I purchase at my local hobby store. You can also use this glue to repair large tails that have been torn or chewed up.

On my own buck tails I have been experimenting with twin tails and the results have been encouraging. As I’m reeling I pump the rod, this gives the twin tail a pulsating life like action. As far as color goes, white, yellow & orange have given me the best results. Another trick I use is to soak the tails in a container of fish scent for a few days before I use them, not sure if this helps any, but by the end of the day my hands sure do smell fishy.

When buying tails I usually buy in bulk, you can get a large bag of the 4 inchers for under six bucks. So on your next muskie fishing adventure don’t forget to stock up on the tails, if you don’t you most likely will be borrowing from someone else who may not be so willing to share with you.

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Brian Kaiser
Phone: 218 841 3534
Email: brian@kaisertail.com