Bucktails

[BoatGuy]

For fluke I have been using (most of the time) SPRO bucktails. When I snap jig, I tend to use round head bucktails like Premium Bucktails made by John Paduano.

Having seen seminars by Bill “Doc” Muller, he always recommended bucktails with “any color you wanted, as long as it was white”. He also did not like fixed hook bucktails and recommended swing hook bucktails.

Dark Matter John Skinner Swing Hook Fluke Bucktails have the attachment further forward than SPRO.

Some are made with Bucktail, some are rubber-skirted, some have feathers added.

My assumption is that the type of bucktails is less important than WHERE it is used, meaning a spot where there are fish. Also the way it is retrieved, like John Skinner retrieve or Snap jig.

What do you look for when you purchase (or make) bucktail?

 

[longcast]

For fluke I have been using (most of the time) SPRO bucktails. When I snap jig, I tend to use round head bucktails like Premium Bucktails made by John Paduano.

Having seen seminars by Bill “Doc” Muller, he always recommended bucktails with “any color you wanted, as long as it was white”. He also did not like fixed hook bucktails and recommended swing hook bucktails.

Dark Matter John Skinner Swing Hook Fluke Bucktails have the attachment further forward than SPRO.

Some are made with Bucktail, some are rubber-skirted, some have feathers added.

My assumption is that the type of bucktails is less important than WHERE it is used, meaning a spot where there are fish. Also the way it is retrieved, like John Skinner retrieve or Snap jig.

What do you look for when you purchase (or make) bucktail?

Well made with a strong hook.

The rest is CONFIDENCE in your own presentation.

 

[Roccus7]

For fluke I have been using (most of the time) SPRO bucktails. When I snap jig, I tend to use round head bucktails like Premium Bucktails made by John Paduano.

Having seen seminars by Bill “Doc” Muller, he always recommended bucktails with “any color you wanted, as long as it was white”. He also did not like fixed hook bucktails and recommended swing hook bucktails.

Dark Matter John Skinner Swing Hook Fluke Bucktails have the attachment further forward than SPRO.

Some are made with Bucktail, some are rubber-skirted, some have feathers added.

My assumption is that the type of bucktails is less important than WHERE it is used, meaning a spot where there are fish. Also the way it is retrieved, like John Skinner retrieve or Snap jig.

What do you look for when you purchase (or make) bucktail?

Robert Skinner's (John's older and more experienced brother) Custom Made Bucktails of multiple types and colors. He knows when, where and how to use them. I've even used them in the Bahamas for Nassau Grouper and Barracuda...

@captmike28 will attest to their magnificence...

 

[Leprechaun]

For fluke? Look no further - if you want to build your own:

Thread 'Building "Bucktail" Jigs - Lep Style'

Jan 12, 2019

So, its like 25 degrees out, I’ve already checked inside the boat, under the shrink-wrap - more than once today - gotta make sure the bilge-mounted 60W light bulbs are all lit and doing their jobs keeping thr temp up down in there. Turned the dehumidifier off, what with the water in the bucket forming a giant ice cube. No point in running that thing ‘til it gets above freezing. I AM a little obsessive about my "baby." Well, more than a "little" obsessive, I guess. Having it parked 6 feet from my house is the "great enabler" of my deeply-ingrained boat neurosis. I'll say this: as senior as...

• Leprechaun
• Replies: 24
• Forum: Inshore Tackle and Techniques with Lep

• 

 

[captmike28]

Robert Skinner's (John's older and more experienced brother) Custom Made Bucktails of multiple types and colors. He knows when, where and how to use them. I've even used them in the Bahamas for Nassau Grouper and Barracuda...

@captmike28 will attest to their magnificence...

Both Roccus and Longcast make excellent points.

Although I have fished with many different style bucktails over the years, when it comes to those specifically built for Striped Bass fishing, I must say Robert Skinners personal creations are among the best I have ever seen or fished with. Extremely strong, sharp hooks, amazingly generous amounts of real deer hair dressing plus an added feather down the middle make these lures world class. Plus, he had some rather special lead heads in addition to the traditional smiling bill style that were constructed for really nuanced presentation during tougher fishing conditions that give the experienced angler an edge.
I would like to think I am pretty darn good at nailing Bass on 3-way bucktail rigs in the Gut and the Race but watching Robert on one of my charters a few years ago was quite the show. He knew exactly at what stage of the tide to shift the actual bucktail and presentation to ensure he was hooking up on every single drift! I know the original question posed concerned Fluke bucktails but I have no doubt these Robert Skinner specials can be just as deadly on Fluke in the right hands. Of course, these very special lures are not for sale anywhere as Robert left LI for parts south. Before he moved, I made sure to purchase as much of his remaining inventory as I could afford. Also, he very generously donated many of his creations to my efforts as well.

Now, to Longcast's point about confidence. I agree that no matter what lure you are working if you believe it will be effective then you are more likely to put extra effort into presenting it just right. So, a big part of success in the fishing game is in the head of the angler as well. Knowing how to properly work a lure is certainly critical, but really believing it will catch you fish in any given situation is often more than half the battle.