Bucktail jigs are one of almost forgotten, heroes of the saltwater fishing scene

[carll]

The bucktail or so called Leadhead became my favorite lure after 20 years of artificial lure angling and the bucktail has been overlooked by 90% of lure anglers.

  There’s nothing new about the bucktail jig and there’s not really anything new  to add to their configuration. Furthermore, there’s nothing special about the  techniques that you need to fish them. Im talking here about Shore angling and  for this reason, bucktail jigs would have to be one of the most overlooked  lures in the world for catching fish and they are deadly lures!
  However, these old workhorses have a lot going for them. For starters they are  pretty cheap, from R10.00-R30.00.There are some more expensive models around,  and you will get what you pay for. At the higher end you’ll get a tougher hook,  a durable epoxy paint finish on the head and a secure skirt.

  Angling Techniques:

  The stock standard technique is to cast out your bucktail and let it sink to  the bottom and then use your rod to lift the bucktail up off the bottom, then  drop the rod tip to let the bucktail fall back. The upward strokes of the rod  that bounce the bucktail on or just above the bottom can be anything between a  sharp jerk and a slow lift. Similarly the rod tip can be dropped quickly or  slowly. The slower drop controls the lure and is often smashed on the drop.  Here are the Alcock’s brothers from PE a great example, they are masters and deadly with  their method. They fish the bucktail very, very slowly on the bottom. They then  very slowly lift the bucktail off the bottom and drop it back in again. They  almost drag the bucktail along at the bottom; they are VERY, VERY successful  with this method. They are catching Cob, Leervis, Skippy's and Shad !

Tackle:
  I use 10lbs up to 20lbs braided line for bucktail fishing and a 9ft rod for my  1oz – 1.5oz bucktails A rod around 7-9ft’ in length with a softies tip, which  allows a bit for finesse fishing, working the bucktail correct on the bottom.  With rods longer than 9ft its not that easy to control the lure’s action and  feel what is your bucktail doing on the bottom.
  As far as reels go, I use the Shimano Sahara 2500 and the 4000 and more anglers  these days are heading down the path of the versatile spin outfit, smaller  reels with higher gear ratios.

Bucktail Colours:
 
  Any colours as long as it has white in.Some lures will have red or yellow to  accompany the white or yellow/chartreuse. But for simplicity, white heads,  white skirts/tails and white binding to hold the skirt on seem to be all that  is needed. My favorite colours are, white/ black and white/ olive green  bucktails.

[WalkersKiller]

Superb post  have seen the Bucktails work and outfish other lures a few times this year.

[carll]

Thanks Walkers !

[MIKE PIKE]

Excellent post carll , and like u  say always overlooked , and the retrieve rate is the key factor ..  

[Poenskop]

One of my favorite catches on a olive tin bucktail.

[Shivaan]

Excellent post carll , and like u  say always overlooked , and the retrieve rate is the key factor ..

[carll]

One of my favorite catches on a olive tin bucktail.







Great Pic and Catch Poenskop ! 

[Harvard 16]

Thanks Carll, great post on something I've been looking for in particular lately,  just wish they were available here, I've been asking lately around tackle shops here  in Singapore and Australia, just get a lot of blank looks, so I've decided to make my own, in white of course.

[Poenskop]

And another.

[Gerhard]

Bucktails will be traveling with my to Vanuatu.


I have a couple of 6oz bucktails that i want to go feed to the doggies and other reef dwellers.


The 2oz bucktails will be used for casting to    and tuna...


Buck tails has been one of my go to or confidence lures of the last 7 years.

[domz]

Great post, the old faithfull bucktail never disappoints. Its a must have in the tackle box

[SAfish]

  Great article, thanks for sharing. 

[jball7204]

Bucktails are legends and I'm not sure why most of us forget them. I have 6 in one of my small boxes and often get home after a blank spinning session and think, damn I forgot to scratch with a bucktail!!

Thanks for the reminder to put them at the TOP of my bum bag!

 

[gavin erwin]

Fantastic post Carll    I have respect for the good old bucktail!!!

[Charles]

Thanks Carll. I do have a some in my box but never fished with them. Your post convinced me to test them when next in SA.

[Cage]

spot on Carl - the bucktail rule is : never leave home without them! As I have learnt, they are equally at home in a freshwater box as they are in the saltywater box.
Dont forget the blistering retrieves for kingies as well, when you just cant reel them back fast enough!
 

[carll]

Shad just destroy the bucktails hair .. hahah. I was at the South Coast last month for 3 weeks and after the fourth shad your


bucktail need to be refurbish but its still great fun to catch any fish on them !

[dugong]

  I always have a few on the boat - 1/2oz, 1oz, 2oz and 3oz - caught dollies, yft, small couta, kawas, skipjack tunas........................very good for rockcod bouncing on the reef!! (For dollies try and get brown or 2nd choice olive green)
Be careful what you buy, and don't worry too much about the colours, it may look ok but the hook can be crap, Spro make quality ones with good quality Gamakatsu hooks.

[Steenie]

I always carry at least one in my lure pouch. Have not used it for some time though, I prefer surface lures and spoons for my short (1 hour or so) spinning sessions before work each morning. I like to experiment with the bucktail jigs during those longer sessions when I spin at Cape Vidal etc. But maybe I must give them more focus again, because the spinning on lower north coast is really poor at present and the surface lures are not producing. The areas I spin before work are quite full of structure though and bottom lures are real rock magnets! But that is all part of the game with its associated risks/rewards!
 
 

[Steenie]

And it is much cheaper losing a bucktail jig to hidden structure than a CID Shiverstick!