# What oz jig head for the surf?



## leonsulak (Jun 6, 2011)

I have some tails and other soft plastics and I'm wondering what size you use


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## King Ding-A-Ling (May 28, 2010)

1/4


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## Brine Jake (Aug 12, 2005)

leonsulak said:


> I have some tails and other soft plastics and I'm wondering what size you use


A lot of the same considerations on this question are the same for the surf as the bay.

Random unedited incomplete thoughts, assumes you have done some fishing:
IMHO What weight head works best depends on the wind and the current--among other things, like where you think the fish are holding/moving. In a fast moving current, a light head doesn't give you much control over the action and the depth. If they're up shallow, that's OK. Other times, not. In a slack tide, a heavy head same same, just the opposite. If you like light heads, you can always position yourself where you can cast with the wind. If you fish a light head against a current, you're basically fishing topwater. When the fish are on the bottom, throw a heavy head. Etc and Etc. In a deep gut where they're suspended, light gives you more time in the strike zone.

I agree a 1/4 is a pretty good guess most of the time. At times an old gumball bighead is pretty handy. I only carry about 3 tails into the surf--light, medium, heavy, with alt colors loose in my pocket.

I'm no expert on tails. Sometimes they draw more strikes than anything else.

I use topwaters, Corkies and various Mirrolure hard baits most of the time--not only because tails often get bit off by various gremlins in the surf--just what I like to throw; so I'm no expert on tails. (I think I developed this preference back in the day when the old Boone Tout creme with the orange head was the only soft plastic available. In order to get my Mirrolures out against a hard SE, I tandem rigged a Tout with M-lure trailing. I caught big trout every cast until I had to break for a sandwich. Every fish--not almost--every fish hit the Mirrolure. Nada one hit the Tout. Of course since then, I've caught lotsa surf trout on tails, anything from Sparlkle Beetles any color to white to black little tails, big tails, paddles, no paddles, legs, etc and etc. Sometimes you can limit out on tails when they won't give a 51 or 52 M-Lure a second look. I'll bet the various refinements in new M-Lures will compete pretty well. Sometimes all they want is a big ol' 72M28. I also don't like to keep twisting on new tails in a rough surf. I change baits a lot with a snap--I just don't like twisting on tails.)

BJ
"It ain't the meat, it's the motion." (Doug Clark, ca 1964)


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## troutless (Feb 17, 2006)

I also like to use 1/4 head and BS's mostlly Red Shad w& w/o flip tails. But, I start off early morning with a black or Bone topwater's, then Mirrolures, Sliver Spoons/ Gold Spoons And lastly Tails.


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## Brine Jake (Aug 12, 2005)

troutless said:


> I also like to use 1/4 head and BS's mostlly Red Shad w& w/o flip tails. But, I start off early morning with a black or Bone topwater's, then Mirrolures, Sliver Spoons/ Gold Spoons And lastly Tails.


Yep--Good words--forgot to mention the spoon. (Don't sell your tops short in the middle of the morning, or the middle of the day.)

Back to tails: Yep--drag bottom on the falling tide...I think I've caught more trout on tails in the surf just crawling the bottom of the gut, not twitching, nothing...(I just can hardly bring myself to do that any more.
I'd rather work that spook for one fish than to drag up 3 on a tail.)

For you expert tailers: Summer surf, assuming good conditions for a finesse bite--not when they're hitting anything--do you see any difference between your shrimp tails, shad tails, and assassins? Most of my tailing buds now use paddles almost all the time (may just be because they hold up better than assassins). I never could see much difference in the surf.
Curlers work pretty well, too.


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## troutless (Feb 17, 2006)

I have a old Producter Ghost in bone that i've taken some nice Trout durning the middle of the day. Academy used to sell them cheap.


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## Brine Jake (Aug 12, 2005)

*Ghosts*



troutless said:


> I have a old Producter Ghost in bone that i've taken some nice Trout durning the middle of the day. Academy used to sell them cheap.


Ghosts were great--at 2 bucks apiece, they beat feeding the old Jumpin Minnows to the jacks, and they caught trout just as well. Bone's good--I have an old red clear one and a yellow gold that both work at midday.
My best all around in a rough green surf was the woodpecker. I lost my nextr to last one to a jack, and the one I have left does not catch trout. All duplicate rattling topwater plugs are not created equal.


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