When it comes to catching trout, reds and flounder these soft plastics with their rattail, curly-tail, paddle tail, and wedge-tails are tops in their class.
Story and Photography by Robert Sloan

Could a simple lead head jig be the best saltwater lure of all time? Think of it like this – a jig can be used 24-7 just about anywhere along the entire Gulf Coast to catch a variety of fish. But when it comes to catching trout, reds and flounder this lure can’t be beat.
While fishing with Matagorda guide Charlie Paradoski we got to a talking about the best lures of all time. He held up an Assassin soft plastic rigged on a ¼ ounce lead jig head.
“More fish have been caught on jigs than any other lure,” he said. “Look at the fish we’ve caught today. With the exception of an early topwater bite on Super Spooks the only thing catching fish right now is a jig.”
Soft plastic jigs come in all shapes, sizes and colors. For years the go to jig was that of a shrimp tail, and the top color combination was red and white. Back in the 60s and 70s a strawberry and white shrimp tail rigged on a ¼-ounce lead head jig was the top lure to tie on and fish throughout the day. But in the 80’s, and on up to this day, a wide variety of soft bodied jigs have been produced. Some have flat paddle tails, some have rounded tails, others have rattails and some have curly tails.
“We’ve caught trout and reds for years on jigs that are made with all shapes of tails,” says Sabine Lake guide Jerry Norris. “My favorite is a slick, or rattail jig. But if I’m fishing in real murky water I’ll switch to a curl tail jig for more vibration. Last spring I used a red shad Assassin jig with a rattail to catch some of my heaviest trout. I’m talking about fish up to about 10 pounds. The key was to fish fresh slicks in water that was two to three feet deep. I was rigging them on 1/8-ounce Bomber shad head jigs in red or white.”

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