Paddle Tails

Paddle tail softbaits at Charlie's Fishing: shads for pike, zander, perch and sea bass

Paddle tail softbaits, or shads, are the soft lures most predator anglers tie on first. A flat paddle at the end of the tail catches the water and starts kicking as soon as the lure moves, so the shad swims on a plain steady retrieve, on the drop and on a slow lift along the bottom. This page brings together all our paddle tails, from 7 cm perch shads to pike shads of 25 cm and more, with ready-rigged combos and spare bodies. Below we explain how a paddle tail works, why a big paddle feels different from a small one, which size suits pike, zander, perch, sea bass and catfish, and how to rig and retrieve a shad. Looking for the whole range of soft lures, including V-tails, curl tails and craws? Start on our Softbaits page.

How a paddle tail works: tail size, body shape and vibration

The paddle sits at an angle to the tail root. Water pushes against it, the paddle flips to the other side, and that flip repeats as long as the lure moves: that is the kick. The size of the paddle decides the kind of signal the shad sends out. A big, broad paddle, as on the ULM Lures Gigabite V2 21 cm (96 g) or the Nays HNTR 90 (about 23 cm, about 80 g), beats slowly and moves a lot of water, a heavy thump that pike pick up from a distance and in coloured water. A small, thin paddle beats fast and stays subtle: the Toppies Skeletonius (7 and 10 cm) has a thin tail that, according to Toppies, spins up to three times around its own axis and sends out uneven pressure waves, and the Greenfin Samba Paddle 7 cm mixes a tight vibration with a wider tail swing. The shape of the body matters just as much. A broad, round body is pulled from side to side by the tail and starts rolling, the way the Nays PRDTR 50 2.0 (12.7 cm, 16.9 g) and the Illex Dexter Shads do; a slim body like the Savage Gear Craft Bleak Clear Water Mix flanks more than it rolls and shows the flash of its sides, and the narrow Savage Gear Craft Shad Clear Water Mix sinks fast and stays down in current. A soft, elastic material lets the tail start at the slowest speed; the slightly buoyant Toppies Provius (14 cm) keeps a high-frequency tail action at low speed and stands up on the bottom like a feeding baitfish. The Frapp Snatcher 6.6" (16 cm, 19.5 g) is the odd one out: its long tail does not beat in a figure of eight but swings calmly from side to side, a quieter signal for cautious fish. Most shads add scent on top, from the Nitro Booster shellfish attractant in the Dexter Shads to the garlic in the Nays PRDTR and the water-soluble protein blend in the Greenfin baits.

Rolling shads or kicking shads: which one to tie on

Rolling shads flash their flanks and work best on a slow, even retrieve: in cold water, on pressured water and when zander and perch follow but hesitate. The Nays PRDTR 35 2.0 (8.9 cm, 6 g) and the PRDTR 50 2.0 are built for exactly that restrained roll, and the HideUp Stagger Original 3" (7.6 cm, 4.5 g) and HideUp Stagger Original 4" (10.2 cm, 10 g) have a low-pitch rolling action for clear, hard-fished water. Kicking shads with a strong tail beat are the searchers: fish them faster, over weed beds, along drop-offs and in coloured water, where the vibration does the work. The Rapala Soft Peto 18 cm (18 cm, 51 g) combines a wide tail kick with a body roll, and the Savage Gear Fat Minnow T-Tail Clear Water Mix pairs a flanking body with an active T-tail, in 7.5, 9, 10.5 and 13 cm. Hybrids exist too: the DRT Cramp Shad (11 cm, 10 g) combines a small V-tail with a very fast paddle for a subtle, natural action, and the Chasebaits Flacid Shad 7,5 cm swaps the paddle for a ribbon tail and rolling fins that flutter on the drop; read our Flacid Shad article. Want flash as well as vibration? The Fish Arrow Flash Jerk Spin 4" (10 cm) carries a foil insert and a small spinning blade; the product page pairs it with the BKK Hyperlatch Round Jig Hooks in 3/0.

Paddle tails for perch: 7 to 10 cm

For perch, a shad of 7 to 10 cm on a light jig head covers most days. The Rapala CrushCity The Kickman in 7.5 cm (3 g) and 10 cm (6.5 g) has a salted belly that keeps it upright and a tail that kicks at the slowest retrieve, on a jig head, a drop shot or weedless; Rapala's own pick for it is the VMC Bullet Jig. The Skeletonius 7 cm, the Samba Paddle 7 cm and the Craft Bleak in 7 and 8.5 cm (hook size 1/0 and 2/0) give a perch a natural baitfish profile, and the Stagger Original 3" (hook size 2/0) is made for perch that are selective or inactive. When perch want almost no action, the Nays NTRL 35 (8.9 cm, 3.5 g) with its reflective foil works on a jig head, a drop shot or mid-strolling. Read Rapala CrushCity softbaits: which one to fish and when, and see all lures for Perch, the Zander and Perch Softbaits and the brands Nays, HideUp, Capt'n Greenfin and DRT.

Paddle tails for zander: 10 to 15 cm

Zander anglers mostly fish 10 to 15 cm, close to the bottom. The Illex Dexter Shad 110 (10.5 cm, 10 g) was developed with zander in mind, with a strong rolling action for jig head, vertical and lift-and-drop fishing; the product page recommends a BKK Hyperlatch in 4/0 and also fishes it as a trailer behind a 35 g Crusher spinnerbait. The PRDTR 50 2.0 (12.7 cm) is the choice for pressured water and cold conditions, the Provius 14 cm stands up on the bottom between lifts, and the bulky Greenfin Samba Paddle 12 cm pushes a lot of water for big zander on a round jig head, a cheburashka or as a trailer. The Craft Bleak 12 cm (hook size 4/0) and the Fat Minnow T-Tail 13 cm (hook size 5/0) are slim options for clear water, and the Savage Gear Cannibal Shad Dark Water Mix Pre-Rigged comes as four pre-rigged shads in glitter and UV colours for murky water. Want to fish straight from the pack on a lighter head? The Illex Dexter Shad 150 Tip Up Rigged is a 15 cm Dexter Shad on a 7 g Tip Up head, for weed edges, drop-offs and shallower zones. See all lures for Zander, the softbaits for Pelagic fishing and the brands Illex, Toppies, Savage Gear Lures and Frapp.

Paddle tails for pike: 15 to 25 cm and ready-rigged combos

A pike shad starts at about 15 cm and goes up to 25 cm and beyond. The Illex Dexter Shad series gives you the same rolling action in every size: the Illex Dexter Shad 175 (15.5 cm, 33 g) fishes well on a straight retrieve along weed edges and under overhanging trees, on the Illex Dexter Tip Up Head with a VMC Pike Chain Rig in M, and the Illex Dexter Shad 250 (22 cm, 88 g) is the big one, paired on its product page with a BKK Chain in 2/0. The Illex Dexter Shad 200 Tip Up Rigged (20 cm, 72 g) comes mounted on a 15 g Tip Up head with a belly rig, ready to fish. Rapala's Soft Peto 18 cm has the wide tail kick with body roll; the Rapala Soft Peto Prerigged (16 cm, 36 g and 18 cm, 51 g) adds a magnet-held belly hook and a 3.5 g Screw Diver weight to set the depth, and the Rapala Soft Peto Mustache 20 cm (68 g) and Rapala Soft Peto Mustache 24 cm (126 g, two hooks) put the Soft Peto on a VMC Mustache head with a Pike Chain for a bucktail that pushes even more water. Read our Rapala Soft Peto and Pre-Rigged guide and Rapala Soft Peto Mustache: two ready to fish pike combos. From Sweden come the handpoured U-bait U-Shad (14 cm, 35 g; 17 cm, 50 g; 22 cm, 110 g) with its heavy rolling paddle, and the Gigabite V2 21 cm, which is 20 to 50 percent heavier than many shads of its length, casts far and holds up to several pike; its product page recommends a 1/0 stinger. The Savage Gear 3D Herring Shad 15 cm (23 g) adds a glass rattle in the tail to its rolling and kicking action, and the Finity One 7,5" (19 cm, 36 g) has a thumping paddle, offset hook slots on belly and back for weedless rigging and hollow chambers for scent or rattles. For a floating paddle tail swimbait that you can weight and rig to the water, take the handmade Hispano Lures Polaris 167 (51 g) and read our Hispano Lures Polaris guide. More in Pike Softbaits, Mouse & Bucktail Lures and Soft Swimbaits and Glidebaits, and from the brands Rapala, U-BAiT, ULM Lures, Hispano Lures and VMC.

Paddle tails for sea bass: weedless and ready to fish

Along rocks, harbours and beaches a sea bass shad has to be weedless, and that is what the Fiiish Black Minnow is built for: the PH2S system hides the hook point inside the body, and every combo comes with a spare body. The Fiiish Black Minnow 90 N2 Shore Combo 5g (9 cm) is the finesse size for shallow water, the Fiiish Black Minnow 105 N2.5 Combo Search 12g (10.5 cm) casts further and sinks faster for drop-offs and wind-blown shores, the Fiiish Black Minnow 120 N3 Combo Shore 12g (12 cm) is the all-round shore set and the Fiiish Black Minnow 120 N3 Combo Off Shore 25g is for vertical fishing from the boat, deep channels and strong current. Keep Fiiish Black Minnow 120 Spare Bodies N3 in the bag, as they fit every N3 head from 6 to 50 g. The Dexter Shad 110 and the Kickman also catch sea bass, and the Fish Arrow Flash Jerk Spin 3" SW (7.5 cm) is the saltwater version with a blade. Read Fiiish Black Minnow: the complete guide, and see Seabass Softbaits, all lures for Seabass and the brand Fiiish.

Big paddle tails for catfish

Catfish want volume and vibration. The Finity One 7.5" is made for pike, big zander and catfish, the 3D Herring Shad with its rattle is a pike and catfish shad, the Jackall Magnum Deraball (10.2 cm, 51 g) is a sinking hybrid between a crankbait and a shad for pike, big perch and catfish in shallow cover, and even the pre-rigged Cannibal Shad lists catfish among its targets. Rig big shads for catfish on a stinger or a heavy jig head and fish them slowly along the bottom. See all lures for Catfish.

Rigging a paddle tail: jig head, screw-in head, stinger and weedless

• Jig head: the standard way to fish a shad. Match the hook to the length of the bait, as the product pages do: 1/0 for a 7 cm Craft Bleak, 2/0 for 7.5 to 9 cm, 3/0 for 10 cm, 4/0 for 12 cm and 5/0 for a 13 cm Fat Minnow. The BKK Hyperlatch Round Jig Hooks is the round jig head that most of our shad pages recommend. Choose the lightest head that still lets you feel the bottom; see all Jigheads.
• Screw-in head: a weighted head screwed into the nose, with a stinger from the bottom ring. The Illex Dexter Tip Up Head fits the Dexter Shads and any other shad of that size, from 5 to 25 g, and keeps the action of the bait intact.
• Stinger and bait screw: on pike shads from about 15 cm, a treble in the belly turns the takes across the middle into hooked fish. The VMC Pike Chain Rig comes in S, M and L to match the length of the shad, the BKK Chain Stinger Rig has sizes for the Gigabite (1/0) and the Dexter Shad 250 (2/0), and the PXS Raijin 220 (22 cm, 78 g) is fished weightless on a VMC Refill Screw with a Pike Chain.
• Weedless: the Kickman and the Craft Bleak sit on an EWG hook, the Finity One has offset hook slots on belly and back, the BKK Titan Rider holds a big shad without tearing it, and the GT-BIO Roller Shad 85 comes with its own weedless hook and an 8 g lead-free head.
• Trailer: a 9 to 13 cm shad such as the PRDTR 50 2.0, the Samba Paddle 12 cm or the Dexter Shad 110 gives a chatterbait, spinnerbait or bucktail a kicking tail; the BIM Tackle Shallow Cruiser (23 cm, 96 g) comes with its trailer rigged.
For pike, always fish a trace such as the VMC Titanium Pike Leader. See Rigs & Stingers, BKK Hooks and Lines and Leaders.

Retrieve styles for paddle tail shads

• Steady retrieve: wind in at one speed and let the tail do the work. The first choice for searching water with a kicking shad such as the Soft Peto, the Gigabite or the Dexter Shad 175.
• Slow roll: the same, but as slow as the tail still beats. Rolling shads such as the PRDTR 2.0 and the Stagger Original shine here, in cold water and on pressured fish.
• Lift and drop: lift the rod tip, let the shad fall back to the bottom on a tight line and repeat. Zander take on the drop, so the Dexter Shad 110, the Provius and the Craft Shad belong on a jig head for this.
• Vertical: straight under the boat with a heavier head, with the Dexter Shad 110, the Fat Minnow T-Tail or the Black Minnow Off Shore 25 g.
• Stop and go: short bursts and pauses with a buoyant or slow-sinking shad, such as the Provius or the Kickman on a light head, when fish follow but will not commit.
• Just under the surface: the Jackall Deraball (8.1 cm, 26 g) runs at 0.05 to 0.3 m over weed and pads, and the DRT Cramp Shad FAT (11 cm, 19 g) rigged weightless and belly up glides in wide S-curves like a glidebait.

Which paddle tail for which situation

• Perch on a light jig head: Kickman 7.5 or 10 cm, Skeletonius 7 cm, Samba Paddle 7 cm or Craft Bleak 7 to 8.5 cm.
• Clear, hard-fished water: a rolling shad such as the Stagger Original, PRDTR 35 2.0 or NTRL 35, fished slowly.
• Zander along the bottom: Dexter Shad 110, PRDTR 50 2.0, Provius 14 cm or Craft Shad on a jig head, lift and drop.
• Coloured water: big paddles that move water, such as the Gigabite V2 21 cm, HNTR 90, Soft Peto Mustache or the Cannibal Shad Dark Water Mix.
• Pike in spring and clear water: 14 to 17 cm, such as the U-Shad 14 or 17 cm, Dexter Shad 175 or Dexter Shad 150 Tip Up Rigged.
• Pike in autumn and big fish: 20 cm and more, such as the Dexter Shad 250, Gigabite V2, U-Shad 22 cm, Soft Peto Mustache 24 cm or Finity One 7.5".
• Ready to fish from the pack: Soft Peto Prerigged, Dexter Shad Tip Up Rigged, Soft Peto Mustache, Cannibal Shad Pre-Rigged or any Black Minnow combo.
• Sea bass along rocks and harbours: Black Minnow 90, 105 or 120 on a Shore or Search head.
• Catfish: Finity One 7.5", 3D Herring Shad or Magnum Deraball, slow along the bottom.
Prefer a softer tail signal? See V-Tails & Pintails and Curl Tails & Twister Tails.

Why buy paddle tail softbaits at Charlie's Fishing

We pick our shads from brands such as Rapala, Illex, Savage Gear Lures, Nays, Toppies, Fiiish, Frapp, Capt'n Greenfin, HideUp, DRT, Fish Arrow, Chasebaits, Jackall, BIM Tackle, GT-BIO, PXS Pitch and Strike, U-BAiT, ULM Lures and Hispano Lures, from mass-produced classics to handmade shads from Sweden and Spain, with the jig heads, screw-in heads and stingers from BKK Hooks and VMC to rig them. Everything ships from our stock in the Netherlands with fast delivery across Europe, and we are happy to help you match the size, the head weight and the hook size to your water.

What is the difference between a paddle tail and a shad?

None in practice: a shad is a softbait shaped like a baitfish, and nearly every shad has a paddle tail. The paddle is the flat blade at the end of the tail that kicks from side to side on the retrieve. A V-tail or pintail softbait has no paddle and moves far less.

Which size paddle tail for pike, zander and perch?

For perch, 7 to 10 cm. For zander, 10 to 15 cm, close to the bottom. For pike, 15 to 25 cm, with 14 to 17 cm in spring and clear water and 20 cm or more in autumn. For sea bass, 9 to 12 cm on a weedless head.

Which jig head weight do I need for a paddle tail shad?

The lightest head that still lets you feel the bottom. In shallow water and canals that is often 3 to 7 g for perch and 7 to 15 g for zander; deep water, current and wind need more. For pike shads from 15 cm, use a screw-in head of 5 to 25 g or a stinger with a clip-on weight, and add a stinger on any shad from about 15 cm.