One of the most basic and effective baits to use in either freshwater or saltwater, is the common twister tail. Today I’d like to share some tips and techniques with you regarding twister tails, which will help you catch more fish!

Rigging

Let’s start with rigging. The most effective way to rig a twister tail is to have the tail pointing in an opposite direction as the hook on your jig. This will optimize the action of your twister.

If the tail is pointing in the same direction as the hook, it will allow you to fish more “weed less”, however, it will not have the same action and will also have a tendency to create some nasty line twist.

Sizes

As far as twister tail sizes go, generally 2 inch twisters or smaller are good for your smaller “pan fish” like sun fish, perch, crappie, and baby blue fish, etc – while 3 inches or larger are good for any game fish. There are also thicker and thinner twister tails.

A Basic Twister TailIf the fish are reluctant to bite you will want to use a thinner twister tail, which would act as an “appetizer” for the fish – there’s always room for an appetizer. Whereas the thicker twister tail on the other hand, presents more of “meaty meal”.

Colors

Experiment with different colors. You may find that some colors work better than others on certain bodies of water. If the water is clear, then your natural colors like black, white, and brown will work the best. In “tea-stained” or brackish water, your wild colors work best, such hot chartreuse, yellow, and orange.

If in doubt, black will work 99.99% of the time, in any type of water, and should be considered your “bread-and-butter” color.

Try using different jig head colors as well, but your basic black will be very effective. A black jig head will match up with any color twister tail you desire. Regardless of color though, jig heads with large eyes on them are much more productive when it comes to catching fish: I’ve learned this many years ago and it really does make a difference – try it.

Making your Twister Tail Weed-less

Twisters can also be rigged weed-less using a worm hook. Also, you can Texas rig them with weight, or rig them weightless. Either way, these methods are very effective when working in heavy weeds – or when fishing top water.

Try them on the surface or just inches below the surface when you rig them weightless: they work great this way in both open water and especially around and on-top-of lily pads.

A Texas Rig If you want to fish deep in the weeds, then a Texas rig with a weight is what you will need to get you down to the action.That’s it for today’s tips. Till next time,

Good Fishin’
Ivo