# What size buck tail is best?



## Fireshadow (Jun 21, 2015)

I am wanting to get a mold for pouring ultra minnow bucktail jigs. My question is what size to start with. The option is 1/2 oz to 1 1/2 oz or 2 oz to 4 oz. what do you all think is best? Thanks for the help.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

What fish are you after?? pups,flounder,trout,big drum,cobia?? The fish you are targeting would help determine the size..


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## Fireshadow (Jun 21, 2015)

Good point. Mostly flounder, trout, and whatever else I can fish for from the shore.


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

I have both molds, but use the lighter sizes more than the heavy. I rarely fish anywhere that I need those heavier jigs, particularly from shore. So, where you fish can be as important as what you're fishing for when determining what sizes are best. 

Be warned however, making your own tackle can become an addiction, so you'll end up with both molds anyway eventually, and then some!


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## Fireshadow (Jun 21, 2015)

Don't I know it. Started tying flys then crappie jig. Now we moved here to morehead so it time to add saltwater jigs and flys. Got a few molds on my list ( wobble head, pyramid sinker, both ultra minnow sizes, ect...). Looks like the 1/2 to 1 1/2 is where I'll start. I figure if I want more weight I can always type a double rig. Thanks.


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

u should realize that some jigs are designed for vertical jigging (e.g. pier or boat) and that others are designed for cast/retrieve (the hook eye placement determines this). for cast retrieve 0.75 to 1.5 oz is usually sufficient unless current is really ripping, for vertical jigging you may need heavier.


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

greg12345, that's certainly a good & valid point, but he did say casting from shore so not likely he'll be doing much vertical jigging unless he's on a pier. Eye placement & of course the head design when casting can cause the jig to do different things too particularly in current. I like a jig with a forward eye placement for casting, but the ultra minnow (Spro) style also works well. I know many folks who like this style for casting.

Fireshadow, I tie flies too & make various other lures & sinkers. Been at it nearly 50 years now. At last count I had over 300 molds and have added a few since then, even a few customs. It's an addiction!


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## River (Sep 30, 2006)

Fireshadow .... Did a lot of throwing jigheads (not Bucktails) with a lot of great fisherman when I was on Hatteras, most of the heavy fisherman there threw a half ounce or less, as conditions permit when fishing for Pups, Flounder or Trout. Most use Gulps or Assassins on 10 or 12 lb line ..... Blue Candy and Mission were the most popular jigheads ..... If conditions permit go light for a more natural presentation on the drop .... I caught a lot of Pups and Flounder on paddletail Assassin's... Good Luck


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## Fireshadow (Jun 21, 2015)

I was aware of that. Hence hooks with a 45 bend compared to a 90. For now I'm focused on the ultra minnow jig since I prefer the details and the eye recess. If there is a better mold out there for bucktails I'm open to any suggestions. Thank you.


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## Elgreco (Aug 12, 2014)

I've caught quite a few flounder on my spro bucktail with gulps. I usually use it in the inlet though. I want to say it's either half or 3/4 ounce. The 1/2 to 1 1/2 is what I would go with.


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

> For now I'm focused on the ultra minnow jig since *I prefer the details and the eye recess.* If there is a better mold out there for bucktails I'm open to any suggestions. Thank you.


It's likely we choose most lures because of how they look to us, rather than how they might look to the fish. As far as "better", some jig head designs will sometimes be better than others in specific situations, but generally for tying bucktails, since that's what you had asked about originally, you can choose whatever you like, as they all work. I tie them on round heads, smiling bill or hot lips, banana, arky & sparky, ultra minnow, shad dart, Upperman (flat side), popeye, spire point, style H minnow head, the Horse & Pony heads and a few others that I primarily use for trolling. As I said previously, I have a lot of molds & I like making the jigs and I like the resulting variety. Does it make me any better as an angler? Sometimes, but sometimes not. But damn, I do enjoy it! 

There can be good reason to choose a specific style, as some do have unique action due to it's shape, or like the arky & sparkie because they will sit upright when on the bottom & don't easily roll over on their sides. That can be advantageous if you're bouncing them on the bottom for species like flounder with a stop & go retrieve. 

The basic round head works as well as any if you're simply casting & retrieving them. Whether or not any design is better than another usually depends on the fishing situation & the conditions, so since you're just getting started pouring your own, and you like the ultra minnow design anyway, that's as good a place to start as any. Besides, much of why we choose a jig head design for any purpose boils down to having confidence in that particular design, and when we have confidence in any lure, IMO we concentrate harder on how we fish it or we pay attention better to what it's doing. Bucktail ( actually we should call it deer tail because the tails come from both the buck & the doe) is a wonderful material for jigs because of it's action, and for a lot of the fishing most of us do, it probably doesn't matter a whole lot what jig head we tie it on. 

Heck, I've tied bucktail onto spinnerbaits too and that works quite well sometimes as you get the combination of the hairs action & flash & vibration of the spinner blades.

There's no wrong or right with it, it's personal choice for the most part. The only other piece of advice I feel should be added is tie some full & some sparse. With the same weight jig head, how much hair is on them affects the fall rate. Sparse falls faster than full and both can be useful. 

In case you're not aware, the hair on a typical tail, the upper two thirds is often a bit finer & generally won't flare out as much as the lower third closer to the base of the tail. Deer hair is not solid, it has air chambers in the hair, and that base hair is often a thicker fiber, but also "hollow" so as you tighten down on your thread the hair flares. I generally like to use that hair in combination with the hair that flares less to get a specific "bulk" to fuller dressed jigs. I use that base hair on the heavier jigs too and save the finer hair for the lighter weight jigs.

As you get into the tying you'll see what I'm saying & can figure it out for yourself how you want to tie it onto your heads. You'll know when it looks "right"!


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## bronzbck1 (Jun 13, 2007)

I rarely use over 3/8 oz When the water is ruff a 1/2 oz


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

bronzbck1 said:


> I rarely use over 3/8 oz When the water is ruff a 1/2 oz


 For the fish he's targeting,that sounds correct to me.. Even 1/4 oz on some occasions.. Unless you fish a ton of current or rough conditions,I think a 1/2oz is a bit much,jmo..


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## Fireshadow (Jun 21, 2015)

Thanks for all the help. Can't wait for my new mold to come in. I read on another forum about using sinker eyes in the ultra minnow mold to be able to use a smaller oshahy hook. Just have to get them in strait shank. Wonder if it will work with sickle hooks too.


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

In some molds I have I've used various hooks & sinker eyes instead of jig hooks so it will work. I've had to modify a few with a Dremel to allow the use of the sinker eyes or larger hooks. However, you may also have to make yourself a "jig" that props the hook up & keeps it aligned. Not difficult to do at all. 

I've made some different "jigs" that I use for pouring from aluminum, steel and even from wood, depending on the mold/hook combination. Most are nothing more than a piece of metal or wood the correct thickness, but I generally mount them to a larger piece of aluminum that keeps the heat from the mold from burning my bench top. Wood of course will burn, if the mold gets real hot from extended pouring but I've not had any problems with that happening, as I'll wrap it with heavy aluminum foil. Means I need to replace it occasionally, but it's cheap. I like cheap!


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## Fireshadow (Jun 21, 2015)

I like the idea of making a jig. I have a 3/4 oz round head that I'll put some 4/0 hooks in for those I end up taping them down to keep them in place while I pour.


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

just my 2c: for anything in sound/icw i use 1/4 or 3/8, if current really ripping then 1/2...in surf if i am going for flounder i use a heavier one, usually 3/4 to keep it on the bottom no matter the wave action, for specks usually still 3/8. on pier for flounder i am usually fishing shallow straight down underneath pier with a lot of wave action and i ilike to be able to feel my jig and control it as i bounce it, use heavier again 3/4 to 1oz. 

the striper guys up here in va will use 2oz+ for large soft plastics to be able to keep it next to the bridge pilings.

it all depends on depth, current, and the species you are targeting and where they are...on bottom, feeding mid column, etc. or at least thats how i think of it. maybe i am just overthinking this.


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

greg12345, IMO you're not overthinking it. I agree with you that the weight will depend on where you fish, how & the other factors such as depth & current strength. When I've fished in the ICW in NC at Holdens I used 1/4 or 3/8 the most. Up in SC at Pawley's Island 3/8 worked, but in the inlets when the current was moving good, 3/4 or 1 oz was much better. In the creeks there & at the causeways, even 1/8 oz was OK. It never hurts to have some variety for when you need it. 

Folks I know who fish around the Chesapeake may use anything from 1/8 oz up to 3 or 4 oz depending on where they are, so what you're saying is spot on.


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## Fireshadow (Jun 21, 2015)

I plan on making all sizes just was just wondering where to start. I have a lot of chubs with spinner attachments in 1/4 and a few 1/2 I got for crappie jigs for back in Tx that I am going to tie up for using around here. I plan on getting more molds in the future. I was just looking for a place to start. I have access to free tire weights so I figure I need to take advantage of the free lead. A sinker mold is also on the list soon. Pyramids and surf sinkers are next.


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## phillyguy (Aug 9, 2010)

My answer is as small as possible given the current and wave action. If I'm bucktailing, I'm usually trying to stay on or just off the bottom, so I'll go just as heavy as needed to stay there. Where I normally fish (inlets and nearby surf) that means nothing less than 3/8, mostly 3/4-1oz. In the fall when the stripers are running and I need more distance, I'll go to 1.5-2oz. Also the amount of hair on the jig will affect its action, the more hair it has, the more it will want to lift off the bottom. I have removed hair from jigs many times to reduce drag.


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## dawgfsh (Mar 1, 2005)

bronzbck1 said:


> I rarely use over 3/8 oz When the water is ruff a 1/2 oz


Same here, 3/8 is my standard but carry 1/8-1/2 

Also don't care for the Spro/ ultra minnow style. They plow to much when dragged along the bottom.


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