Maybe lure design matters!

[Spoonminnow]

I went fishing today on a lake that has dying algae which smells like a rotting corpse (probably due to no rainfall in weeks).
The fishing as been tough but not impossible so I downsized my lures and rigged them on a light jig. The rat tail grubs usually due well using slow retrieves:


I did catch fish, but not the usual quantity in areas that usually hold fish. So around 1:30 pm I switched to a broad tail grub I pour myself and it made all the difference ! :



I might have been that the broader tail was more visible in murky water or was just simply more provocative. In fact, the pink body/ motor oil & flake tail was the first grub used and a big perch hit it on the first cast. Most fish were then caught on a solid motor oil & flake broad tail (not shown) after I lost the pink bodied grub.

Granted, 43 fish is not great for being on the water 5 hours, but I'll take it - including the decent bass that hit it.

But one thing I just remembered: I went from a 1/32 oz jig to a 1/16 oz for increased casting distance and the slightly increased speed seemed to help.

[gravelman6]

Perhaps the broader tail gave off a vibrations the fish honed in on if water was stained. The rat tail is more visible in clearer water with its constant movement. Just a thought.

[Spoonminnow]

I think you're right. We'll never know how sensitive the lateral line is. Visibility in this pea soup colored water was probably no more than a foot.

[Ketchn]

the paddle tail most likely works better on a heavier head . the fall rate is likely quite similar to a stinger with a 32 head . I would tend to think a curly tail would do well in this situation as well ....

[Spoonminnow]

the paddle tail most likely works better on a heavier head .

Since the plastic has weight, it seems to do better using 1/32 or 1/16 oz. jigs for the slowest retrieve possible in murky water. I used to rig the paddle flat and horizontal to the bottom, but found that rigging it so the paddle tail was 90 degrees to the bottom got more strikes. Once the dead algae disappears, pretty much most lure designs will work going into the fall.