Finess Shad Soft Bait

Finesse soft baits; fishing with finesse soft plastics

Finesse shads are a tool designed for finesse fishing in both salt and freshwater environment. Finesse shads are in the tackle box of all the best anglers, it’s for a reason. There are days when game fish are lethargic or very selective about what they’ll hit. That’s when finesse shad shines, custom-built for such days. This lure allows a lot of tactics where a careful presentation is needed in front of game fish in clear water or during winter fishing. It is a great lure for sea bass fishing in a vertical plane, especially when the sea is flat or when there is no surface activity. It can be used on the bottom, drop shot, but also in vertical/pelagic fishing on big pike and zander.

Physiognomy and when to fish with a finesse shad lure?

To begin with, the soft lure finesse shad exists in different forms. There are some models with a round section, others with flat sides. The latter offers the possibility of windo fishing, a technique that consists in exploring all the layers of water from the bottom to the surface. The windo fishing allows you to seek game fish suspended in the water column during the summertime, which allows you to quickly find the depth at which the fish are active. The finesse shad, mounted on a conical head, is "jerked" as one would do with a jerkbait minnow with, in the case of the finesse shad, fishing on a vertical plane of all depths.
There are organic models, with figurative fish details such as eye signals, gills, scales. Don't be fooled by these details, they give you the best chance to catch demanding fish that will have plenty of time to analyze your lure in clear water.

In general, the length of the tail is equivalent to the length of the body. The tail ends in a point or has a "V", placed horizontally or vertically. The finesse shad is used on round sinkers for prospecting or on sabot sinkers to present it naturally head down. It is used on a Texas rig hook, for the models having a slot facilitating the passage of a texas hook. A Texas rig hook is used for drop shots or weightless rigs in shallow areas. We take advantage of the natural density of the soft lure to let it sink between the obstacles in a weightless rig (weightless Texas rig). The soft lure finesse shad takes over from its elder brother the paddle tail shad, in the absence of bites.

Indeed, the vibrations and turbulences produced by the paddle of a shad are noisier than the soft action of the finesse shad. A finesse shad produces medium to high-frequency vibrations, picked up by the fish's lateral line. The absence of hits with a shad is the signal that it is time to move on to finesse fishing lure and at this game the finesse is irreplaceable! As for most game fishing, an observation of the type of fish forage in the zone is essential to fish correctly. The finesse shad reminds us of the long and narrow silhouette of bleak, the favorite dish of pike and big zander. In sea fishing, it is used in clear and cold water areas, on the bottom. It is mounted on a jig head as light as possible, to optimize the presentation. In conclusion, a light jig head on a finesse shad offers an irresistible cocktail for lunatic predators.

Vertical fishing for zander: the finesse shad is the perfect tool!

To begin with, the finesse shad is without a doubt the most suitable lure for zander fishing. We know the reputation of this fish for its legendary wariness and inactivity during long days. Capable of a real frenzy as well as long periods of inactivity, it presents fishing situations capable of driving the angler completely crazy. However, there is a key to fishing for zander vertically to keep having bites regularly.
Regarding the rigging of a finesse shad, the jig heads, whether for perch or zander, can be the same. In fact, the small jig heads for perch can be used in medium depth areas, where the finesse sinks slowly in the strike zone. These very light jig heads won’t let the fish feel any resistance when they bite. For vertical fishing we often look for pelagic fish, big lonely zander suspended in the water column. In this endeavor, electronics are essentials to quickly locate fish. If you have trouble managing the drift and movement of the fish, when fishing pelagic, do not hesitate to use a heavier jig head. This will allow you to stay on top and make an immediate presentation to the fish before it senses your presence. To conclude, the finesse shad is your best ally for all fishing presentations for zander fishing with lures.

Fishing for other predators with finesse soft lures:

First of all, the finesse shad is not only ideal for zander fishing, it allows to approach several other fishing techniques when the conditions are tough. For the linear fishing of the pike, it is used in the water column, suspended to fish around grass beds and the edges of weed cover. In winter it is great, lifted off the bottom to target big pike. A fine shad is excellent for perch fishing on a  drop shot. It allows you to catch fish after fish when you are on a school of perch, adrenaline is pumping! Don't be fooled, on the best spots, with the best structure(sunken woods and aquatic structure) a drop shot is the best presentation of a shad finesse to keep it in front of fish and get them to bite. It is an effective way if you are looking for big perch. We fish black bass with a shad finesse where two schools share the scene. A weightless texas hook, which is a texas hook, without additional weight, lets the lure evolve in the water column. Its natural density makes it sink between the snags, an irreplaceable approach to flush out the biggest bass. Finally, in deeper water, a  weighted Texas rig is ideal to work the soft plastic finesse shad on a black bass area.