B FISH N Tackle's Pulse-R Paddletail

March 10, 2016 By Ned Kehde

The Peanut Butter & Jelly Pulse-R Paddletail.

In-Fisherman's editor in chief, Doug Stange, wrote a story entitled "Hot 'Little' Numbers for River Walleyes" in the March/April 2016 issue of In-Fisherman magazine. One of the baits that he described is B FISH N Tackle's Pulse-R Paddletail, and it is one that a Midwest finesse angler has been suggesting that we should feature in our Midwest Finesse gear guides. But for some unknown reason, we failed to begin writing it about until we crossed paths with Stange's article. (What's more, a photograph of the Pulse-R Paddletail appeared on the cover of the March/April issue, which spawned even more motivation for us to feature it in a Midwest Finesse gear guide .)

Stange described the Pulse-R Paddletail as being endowed with a segmented body, which Midwest finesse anglers call ribs, and there are 21 segments or ribs. Stange says its segmented torso possesses the deepest and widest grooves of any similar-style soft-plastic bait that he has seen. He says the middle section of its torso has a deep or thick top-to-bottom profile, and it becomes thinner as it arrives at the junction of the tail. In the eyes of Midwest finesse anglers, the mid-section of its torso exhibits the torso of a small gizzard shad. The tail is tipped with an ultra-thin paddle or boot, which is somewhat shovel-shaped.

It is part of B Fish N Tackle's AuthentX Plastic Series, and we published a gear guide on Feb. 15 about the Moxie, which is also part of that series. The Moxie is a three- and a four-inch soft-plastic worm, and it possesses the same segmented body as the Pulse-R Paddletail.

When we were working on the gear guide about the Moxie, we talked to Bob Gillispie, who is the proprietor of B FISH N Tackle and president of Custom Jigs & Spins, Inc., Coralville, Iowa. And he informed us that the Moxie and the Pulse-R Paddletail were originally designed for walleye anglers to affix to a B FISH N Tackle's H20 Precision Jig. But the discerning eyes of every Midwest finesse angler will readily see that they can be affixed to either a 1/16- or a 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jig, and such a rigging should inveigle scores of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass. (Stange, by the way, rigs the Pulse-R Padletail on either an 1/8- or 1/4-ounce ReelBait Bait Company's Original Flasher Jig, which is an under-spin jig. And he prefers the Original Flasher jig with a long-shank hook.)

The Pulse-R Paddletail is manufactured in two sizes: 2.45 inches and 3.25 inches. Gillispie told us that the 3.25-incher has been available since 2010, and the 2.45-incher was introduced to the walleye world in 2011. And since then, black bass anglers in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have become aware of its effectiveness, too.

Midwest finesse anglers are inveterate trimmers and customizers of soft-plastic baits, and it is interesting to note that Stange trims about 1 1/4 inches off of the head and torso of the 3.25-inch Pulse-R Paddletail when the walleye fishing is problematic. This tactic removes six of the ribs and the entire cylinder-shaped head.

According to Gillispie and the staff at B FISH N Tackle, when the Pulse-R Paddletail can be retrieved at an extremely slow pace, its torso and tail do "things never seen from other swimbait designs." For instance, "the bottom of the tail turns 180 degrees €¦ all the while [it] is swinging out to the side." The ribs vibrate, too.

It is available in 18 colors: Chartreuse/Green Core, Chartreuse Silver Flake/White Core, Chartreuse Pepper, Chartreuse/Orange Core, Dark Knight, Firecracker, Firecracker/Chartreuse Tail, Goldcracker/Chartreuse Tail, Great White, Honey Glitter/White Core, Oystershell, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Pink/White, Purple/Chartreuse Tail, Purple Glitter/White Core, Purplecracker/Chartreuse Tail, Sassafras, and Stewarts Pro Blue.

Anglers can purchase a package of eight 2.45-inchers for $3.69 and a package of eight 3.25-inchers for $3.69.

Endnotes

(1) Here is the link to Custom Jigs & Spins, Inc.'s and B FISH N Tackle's Web site: http://customjigs.com/bfishn-tackle/.