Reins Fishing's G-Tail Twin

May 15, 2020 By Ned Kehde

Reins Fishing introduced the G-Tail Twin to the angling world in the summer of 2019, and straight away it caught the eye of several Midwest finesse anglers.

From the perspective of some old-time Midwest finesse devotees, the G-Tail Twin looks to be an avant-garde rendition of the late Chuck Woods’ Puddle Jumper. Woods is the forefather of Midwest finesse fishing, and he created the Puddle Jumper in the early 1970s. And back in those good ol’ days, he affixed it to a jig and waylaid untold numbers of largemouth bass and crappie.

Thus, when Midwest finesse anglers affix the G-Tail Twin to a small mushroom-style jig, it looks as if it will be as effective as the Puddle Jumper was in its heydays.

We exchanged some emails and telephone conversations with the folks at Reins Fishing and Optimum Bait Company in Temecula, California. And Matt Paino, who is the chief executive officer of Optimum Bait Company, sent us some G-Tail Twins for us to work with, examine, and thoroughly describe.

It is manufactured in two sizes. The smallest is a two-incher. The largest is a three-incher.

Here is what we discovered about both of them:

According to our measurements, the two-incher is exactly two inches long when its two curly appendages are at rest, but when these appendages are fully extended, it is three inches long.

Its head is about an eighth of an inch long and almost three-sixteenths of an inch wide at its widest spot. It is somewhat dome-shaped. The dorsal part of its head is graced with two minor eyes, and its epidermis is smooth. An antenna that is seven-sixteenths of an inch long extends from the tip of its head, and it readily quivers.

Its torso, including its anus and head, is 1 3/16 inches long. From the tip of its anus to the tip of its head, some anglers might describe its shape as being a narrow ellipse, and others might say it resembles the shape of a lanceolate. Its dorsal and ventral sections are slightly convex, which makes it a tad oval shaped. The folks at Reins Fishing describe the torso as being somewhat flat. Excluding its head and anus, the shape and dimensions of the torso’s anterior and posterior sections are identical. The torso’s epidermis is encircled with a series of minor ribs.

The torso's posterior section is graced with two tiny and elongated teardrop-shaped appendages. They radiate off of each side of the torso at an eighth of an inch from the end of the anus.

The middle of the torso is also graced with two tiny and elongated teardrop-shaped appendages. This pair of appendages is about nine-sixteenths of an inch from the end of the anus.

Each of these four appendages is about one-eighth of an inch long. Their epidermises are smooth. When the torso undulates, these appendages quiver.

The torso’s widest spot lies about halfway from the tip of its head and tip of its anus, and it is five-sixteenths of an inch wide with a circumference of about seven-eighths of an inch. From the middle of the torso to the tips of its head and anus, the dimensions of the torso diminish. For example, at about an eighth of an inch from the tip of its anus, the width of the torso is a quarter of an inch with a circumference of about three-quarters of an inch.

At the junction of the head and anterior portion of the torso, a large and flat appendage extends from each side of this section. Each appendage is curled, and it somewhat resembles the form of a capital G. When it is fully extended, it is 1 3/4 inches long. It is one inch long when it is at rest or in its capital-G format. It is very thin, exhibiting less than a centimeter of thickness. Its epidermis is embellished with a series of decorative etchings.

Its anus is flat. It is endowed with a small indentation, which is where a Midwest finesse angler will insert the hook and collar of a small mushroom-style jig. The width of the anus is slightly less than an eighth of an inch with a circumference of about a half of an inch.

In regard to the three-inch G-Twin Tail, our measurements indicated that it is 2 7/8 inches long when its two curly appendages are at rest. When these appendages are fully extended, it is about 4 1/2 inches long.

Its somewhat dome-shaped head is about an eighth of an inch long and almost three-sixteenths of an inch wide at its widest spot. The circumference at the widest spot is about a half of an inch. The antenna that extends from the tip of the head is a half of an inch long. Except for the size of the head, it possesses the same characteristics as the two-incher.

Its torso, including its anus and head, is 1 5/8 inches long. At three-quarters of an inch from the tip of it anus, the torso possesses a width of three-eighths of an inch and a circumference of nine-sixteenths of an inch. Other than those two measurements, its torso has the same dimensions and physical features as the two-inch G-Twin Tail.

Its anus is one-eighth of an inch long with a width of three-sixteenths of an inch and a circumference of five-eighths of an inch. It has the same features as the two-incher.

The teardrop-shaped appendage that extends from each side of the torso and about three-sixteenths of an inch from the tip of the anus is seven-sixteenths of an inch long. The teardrop-shaped appendage that radiates from each side of the middle portion of the torso is nine-sixteenths of an inch long. Other than their size, they have the same features as the two-incher.

The large, flat, and G-shaped appendage that extends from each side of the anterior section of the torso is 1 7/16 inches long when it is at rest. When it is fully extended, it is 2 7/8 inches long. The inside edge of the three-incher’s G-shaped appendage is different than the two-incher’s G-shaped appendage. The three-incher’s G-shaped appendage has seven saw-tooth features adorning its inside edge. Other than the size and saw-tooth features, these two appendages are identical to the two on the two-incher.

The two- and three-inch G-Tail Twin are available in the following hues: Black, Black Blue Flake, Green Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin Blue, Muellers Madness #2, and Watermelon Red Flake.

//content.osgnetworks.tv/infisherman/content/photos/Muellers-Madness-G-Tail-Twin-.jpg — A two-inch Mueller's Madness #2 G-Tail Twin.

The two- and three-inch G-Twin Tails are infused with a shrimp scent, and 10 percent of its body weight is impregnated with salt. They are semi-buoyant. To preserve the potency of the scent, it is recommended that anglers keep the G-Tail Twin tightly enclosed in the original package.

A package of 10 two-inch G-Tail Twins costs $4.99. A package of eight three-inchers costs $5.99.

Endnotes

Here is the link to Rein Fishing’s website: https://www.reinsfishing.com/product/g-tail-twin/.
Here is a link to previous Midwest Finesse gear guides about other soft-plastics baits that Reins Fishing manufactures:

https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/reins-fishing-tackles-bubbling-shaker/153532.

https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/reins-fishing-tackles-bubbling-shad/155645.

https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/reins-3-5-inch-bubbling-shaker/153510.

https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/reins-fishings-craw-tube/154027.

https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/reins-fishings-mister-ned/368822.

https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/reins-fishings-rnd-fat-worm/37257
Midwest finesse anglers will affix the G-Twin Tail to a small mushroom-style jig, and they will employ it with all six of the standard Midwest finesse retrieves. And the primary focus of these retrieves revolves around what is called a no-feel presentation. Here is a link to the Midwest Finesse column that explains how to employ the six standard Midwest finesse retrieves: https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/153946. Besides those six retrieves, a vertical presentation should be an effective tactic at times.

From the perspective of one veteran Midwest finesse angler, a 1/32-ounce mushroom-style jig would be an ideal one to affix to the two-inch G-Twin Tail for plying black bass lairs that are situated in two to five feet of water. As for the three-inch G-Twin Tail, this angler will employ it with a 1/32-, 1/16, and 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jig.

For more information about the size of mushroom-style jigs and hooks that Midwest finesse anglers use, please examine endnote number three in our gear guide about Reins Fishing’s Mister Ned. Here is the link to that gear guide: https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/reins-fishings-mister-ned/368822.

A Reins Fishing’s press release noted that the G-Tail Twin exhibits a propensity to glide when it is being retrieved , which is a characteristic that Midwest finesse anglers relish – especially when they are employing their swim-glide-and-shake presentation. According to the folks at Reins Fishing, it can be affixed to a skirted jig or a variety of Texas-rig options.