An Ayu T3 Tattle Tail Swimbait affixed to a black 1/15-ounce mushroom-style jig.
February 06, 2019
By Ned Kehde
In our Oct. 7 gear guide about Riot Baits’ Relic, it was noted that we had failed for several years to keep Midwest finesse anglers abreast about the different soft-plastic baits that Riot Baits has created. Besides the Relic, they have manufactured the Baton, Probe, T3 Tattle Tail Swimbait, and Tantrum.
This gear guide focuses upon their T3 Tattle Tail Swimbait, and to help us, Riot Baits sent us eight of the 3.4-inch and eight of the 3.75-inch ones to examine.
Small swimbaits have begun to replace the curly-tailed grub in the repertoire of many Midwest finesse anglers. And in our initial examinations of the two sizes of the T3 Tattle Tail Swimbait, we concluded that the 3.4-incher was the ideal size for most Midwest finesse applications.
When its tail is fully extended, it is 3 9/16 inches long.
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The tip of its head is flat and round with a diameter of an eighth of an inch and a circumference of seven-eighths of an inch.
Its torso consists of four sections. Three of those sections are embossed with a series of ribs. Its dorsal area is flat, and its ventral area is somewhat keel shaped.
The first section of ribs, which is immediately adjacent to the tip of its flat head, is 1 1/4-inches long. It is engraved with 31 small ribs. Beginning at rib number 10, the center of the dorsal area is incised with a hook slot that is 1 3/16 inches long and one-sixteenth of an inch wide. Likewise, the center of its ventral area is split by a hook slot that is 1 3/16 inches long and one-sixteenth of an inch wide. The depth of these slots is about one-sixteenth of an inch. Therefore, the ribs from rib number 11 to rib 31 do not totally circumscribe this portion of the torso, but the first 10 ribs totally encircle the torso.
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The size of the anterior portions of the torso diminishes as it approaches its head, and the size of the posterior portions of the torso diminishes dramatically as it approaches its tail.
Along the first section, it is three-eighths of an inch wide at its widest spot with a circumference of about 1 7/16 inches, and at rib number 10, which is three-eighths of an inch from its flat head, is a quarter of an inch wide with a circumference of about 1 3/16 inches.
The first section of ribs and the second section are divided by a significant joint that encircles the entire torso. This joint is slightly more than a sixteenth of an inch long with a depth of about a sixteenth of an inch.
The second section of ribs consists of five ribs, and they are identical to the first 10 ribs of the first section, or in other words, they totally encircle the torso and are not split by the two hook slots. This section is about a quarter of an inch long, and around its first rib, it has the circumference of about 1 1/16 inches and is three-eighths of an inch wide.
The third section of ribs contains two ribs. They are more pronounced than the ribs that embellish the first two sections, but they do not encompass the entire dorsal and ventral areas. The dorsal and ventral areas are smooth skinned. This section is about a quarter of an inch long with a circumference of about thirteen-sixteenths of an inch.
The stretch from the third section of ribs to the torso’s union with the paddle-style tail, which some folks describe as a boot tail, is seven-eighths of an inch long. At its thinnest and smallest locale along this section of the torso, which is a half of an inch from the tail, the circumference is about seven-sixteenths of an inch. The skin of this section is devoid of ribs, and it is silky smooth.
The tail is flat, thin, and oval shaped. It is five-eighths of an inch long and a half of an inch wide. The surface of its skin is smooth.
It is manufactured in the following hues: Ayu, Baby Gill, Purple Shiner, Silver Flash, White Trash, and Yankee Gold. They are packaged in a state-of-the-art container.
It is impregnated with salt and a goby scent.
It is buoyant.
Midwest finesse anglers will affix it to either a 1/15- or 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jig, and they will primarily employ it with a straight-swimming presentation. But there will be spells when the other five Midwest finesse retrieves will be effective with the 3.4-inch Tattle Tail Swimbait.
Endnotes
(1) Here is a link to our gear guide about Riot Baits’ Relic: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/riot-baits-relic/#ixzz5TX7cGDvy .
(2) Here is the link to the Feb. 17, 2015, gear guide about Riot Baits’ Urami Worm: http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/riot-baits-urami-worm/ .
(3) Here is the link to the interview with Matt Stark of Riot Baits: http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/riot-fishing-interview-matt-stark/ .
(4) Here is a link to our gear guide about Riot Baits’ Tantrum: http://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/Riot%20Baits'%20Tantrum/331092 .
(5) Here is a link to Riot Baits' website: https://www.riotbaits.com/product-category/soft-plastics/ .
(6) Here is a link to the Midwest Finesse column that describes how to employ the straight-swimming presentation with the 3.4-inch Tattle Tail Swimbait and the other standard Midwest finesse retrieves: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/ .
