Looking for new 3 inch bait for 1/8th oz. jig head

[SpinLight]

Most of my bass fishing in this area is with light tackle for small spotted bass. I enjoy swimming a 3" Easy Shiner and 2.8 Fat Impact, but am looking for other effective small plastics for spots. What other productive, approx. 3" non-creature baits do any of you frequently use on a jig head instead of these two great lures?  

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Damiki Armor Shad with the paddle tail would be another great option.  

 

If you like fishing 3-4" swimbaits on a jighead, you might want to try mid strolling.  

 

[looking45]

A curly tail grub would be effective. 

[PourMyOwn]

3" curly tail grubs are a staple for me.

[ne_dan]

3.5” swim senko

[MN Fisher]

3" Berkley Pit Boss.

[FishTank]

Megabass Spark Shad 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

2.5" ring craw

3.5 bubbling shaker

3" rockvibe 

 

2.8" Beast Coast Slowflow 

[WRB]

Basstrix Live Trix 3” minnow.

US Bait co Reaper.

Tom

[TnRiver46]

Another vote for damiki armor shad, zoom tiny fluke also very good 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Since OP is dealing with Spotted Bass, durability should only be second to performance.   Spots cost me so much extra money in bit off tails and appendages/etc.  

 

The Armor Shad really lives up to the name.   A dab of superglue and each one is good for 25-50 fish.  

[crypt]

Charlie Brewer Slider Grub.

[RRocket]

Z-man TRD TicklerZ are tough to beat in this application IMO. I much prefer this 4 piece split tail vs. the tail less regular TRD. Many, many colors and nearly indestructible. Flat out produces and a single bag could last you the season. I've used June Bug and The Deal the most. The Deal in particular is a great bait fish color.

 

If you want something that flaps more or can be used as a Ned swimbait give the Z-man Baby Goat a try! The legs flap on the drop very nicely!! And you can mount either way..legs flapping more like craw claws or rotate the bait 90 degrees and now you have bait fish like swim appendages. BONUS: Since these float, if you rig with a small EWG hook, these serve double duty as a fantastic mini topwater toad!  Those tiny legs make a shocking amount of ruckus.

 

Yamamoto Yamatanuki 2.5" has been excellent for Ned style fishing. The little tail thing bobs around, particularly when the weight hits the bottom or you give the line a tug or shake.

 

Geecrack Bellows Stick 2.8" This has more of a slender baitfish profile than the Bellows Gill does. Excellent, excellent action. Can throw it weightless too. No photo. But you can see on Ned here:  

 

DoLive Beaver. This is a superb bait and surely one of the best I've used. Now I use it primarily on the Free Rig, but the wild flapping action works well with a Ned!  Even the slightest bump while on the bottom (or slightest current) will have the arms moving. But it's the unique flapping on the drop (or the swim) that's the star here.

 

Also, I put a 3.5" Spunk Shad on and was VERY surprised at the lively action on a Ned. Very bait fish look.

 

Various photos on 1/16th Ned head

 

 

[RRocket]

 

 

Photos added

 

[scaleface]

Fat Gitzit or other small tube. I dont get a chance to fish for spots a whole lot, have to travel to do so . Last time in the Ozarks spots were shallow and nesting and I caught them on a dark brown Gitzit.

[greentrout]

When the bite is tough, I've used a smaller version of plastics Baby Shad offered by Bobby Garland. 

Good Fishing

 

 

[Steveo-1969]

Gimme a Strike King Rage Ned Cut R Worm in Moon Juice color.

[Buzzbaiter]

When the bite gets really tough, I like to use a Netbait Crush worm. They are not durable at all, but they put fish in the boat. They’re relatively expensive so I typically don’t start with them. The Strike King Rage Menace is a great craw imitator, although it might be a hair too big for an 1/8 head. The Baby Menace might fare better. If you want to think outside the box, take that head and shove it up a 2.5” Netbait Finesse Tube. It’s a killer little profile that lasts longer than most threaded plastics.

[Alex from GA]

My goto is a pearl fluke on a 1/16th or 1/8th oz.

[Firstoutfisher]

Looking over the replies it looks like a lot of people missed the part where you said you didn't want creature bait suggestions. I'm assuming this means you want something with a baitfish profile. There are lots of paddletails on the market but they all are very similar so I'm not sure you will find much of a difference or improvement going to a paddletail other than what you have been  using. However I have a couple suggestions that will give you a different action but in the same profile.

 

Imakatsu 3" Huddle Swimmer- small profile soft pIastic baitfish with the same tail as the fullsize huddle swimmer

 

Imakatsu Fat Fly Elastomer(2.8")- Similar tail design but different profile and buoyant because of the elastomer, this will give you a different action and allow you to retrieve it significantly slower without it sinking to the bottom

 

Issei 3" Liar minnow- Jointed soft plastic baitfish with a subtle action and a tail that can be modified to have a completely different more erratic action

 

You can find all of these from thehookuptackle but they can be had for significantly less if you order them directly from japan

[RRocket]

16 minutes ago, Firstoutfisher said:

 but they can be had for significantly less if you order them directly from japan

I have not found that to be the case.

 

Shipping costs from Japan usually outweigh any savings.

 

Do you shop someplace where this isn't the case? 

[softwateronly]

1 hour ago, RRocket said:

I have not found that to be the case.

 

Shipping costs from Japan usually outweigh any savings.

 

Do you shop someplace where this isn't the case? 

 

You just have to buy a reel! 

 

scott

[RRocket]

1 hour ago, softwateronly said:

 

You just have to buy a reel! 

 

scott

How about 2 rods because Shimano USA wouldn't sell them to me? 

[Firstoutfisher]

3 hours ago, RRocket said:

I have not found that to be the case.

 

Shipping costs from Japan usually outweigh any savings.

 

Do you shop someplace where this isn't the case? 

Alot of the JDM shops offer free shipping over a certain threshold. I usually just wait until I need enough tackle to hit the threshold before I order.

[TnRiver46]

I don’t know much about spinnerbait fishing but 1/8 jighead is in my wheelhouse, thats what I’m throwing most anytime bout anywhere (exception down south in the thick stuff) 

 

I put a lot of worms on there too but they are usually 4”-6” (although half a nightcrawler is deadly)

 

spro pintail is that chartreuse bait and it’s great in hot weather (probably great in cold weather but I ran out )