Paddle-tail swim worm (speed worm)

A slim worm with a paddle at the end, built to be reeled through grass on a Texas rig — the weedless swimming bait that also fishes on the bottom.

Soft plastics are the biggest family in bass fishing: 36 shapes, each designed for a rig, a depth and a mood.

• Shape = design purpose: fish, worm, craw, creature, tube, frog
• Finesse tier vs power tier: the same shape at 3.5 in and 7 in is two different techniques
• Tail type decides the action; body decides the fall
• Rig it the way it was designed to be rigged

1. What it is — A 4.5-6.5 in worm body with a small boot or paddle tail; ribbed versions push more water. It thumps on a straight retrieve and still works as a worm when it falls.
2. Designed for — Swimming a Texas rig over and through submerged grass, pad stems and reeds in 1-3 m (3-10 ft), post-spawn through fall; the follow-up bait after a missed topwater strike.
3. Trade-offs — On clean bottom a swimbait head does it better; in clear, calm water the thump gets refused.