Riverside Croaker Tail

EDITOR'S NOTE: Anthony Randazzo of Belle Chasse, Louisiana, earns a living each day as a guide for speckled trout and redfish and has five guides who work with him at Paradise Plus Guide Service, Inc. They fish the entire Mississippi Delta from Empire to Venice, Louisiana. Their income directly relates to the number of fish they catch, the size of the fish they take and the lures they use. Night Hawk Publications, Inc., has asked these fishing guides to test some of the newest saltwater lures on the market today.

"I prefer to fish a 1/4- or a 1/2-ounce jig head with a long shank hook when I'm fishing the Riverside Croaker Tail," Randazzo said. "I prefer the 5-inch model because it produces bigger speckled trout and larger redfish."

The Croaker Tail comes in 4-, 5- and 7-inch models and a variety of colors. This soft-plastic lure has a tail that resembles a shrimp's tail. You can fish the lure on the bottom, using a slow, bottom-hopping type retrieve if you find the speckled trout and redfish biting slow. You also can swim this lure in the mid-story of water for actively feeding fish or swim it fast just under the surface for aggressively feeding speckled trout and redfish.

"I like the Riverside Croaker Tail because it's a tough, durable soft plastic, which means you can catch more fish quicker without changing baits," Randazzo explained. "When the trout and redfish are feeding actively, you want to keep your lure in the water as much as possible."

Some of Randazzo's favorite colors of Riverside Croaker Tails include watermelon, chartreuse, clear glitter and pearl.

"This bait is also impregnated with Yum, Riverside's fish attractant that we find works extremely well," Randazzo reported.

Randazzo uses a spider hitch knot on 12-pound test line with this lure.

"The spider hitch knot gives us a double-strength leader, which is important when you're catching big trout and big redfish," Randazzo emphasized. For a new soft-plastic lure with proven effectiveness on speckled trout and redfish, fish with the Riverside Croaker Tail.

To learn more, contact Bruce Stanton at PRADCO (501) 782-8971 or Anthony Randazzo (504) 656-9940.