Storm 360 GT searchbait

[fordtruckin]

Anyone have experience with this particular brand of swim baits? I just got a few 1/4oz in smelt and pearl ice with the lip and without to try on lake trout, northerns and walleye. Not a whole lot online about them other than some folks think they’re a bit expensive. I didn’t think 1$/each was bad given how many spoons I’ve lost over the years at 6$+.


https://www.rapala.com/us_en/storm/s...0gt-searchbait

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by fordtruckin

Anyone have experience with this particular brand of swim baits? I just got a few 1/4oz in smelt and pearl ice with the lip and without to try on lake trout, northerns and walleye. Not a whole lot online about them other than some folks think they’re a bit expensive. I didn’t think 1$/each was bad given how many spoons I’ve lost over the years at 6$+.


https://www.rapala.com/us_en/storm/s...0gt-searchbait

We have only tried the original version without the lip. They work good for pike and walleye. The downside is they are made with soft plastisol so don’t expect them to last long

Personally I prefer a more durable swimbait and there is a ton of good swimbait options to choose from

[fordtruckin]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

We have only tried the original version without the lip. They work good for pike and walleye. The downside is they are made with soft plastisol so don’t expect them to last long

Personally I prefer a more durable swimbait and there is a ton of good swimbait options to choose from

Do most other brands of the tails last longer? Never used them before so no real reference to go off of. From what I’ve seen the jig heads are acrylic not lead which may be beneficial to me as I have a lake near by that you have to use lead free in.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by fordtruckin

Do most other brands of the tails last longer? Never used them before so no real reference to go off of. From what I’ve seen the jig heads are acrylic not lead which may be beneficial to me as I have a lake near by that you have to use lead free in.

There is a big variation in soft plastics durability but the search baits are on the softer end. For walleye and lake trout this is not a big issue but pike it becomes more of an issue

I would recommend checking out the z man’s paddle tail swimbaits if you want something more durable in a similar size swimbait. They are made from a formula called elaztex that is more durable compared to plastisol. There is other options made with stiffer plastisol too but for smaller baits too but z mans are hard to beat.

[fordtruckin]

Good to know I’ll have to try them. I got a couple of the storm search baits in pearl ice and first 2 casts brought northern pike in off the dock at the resort im at. Of course the 3rd cast I got caught bad in weeds and lost the darn thing. I will say the acrylic heads are what I would call brittle. I got caught in weeds and when the hook popped free it flew back hit the dock and the head flew off. Other than that the rubber paddle tails appear to have held up well. I didn’t have luck with smelt color or the ones with the lip on the jig head. Might just be this water who knows. I love northern fishing but the blue gill and other pan fish was a blast. I could have done nothing but that this past week and had a terrific time! If you’ve never fished for bluegill I highly recommend doing it. Felt like a kid again with a small hook slip bobber and night crawler! Best part amongst hanging out with family in general was getting my dad out fishing for the first time in 25+ years and helping my almost 3 year old son catch his first fish!

[Rvsask]

Big walleye hammer them, pike hammer them, lakers hammer them.

Small fish steal the end of the soft tail.

Like smoky said, there are more durable options in other types of paddle tail swim baits.
I threw nothing but a paddle tail for the entire July long weekend, people would call me a liar if I said how many walleye 22-28” thumped that thing.

[Stinky Buffalo]

I've used them, and I got some reasonable mileage out of them. Good action and not as fragile as some other soft tails that I've tried.

[WayneChristie]

Originally Posted by Rvsask

Big walleye hammer them, pike hammer them, lakers hammer them.

Small fish steal the end of the soft tail.

Like smoky said, there are more durable options in other types of paddle tail swim baits.
I threw nothing but a paddle tail for the entire July long weekend, people would call me a liar if I said how many walleye 22-28” thumped that thing.

I had a night on the river where I went through half a dozen paddletails, not saying which ones I caught 45 walleye that size and bigger in one night, thats why I decided to try fly fishing in the dark for them, I never caught 45 a night on flies but still a lot!

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by Rvsask

Big walleye hammer them, pike hammer them, lakers hammer them.

Small fish steal the end of the soft tail.

Like smoky said, there are more durable options in other types of paddle tail swim baits.
I threw nothing but a paddle tail for the entire July long weekend, people would call me a liar if I said how many walleye 22-28” thumped that thing.

I don't worry much about durability, I buy my paddle tails from China, dirt cheap on Amazon or Ali Express. Basically cutting out the middle man. I don't really worry about scent either, it's a lure not a bait, and if needed I can give them a squirt of powerbait.