The Tarantula

The Tarantula came about some 25 years ago. I tied it after a frustrating night bridge fishing for stripers. The bass were feeding on large menhaden and showed little interest in the 2 ounce bucktails I was throwing. The following day, I made a bucktail that imitated a very large, high profile baitfish, and the Tarantula was born. It is by far the best big bass lure there is. There have been many times when it has outfished live bait. It is perfect for inlets and bridges. You can throw this lure into 30 mph winds and still feel bottom and keep the line belly to a minimun. This is a highly specialized bucktail. You will need tackle capable of throwing 4 ounces or more. I have several 50 lb bass and high teen weakfish on Tarantulas.Each tarantula uses a whole deer tail and takes quite a long time to tie. The main problem in their construction isn't how much material, but finding the proper quality. It is very hard to get the right length and texture hair. The heads are from my own hand made mold. These heads are available seperately and range from 3 to 8 ounces. The hooks in the head are Mustad cadmium in either 10/0 or 12/0 .The tail hooks are 9/0 or 10/0. Stout tackle is needed to set the hook. The heads are left unpainted because the wieght of them causes the paint to chip with contact of any hard surface. My favorite colors are yellow/white, neon green/white , grey/white , pink/white, and my favorite, all white.