SFT Slammer Series Paddletail Lure Review [Top 3 Pros & Cons]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Lure Reviews, Product Reviews, Retrieving Lures
A lure you probably haven’t heard of yet is the SFT Slammer Series Paddletail lure from Southeastern Fishing Tackle in Tampa.
This is a soft plastic lure that can be rigged on a weedless hook and a jighead.
My favorite way to rig this lure is using a weighted weedless hook and fishing it in shallow water.
I’ve had some good results using this lure — including catching my fattest and heaviest redfish on it earlier this year while fishing with C.A. Richardson in Louisiana.
After using this lure for a lot of fishing and catching a good amount of fish with it, I wanted to give you my honest review of the SFT Slammer Series Paddletail.
In this review, I give you my top pros and cons for the SFT Slammer Series Paddletail. You can also see some cool footage of this lure catching some big fish and tips for rigging this lure in the video review at the bottom of the article.
Note: All our reviews are unbiased and independent. If you’ve used the SFT Slammer Series Paddletail, let us know what you thought of it in the comments section. Your honest feedback is always welcomed and appreciated!
The Pros Of The SFT Slammer Series Paddletail
In this section, I cover the top pros for the SFT Slammer Series Paddletail, which are:
1. Good Action
This lure has some great action and looks good moving in the water. It also has good action without wobbling too much and looking unnatural — which many paddletail lures do because their tail is too big for the lure.
2. Casts Far
The SFT Slammer Series Paddletail’s body is thicker and denser than most paddletail lures. This allows you to cast it much farther than your average soft plastic lure and to cover more water with the lure.
3. Skip Cast
The lure skip casts very well under docks and mangroves because of how dense it is. I’ve noticed that the skips are very straight and have a good trajectory as well. I love to rig these lures on a weighted weedless hook like the Mustad Grip Pin Hook and skip it far back into the mangroves.
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The Cons Of The SFT Slammer Series Paddletail
In this section, I go over the top cons of the SFT Slammer Series Paddletail, which are:
1. Hard To Find
These lures are not the easiest to get your hands on. You either have to buy them on the Southeastern Fishing Tackle website or go to their store in Tampa to get them.
2. Big & Bulky
Because of the size of this lure, they are not great for targeting smaller fish. These baits are bigger and will help you weed out the smaller fish from the bigger ones, but may not be the best choice to catch a bunch of fish of any size on.
3. Requires Heavier Rod
You really need a little bit of extra power when using this lure than your average inshore fishing outfit gives you. The bigger lure works better for me on a stronger rod than the rod I would normally throw for average size trout and reds.
SFT Slammer Series Paddletail Video Review
In this video, I give you my full review of the SFT Slammer Series Paddletail Lure. I also show you some fish catching footage using this lure and the best way to rig it.
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Conclusion
I have caught some nice fish using this lure and really like how far it casts.
It definitely weeds out the smaller fish and is not my top choice to catch a lot of small fish; however, you can catch some very big fish using this lure.
You can buy this lure on the Southeastern Fishing Tackle website here.
If you have any questions about this lure or review let us know in the comments section!
Tight Lines!
Related Posts:
1. How To Choose The Best Hook For Soft Plastic Jerkbaits [Hook Comparison]
2. Mustad Grip Pin Hook Review [Top Pros, Cons & Rigging Video]
3. How To Retrieve A Soft Plastic Jerk Bait For More Bites [Bonus Underwater Footage]
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Hi Luke. What rod do you use for slinging these heavier plastics?
I like to use a 7’6″ (or longer) rod in the Medium Heavy (medium for some brands like TFO & Edge)… the length and tip strength are needed to properly set the hook through the thick plastic. And it seems to help with casting performance too.
Would like to try Slammer, but the shipping at $6.70 is a little steep. Anyplace other than SFT where we can buy them? If you think it is worth it for members to try can Salt Strong buy some in bulk and offer to members?
Seems that all I learned fishing up north jigging works down here Salmon Musky northern pike big bass walleye crappy all love plugs and gigs. Was fool at first by Beckely .
I have tons and tons of plastic from garage sales. I know here tides structure, seasonal changes are the key to finding fish. Then you must cast on target, rig the bait to avoid helicopter ???? ing . My boat now is a go anyway Expandacraft. Com 21’ tripe pontoon ( plastic 4 ft sections,
Deck 8 x 19’ that’s 152 sq ft of working platform. I can make a 12’ kayak 3’ wide and paddles from parts in my boat. Image a boat you want and Wesley Stevens in Gulfport St Pete’s has the parts.
Best Regards
John Martin 941-451-4280
I like the action I see on those. I use paddle tails up in Long Island sound in the CT shore and rivers. These don’t look as bulky, should work great on the late fall stripers. I’ll need a smaller version for late winter hold overs if they get to making one.. I going to stop and pick up some for while I’m down here and see what trouble I can ge in with them.
Luke , what do you think about this paddletail for wintertime fishing? Would you stick with this or go to another brand in the root beer color? Thanks for the great info!!
How are you retrieving this paddle tail?
I can’t find the lurer by the name you gave on their website just a grub tail not a paddle tail
The one you were holding is the sf t bass fisher paddle tail fresh water does it matter or will the same lure work for saltwater
It is in the freshwater section. The name is “SFT SLAMMER SERIES SASSY SWIMMER 4.5″ SALT STRONG”
It took me a while to find it!
Luke this was a good report. Thank you for sharing the information I will check out the website. I can imagine Snook and Tarpon going after this. By the way, I liked the “fishing education that can be trusted”
Tag line ????
Thanks, Luke…..I love my Zman paddletails, but have been looking for one I can cast further. Will be putting in an order for these.
Yes, the Zman paddletails are great due to how strong they are. But they are so light that casting distance is hindered.
Thanks, Luke……just ordered 2 packs in the Houdini color. Only problem is shipping cost is more than the product.
Have you compared it to the Slayer SST paddletail?
I have not yet tried out the Slayer SST paddletail.
Tony did a review of the Slayer SST. I bought some based on his feedback. I’m looking forward to trying it myself. The SFT interests me though because of the heaver weight of the plastic.