When I was a teen, my father dressed up a bunch of bucktails with silicone skirts. He was done freshwater fishing so he had all these extra skirts he wanted to use. They work and they give the bucktail some nice action. The fluke though, really do a number on the silicone and it doesn't hold up so well, but you can swap them out right on the spot and try out different colors to see what is working better. We always used them over a white or black bucktail, but the color combos are endless. I don't know if they caught more fish, but they did work. I can't say I ever boat fished with them...my fishing was all from land and those surf fluke would hit them hard! You can get some pretty big skirts which make it look like pretty big bait for those doormats. I think that is why the fish hit them so much harder...they think it is a bigger dinner.
Currently, I have been using a chatterbait or boogie bait. Same thing that I use in freshwater for LM bass, the schoolie stripers liked in the back. I want to try a heavier one in the surf, however the heaviest I have found are 1.5oz. You can fish them in just about the entire water column by changing your retrieve and rod position. I am thinking about getting a mold and making them myself. Pretty easy and inexpensive. It is mostly just putting the pieces together.
Big Game Chatter BaitLooking forward to your post on the bucktails!
