Lots of very good advice in many of the above posts. I love reading about bucktailing. It is a fascinating aspect of surfcasting and everyone has there own take on it. The simplicity of the bucktail is amazing yet it can be complicated to use effectively. It is really the "thinking mans lure".
Personally, I think there is a knack to finding the right spot in the water collumn where the fish are (generally near the bottom) without hanging up or snagging something to foul the jig. This is the essence of bucktailing IMO and it can be frustrating to many and it gets complicated when current, distance, and bottom structure come into the equation. However I think that an experienced fishermen, that have a wide choice of bucktails heads in varied weights and tail materials can figure it out and get pretty close. Stay in the zone and think about where it is. Yeah, you gonna loose gear but when you find the sweet spot your gonna pound them.
I have to say I don't agree with everything I read in the bucktail books but it probably does work for them in the places they fish. I tend to prefer heavier bucktails because I want the distance but the trade off (as mentioned above in other posts) is you tend to work them them faster then I would otherwise like. I played with hair amounts and tails to reduce sink rate but still didn't find the perfect combo for the areas I was trying to fish. I did OK and caught fish but I know there is a better way.
Moreover, IMO it always bothers me that most bucktails are designed to be worked VERTICALLY and not cast and worked in a horizontal manner from the shore. When retrieved they don't swim right. I wanted 3-4 oz casting bomb that didn't sink fast and allowed me to fly it slowly off the bottom with more control. When I "jig" it I want it to raise off the bottom, not just swim faster at an angle to the shore and crash into the bottom. To that end end I recently created my own bucktail head and I am having a some test molds made to pour it right now. I only have a couple test heads now but I think it is going to work out. (It is a lot differenet looking then any other bucktail and works much differently) I have not fished it yet, so time will tell if it even works but I am pumped for spring already. To be honest, I think I many need a couple rev's before I get it just the way I like it.
When it is all done and I can prove it works I'll post a pic. ( I have a fixed and swing hook version). If it doesn't work out it will be in the scrap pile with all my other brain-farts.
