BEMIDJI, Minn. – “The Paddle Shad’s got a subtle action that walleyes key in on,” says Mille Lacs Lake guide and Northland pro, Brad Hawthorne.

“It doesn’t have a hard ‘thump’ like other paddletails I’ve fished. The Eye-Candy Paddle Shad has the action of a real minnow swimming, not an exaggeration of a minnow swimming, which is what most paddletails do. And when other swimbaits’ action stops—typically at half-a-mile-an-hour—this bait still has tail action, so you can jig it with subtle motions or snap jig it two or three inches forward at a time and the tail still kicks. That’s why it’s catching so many fish.”

Hawthorne adds: “The other thing: Eye-Candy baits are made from an ultra-clear material ideal for getting walleye colors right. The fact that Northland is able to add walleye colors to this ultra-clear Super TPE material makes it far more lifelike.”

For its intended use on a jighead, Hawthorne is throwing the Eye-Candy Paddle Shad on a ¼-ounce Northland Tungsten Jig. He calls the result “the ultimate finesse swimbait.”

“I have a video that shows me catching 85 walleyes on this combo one day on Mille Lacs. It’s crazy,” laughs Hawthorne.

The other way Hawthorne’s fishing the Paddle Shad? You might not expect it—but he’s drop-shotting the new 3.5-inch paddletail—and catching loads of fish with it.

“For drop-shot fishing with forward facing sonar, I use the Paddle Shad nose-hooked on a #6 Octopus-style drop-shot hook attached to two-foot fluorocarbon leader and ½-ounce pencil sinker. It’s super simple. I cast beyond the walleye pods I see on the screen and reel the rig slowly past them—and they basically fight over it. The shortest little movement gets the paddletail kicking—and that’s the key. On the other end of the spectrum, the Paddle Shad doesn’t blow out until you’re moving it well past 2 mph.”

In terms of colors, Hawthorne has been pitching the bait in Chartreuse Shad, which he says is “electric” in the water. When fishing more natural patterns, he’s a big fan of Gold Shiner.

Hawthorne adds: “And the walleyes are smashing the Paddle Shad in Green Pumpkin over the sand for whatever reason—not over rocks where you might expect it—but sand. I’ve learned not to argue with the fish.”

While Hawthorne has his favorite Mille Lacs Lake colors, walleye sticks can choose from 18 total colors, including: Pearl White, Black, Gold Shiner, Smelt, Green Pumpkin, Purple Shad, Smoke Shad, Firecracker, Sunrise, Chartreuse Shad, Glo Moonlight, Blue Back Shad, Sculpin, Purple Gill, Pink Silver, Silver Chartreuse, and Glo Fathead.

Bro Knows Boot Tails

“The thing I like about the Northland Paddle Shad is while it has a lot of movement and there are great colors, it’s the perfect size to mimic fall minnows at 3.5-inches. Plus, it’s got a thicker, round body that looks just like a fat rainbow or a small sucker,” offers Bro.

“Especially on lakes, I like the Eye-Candy Paddle Tail,” continues Bro. “And for my guide clients, it couldn’t be easier to fish. Just cast it out, slow roll it in—and if you want to jig it, just lift and drop slowly back to the boat. When walleyes see it falling to the bottom with its thumping tail, they just pound it.”

“It’s got way more movement than you’d think looking at it. The paddle tail isn’t over-exaggerated. It’s more like a real minnow tail that says to walleyes, ‘Come eat me!’”

When it comes to jigs, Bro likes to dress his Northland Paddle Shad on a Northland Tungsten Jig, which casts a mile and provides a great hook gap for solid hooksets.

“Even in 10 to 15 feet, I’ll use a 1/8-ounce Tungsten Jig. If I’m trying for a reaction bite, I’ll size up to a ¼-ounce Tungsten. And sometimes, I go super heavy metal, reaching for that 3/8-ouncer. With the heavier heads you can throw it way out there, it gets to bottom quicker, and you can retrieve or jig it faster. But if the walleyes are finicky, an 1/8-ounce does the trick. It’s subtle, so it’s all about a quick twitch, the slower fall, and then waiting for the bite. The 1/8-ouncer setup works great with MEGA Live for sharp-shooting fish on the screen with precision casts. If you’re in weeds and/or don’t have forward-facing sonar, then go heavier in jig weight to create better reaction strikes.”

One last tip Bro was hesitant to share? Tie the Northland Tungsten Jig and Eye-Candy Paddle Shad combo onto your 10-pound fluoro leader with a loop knot.

“This comes from years on the ice. I tie all my jigs on with a loop knot for added movement. It works in open-water, too, especially with the Paddle Shad. Seems to give the bait a little more movement all the way around on the slow roll and the fall,” shares Bro.

A Young Walleye Wizard Shares His Fall Juice

“The fall walleye bite has started on the lakes I fish,” says 22-year-old seasonal Ontario fishing guide, Michael Showalter. “A lot of days they’ll push shallow, so the Eye-Candy Paddle Shad really shines. I’m not saying you can’t fish it in deeper water, but for me, it’s my go-to bait for shallower-water walleyes—in both lakes and rivers.”

Come fall, Showalter fishes the Eye-Candy Paddle Shad pretty much the same way he fishes it in spring through summer – on a 1/8- or ¼-ounce MVP Jig with its unforgiving, fish-holding Gamakatsu Big River hook design. To keep the bait precisely pinned and snug against the MVP head, Showalter does add a dab of Super Glue before snapping the plastic into place on the MVP jig head shank.

Showalter has had a lot of success on Northland’s Smelt pattern, which he calls his “personal favorite” – with Smoke Shad coming in a close second. And when fishing the Mississippi or St. Croix rivers when back home in Hudson, Wisconsin, Showalter turns to Northland’s Purple Gill pattern with its chartreuse belly and purple top.

About: The Eye-Candy™ Paddle Shad

Northland’s Eye-Candy Series of walleye soft plastics revolutionizes how anglers fish for walleyes with its new Super TPE material. Leading the family is the Eye-Candy Paddle Shad. At 3-1/2 inches, the forage size-matching Paddle Shad features a boot tail that swims, wiggles, and kicks whether ripped aggressively or slowly dragged across the bottom. This shape, paired with the lifelike action, flotation, and durability of Northland’s Eye-Candy material makes it the closest thing you can get to live bait.

Boot tail kicks with the subtlest of movements
Eye-Candy Super TPE’s formula is super soft and buoyant for maximum action
Super TPE is spongy and absorbs fish-attracting scents
Super durable, stretchy material holds up to fish after fish
Available in 18 colors, from match-the-hatch patterns to bright colors for stained waters

MSRP: $7.99 – 5 baits per bag
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ABOUT Northland® Fishing Tackle

In 1975, a young Northwoods fishing guide named John Peterson started pouring jigs and tying tackle for his clients in a small remote cabin in northern Minnesota. The lures were innovative, made with high quality components, and most importantly, were catching fish when no other baits were working! Word spread like wildfire, the phone started ringing… and the Northland Fishing Tackle® brand was in hot demand! For 40 years now, John and the Northland® team have been designing, testing and perfecting an exclusive line of products that catch fish like no other brand on the market today. Manufactured in the heart of Minnesota's finest fishing waters, Northland® is one of the country's leading producers of premium quality jigs, live bait rigs, spinnerbaits and spoons for crappies, bluegills, perch, walleyes, bass, trout, northern pike and muskies.

ABOUT Bagley Bait Company

The personality of any company comes from its founder. Jim Bagley was an inventive, fun-loving, passionate fisherman who became one the most respected legends in the fishing tackle industry. In late 2010, Jarmo Rapala and a group of investors bought Bagley Bait Company. As an admirer of Jim Bagley for his attention to quality and of his product ingenuity and innovation, Jarmo initiated significant changes in operations, enhanced production processes and quality control. Now in 2020, Northland® Fishing Tackle, along with Jarmo as its Chief Lure Designer, maintain the legacy of creating premium balsa crankbaits and topwater lures, as well as jigs and spoons for both freshwater and saltwater anglers.