The Tracer Shad fishes five ways: the hover rig, strolling, the drop shot, a jighead snap retrieve, and vertical jigging. Start with the hover rig on a 1/8 ounce head. The Tracer was built around a forward facing sonar presentation, and the same shape that hovers cleanly also strolls, drops, and jigs without changing baits.
One bait, five jobs
Most soft plastics are built for a single presentation. A stick bait wants to fall. A ribbon tail wants to swim. Ask either one to do the other job and you can watch it quit on you.
The Tracer Shad is a different animal. It has a rounded baitfish body with a compact tail, and the body carries enough plastic that a hook has somewhere to live no matter how you rig it. That is the whole design argument: the 4" Tracer is .5" across the top and .6" from back to belly, which is exactly the cross section you need to nose hook it, belly hook it, or slide it onto a jig head and have it sit straight.
Sit straight is the operative phrase. Every technique below fails the same way, with a bait that rolls or hangs at an angle. A body with real dimension to it does not roll.
You can see the whole family on the strolling and forward facing page, which is where the Tracer sizes live alongside the Pin Point and Split Tail Shad.
The five techniques at a glance
| Technique | Rig | Head weight | Best Tracer size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hover rig | Nose hooked on a hover or Damiki head | 1/16 to 1/4 oz | 3" to 4" |
| Strolling | Light jig head, slow controlled drag | 1/8 to 3/8 oz | 3.5" to 5" |
| Drop shot | Nose hooked above the weight | 1/8 to 3/8 oz weight | 2.5" to 3.5" |
| Jighead snap | Ball or darter head, snap and pause | 1/8 to 1/4 oz | 3" to 4" |
| Vertical jigging | Small jig head straight below the boat | 1/16 to 1/8 oz | 2" to 2.5" |
1. The hover rig (start here)
Nose hook the Tracer on a hover style head so the bait sits horizontally with the hook point riding up. Cast or pitch to a fish you can see on your screen, let it settle to that fish's depth, and then do almost nothing.
- Head weight: 1/16 ounce in under 10 feet, 1/8 ounce as your default, 3/16 to 1/4 ounce when wind or depth costs you contact.
- Rod and line: 7' to 7'3" medium light spinning rod, 10 to 15 pound braid, 6 to 8 pound fluorocarbon leader.
- Retrieve: Shake the slack, not the bait. The tail should quiver in place while the body barely moves.
- When: Suspended fish, bait balls, standing timber, brush piles, and any fish that shows up on the screen and will not chase.
This is where the Tracer earns its keep. A fish that has refused three moving baits will often eat something that just hangs there and breathes.
2. Strolling (covering water without spooking it)
Strolling is a slow, controlled drag with the trolling motor, keeping the bait 2 to 6 feet off bottom and just ahead of the boat. The Tracer works here because its tail keeps a steady rhythm at speeds that would make a bigger paddle tail go dead.
- Head weight: 1/8 ounce at 0.3 to 0.5 mph, 1/4 to 3/8 ounce when you are deeper than 25 feet.
- Best sizes: 3.5" and 4" for bass and walleye, 5" when the forage is big and you want to get seen from a distance.
- Tip: Keep the line as close to vertical as you can. The moment you get a sharp angle, you lose the ability to drop on a fish you spot.
The 5" Tracer is the one to pour if you are strolling open water for walleye or working the Great Lakes. It runs 9/16" across the top and 11/16" tall, which is a genuine big fish profile.
3. The drop shot (when the fish pin to a spot)
Nose hook the Tracer above the weight and set your leader to the height the fish are holding, usually 12 to 18 inches, longer for suspended fish.
Use a 1/0 to 2/0 drop shot hook for the 3" and 3.5" Tracers, and a #1 to 1/0 for the 2.5". Shake the rod tip in place instead of dragging, so the bait stays in the strike zone and the tail does the talking.
If drop shotting is your main deal, the drop shot molds collection is worth a look too, and there is a full build walkthrough in How to Make a Drop Shot Bait.
4. The jighead snap (the jerk retrieve)
This is the one people forget. Rig the Tracer on a ball head or darter head, let it fall on a slack line, then snap the rod tip and let it fall again. The bait darts, rolls, and then glides nose down, which reads exactly like a dying shad.
- Head weight: 1/8 ounce for a long, slow glide. 1/4 ounce when you want it to dart harder and recover faster.
- Cadence: Snap, snap, pause for three to five seconds. Most bites come during the pause, and they feel like nothing at all. Watch your line.
- When: Cold water, post front conditions, and schooling fish that are chasing but not committing.
Pour these on the softer side of medium. A stiff bait will dart, but it will not roll on the pause, and the roll is the trigger.
5. Vertical jigging (panfish and walleye)
The 2" and 2.5" Tracers exist for this. Drop a 1/16 ounce head straight down on crappie, bluegill, and perch, hold it still, and lift it six inches at a time.
The 2" is .27" wide and .31" tall at the belly, which matches a #6 hook on a 1/16 ounce head almost perfectly. The 2.5" runs .34" wide and .38" tall for slightly bigger fish or dirtier water.
Both sizes share the same 20 cavity tail mold, so one tail mold covers two baits.
The 4" Tracer is great for jigging walley on 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, and 1oz. jig heads.
Which Tracer Shad should you pour?
| Mold | Cavities | Width x height | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2" Tracer Shad | 10 | .27" x .31" | $159 | Crappie, bluegill, perch, ice |
| 2.5" Tracer Shad | 10 | .34" x .38" | $179 | Panfish, dirtier water, vertical jigging |
| 3" Tracer Shad | 5 | .4" x .45" | $139 | Hover rig, drop shot, pressured bass |
| 3.5" Tracer Shad | 5 | .45" x .55" | $165 | Hover rig, strolling, all around bass |
| 4" Tracer Shad | 4 | .5" x .6" | $145 | Strolling, bass and walleye, biggest seller |
| 5" Tracer Shad | 4 | 9/16" x 11/16" | $160 | Big walleye, redfish, speckled trout, open water |
If you are buying one, make it the 4". It covers hover, stroll, snap, and drop shot without feeling like a compromise on any of them.
Tail molds: two colors, one bait
Every Tracer size has a matching tail mold, and this is where making your own stops being about saving money and starts being about having something nobody else has.
- 2" and 2.5" Tracer: 20 cavity tail mold
- 3" and 3.5" Tracer: 15 cavity tail mold
- 4" and 5" Tracer (and the 4" Jigging Minnow): 10 cavity tail mold
Pour the tails first, in a contrasting color, then set them in the body cavity and inject. A chartreuse tail on a pearl body is the classic, and it is the first thing most people reach for when the water has a little stain to it.
The 3" and 3.5" molds are also set up to laminate top and bottom with a dual injector and block, so you can run a dark back over a light belly and add the tail color on top of that. If laminating is new to you, start with What Is Core Shot and How Do You Pour It.
Pouring a Tracer that fishes right
Durometer: Medium is the right starting point. Firm enough to stay on a jig head through a dozen fish, soft enough that the tail moves at strolling speed. If your baits are tearing off the keeper, add a little hardener on the next batch. New to this? What Is Plastisol covers durometer in plain language.
Float or sink: Floating plastisol is worth trying for the hover rig, since it holds the tail up on a dead stick. Sinking plastisol is better for strolling and vertical jigging.
Salt: Go light. Salt helps a bait hang naturally, but a heavily salted Tracer falls too fast for the hover presentation and tears more easily.
Color: Start with three. A translucent shad pattern for clear water, a pearl or white for stained water, and something with chartreuse for low light. Everything else is a refinement.
You will need an injector for all of these. The injectors page has the options, and the A.i. Premium Injection Bait Making Starter Kit bundles the injector, plastisol, and colorants if you are starting from zero.
FAQ
What is a Tracer Shad used for?
The Tracer Shad is a soft plastic baitfish profile designed for forward facing sonar techniques, mainly the hover rig and strolling. Because the body carries enough plastic for multiple rigging styles, it also fishes well on a drop shot, on a jig head with a snap retrieve, and vertically jigged for panfish and walleye.
What size Tracer Shad should I use?
The 4" Tracer Shad is the best all around size for bass and walleye. Drop to the 3" or 3.5" for pressured or clear water fish, go up to the 5" for big walleye, redfish, and speckled trout, and use the 2" or 2.5" for crappie, bluegill, and perch.
What jig head do you use with a Tracer Shad?
Use a hover or Damiki style head from 1/16 to 1/4 ounce for the hover rig, a 1/8 to 3/8 ounce head for strolling depending on depth and speed, and a 1/16 ounce head with a #6 hook for the 2" size on panfish.
Can you drop shot a Tracer Shad?
Yes. Nose hook it above the weight on a 1/0 to 2/0 drop shot hook for the 3" and 3.5" sizes, set the leader 12 to 18 inches off bottom, and shake it in place rather than dragging it.
What durometer plastisol is best for a Tracer Shad?
Medium durometer is the right default. It holds the bait on a jig head through multiple fish while still letting the tail work at slow strolling speeds. Add hardener if your baits tear at the keeper, and add softener if the tail goes dead on a slow drag.
Pour a box of them and quit rationing
Forward facing sonar baits are expensive, and the fish you are targeting with them are usually the ones that make you burn through baits fastest. Pour your own and that math changes completely.
Take a look at the Tracer Shad and strolling molds, pick the size that matches the water you fish, and add the tail mold while you are at it. The tail mold is where the fun starts.
Make Your Baits, Your Way.
By the Angling A.i. team · Updated September 2026