There aren’t too many swimbaits out there that are more iconic than the 8″ Trout made by Huddleston Deluxe. These baits emerged during the rise in popularity of big swimbaits around the early 1990’s, and still remain one of the best choices for a soft paddle tail swimbait.
Huddlestons, or “Hudds” for short, are made up of a unique plastic material that is extremely durable, but also super soft. This gives Hudds an incredibly realistic swimming action in the water that the company actually holds a patent on.
There are a few more different Huddleston swimbait models that the company developed after the Trout. They make both top-hook swimbaits and weedless swimbaits, but before we get into the different models it’s important to know about the ROF rating that each bait has listed on them.
Rate of Fall (ROF)
When wading through the different types of Huddleston swimbaits, you need to determine which ROF is best for you. This number will be posted on the packaging of every bait so make sure you get the right one.
Rate of fall (ROF) is the rate at which the bait sinks. The number represents the number of feet the bait will sink in ten seconds. So for example an ROF 5 Hudd will sink five feet in ten seconds.
It’s important to note that the ROF rating is only on the packaging, not the bait itself. So if you want to know the rate of fall after its out of the package you’ll need to label your tackle box slots accordingly. Otherwise you won’t know without putting the bait in the water.
Huddleston trout
The first thing that comes to mind when people mention a Huddleston is the Trout model. And even though it’s labeled “trout”, it comes in many additional species patterns like yellow perch and golden shiner.
The Huddleston Trout comes in three lengths: six, eight, and ten inches. The eight inch is the most popular size, and comes in the most ROF options, as well as in a weedless version. Here are the sink rates available for all three sizes.
- 6″ Trout
- ROF 5
- ROF 12
- 8″ Trout
- ROF 0
- ROF 5
- ROF 12
- ROF 16
- 10″ Trout
- ROF 5
- ROF 12
68 Special
The 68 Special is a combination of the six and eight inch trout. It has the body of a six inch trout and the paddle tail of an eight. That’s why it’s called the “six eight special.” This gives anglers the option of having the smaller profile of the six with the heavy thumping action of the eight. They come in either ROF 5 or 12.
Huddgill
This is one of Huddleston’s newer baits, having come out in 2015 and designed to mimic a Bluegill. These bluegill swimbaits are incredibly lifelike, and of course they feature Huddleston’s patented tail kicking action.
These baits come in one size and one weight: 4-1/2 inches and 1-1/2 ounces. They have a top hook that is not as exposed as a typical top hook swimbait, so it can handle a fair amount of weeds. But with the soft body of the bait the hook will expose itself upon the hookset.
Weedless Shad
Huddleston swimbaits have always been known for catering to the “big swimbait crowd.” So the next two swimbaits are really something different for this company. But this one is basically a much smaller version of the 8″ Weedless Trout.
The bait is only 4-1/4″ long and weighs only 5/8 of an ounce. This is tiny in the swimbait world, and far less intimidating to novice swimbait fishermen. You don’t need a big swimbait rod to be able to handle a bait this size.
It comes equipped with a 3/0 Mustad hook that is completely buried inside the bait to make it weedless. Because of its soft plastic the bait collapses easily during the hookset. It also features a horizontal line tie that is supposed to make it less likely to snag vegetation.
Weedless Grass Minnow
Another small swimbait made by Huddleston is the Weedless Grass Minnow. This bait actually feature a different style tail, that has a more subtle action than that of the typical thumping Hudd action.
This bait is also equipped with a 3/0 Mustad hook, buried inside the bait to make it completely weedless. This swimbait is great for when you’re not just chasing big bass and want to get a good quantity of bass.
