A definitive illustration of standing the test of time, the curly tail grub, one of the first examples of a soft-plastic bait, continues to excel in a wide variety of angling situations. Even though these sickle-tailed offerings have been around for several decades, they continue to be effective.

The efficacy of the curly tail grub is illustrated in the many ways in which it can be fished. It works in a wide array of situations, including the icy-water opportunities currently available.

Last weekend, my buddy, Dave Lehman, and I hit the Allegheny River to see if the recent warming trend, coupled with stable water levels for a few days, did anything to get the fish on the bite. It had.We caught several oversized smallmouth bass, a few walleyes and a nice northern pike. Several of the fish came on the time-honored curly tail grub as it was dragged along the bottom.The thin tail of such a grub provides a hint of action with little to no movement. In the 35-degree water, the fish didn't want anything too active, and the curly tail grub nicely filled the niche. The water was fairly clear, and the smoke color pattern was effective, as it often is under such clarity conditions.This presentation is about as simple as it comes: Couple a 4-inch grub with a leadhead jig. Roundhead jigs work fine, though I often use a mushroom headed jig.Three-sixteenth to a quarter- ounce is about right for depths up to 15 feet. Cast the combo into still water pools and eddies where gamefish concentrate this time of year, allow it to fall to the bottom and slowly reel it back in, allowing it to drag lightly on the bottom.Many hits will be subtle. Often, you'll just feel some weight before you find yourself fighting a bass, walleye or other gamefish. There's not much that won't hit a curly tail grub.

In a couple of months, when the water again starts to warm, the curly tail grub can be used as a search lure, cast out and reeled in at a speed that suspends the bait in the water column. This is a favorite tactic for working the rocky flats of Lake Erie in search of the broad-shouldered smallmouth bass that migrate to the shallows to feed.Working a swimming curly tail grub is similar to fishing a minnow-shaped crankbait. Make long casts, impart just a bit of a stop-n-go action, but keep the bait moving. Vary the cadence of the retrieve, paying close attention to what the fish respond to.The swimming jig is also a great tactic for working a small grub through shoreline laydowns for early season crappies. Scale the body down to a 2-inch model, and lighten up on the jig weight.

Of course, the standard way of fishing a curly tail grub is to jig it. That is, allow it to fall to the bottom at the end of the cast, then retrieve by way of rod sweeps that pop it off the bottom.Hold the rod at 10 o'clock position as the jig falls at the end of the cast. The line will be tight as the jig is falling. Pay close attention during the fall for the tick that indicates a strike.When it hits the bottom, the line will go slack. Drop the rod tip to the 9 o'clock position (which will throw more slack in the line), reel in the slack, then sweep the rod back up to 11 o'clock. This will hop the jig up off the bottom.Reel in the resulting slack so the jig can fall on a semi-tight line, again paying attention to the tell-tale tick. In cold water, use a subtle jigging motion. As the water warms in the spring, often a more aggressive retrieve is more productive.