How to Fish the Tady 45 for SoCal Yellowtail: The Complete Iron Guide

The Tady 45 doesn't need an introduction on a San Diego sportboat. Ask any experienced deckhand what the single most important surface iron jig in a SoCal tackle bag is, and nine times out of ten you get the same answer. It's been catching yellowtail at the Coronado Islands, Catalina, and the Channel Islands for decades — not because it's the flashiest jig on the market, but because it does exactly what yellowtail want in a surface presentation: it casts far, tracks straight, and swims with a tight wobble that triggers reaction explosive strikes.

If you've been throwing one and not getting bit, or if you've been meaning to get into surface iron fishing and don't know where to start, this is the guide that gets you dialed in.

What Makes the Tady 45 the Standard

The Tady 45 weighs about 3.5 oz and has a slightly flattened, asymmetric profile that creates its distinctive side-to-side wobble. It's heavy enough to cast well into the wind and across a strong current, light enough to keep it in the upper water column where surface-feeding yellowtail are hunting. The chrome finish on some Tady 45 jigs produces a flash pattern that reads as a fleeing sardine or anchovy at distance.

What separates the Tady 45 Surface Iron from other cheaper jigs is that it swims similarly because the profile is machined to tight tolerances. Cheaper knockoffs look similar in the tackle bag and swim completely differently in the water — you lose half the action at the retrieve speeds that matter. When you're burning a jig at 20 cranks per second on a running yellowtail, inconsistent action kills the bite.

When to Throw the Tady 45

The 45 shines in three specific situations:

Active surface feeders. When yellowtail are visibly busting bait — birds working, white water on the surface, fish showing — the Tady 45 is your first cast. Get it out past the school before anything else lands in the water, start your retrieve the moment it hits the surface, and swim it back through the boil.

Moderate conditions. In light to moderate wind and relatively calm seas, the 45's weight carries far and swims consistently. It's the all-day iron for mixed conditions on a typical SoCal day trip.

When you need to switch off the 45: when you're fishing into a hard wind and need more weight to reach the school, when fish are holding at 15–25 feet below the surface and won't come up, or when they've seen a hundred 45s in one stop and need something different. We'll cover those alternatives below.

The Retrieve — This Is Where Most People Get It Wrong

The most common surface iron mistake isn't jig selection. It's retrieve speed.

Yellowtail chasing surface iron are in a hunting mode — they're tracking the jig from behind and below, watching it accelerate away from them. The strike trigger is the feeling that the bait is about to escape. If your jig is moving slowly enough that a yellowtail can casually approach it, you won't get a strike but rather get a follow.

Start moderate-fast. The moment the Tady 45 hits the water, wait a couple seconds, then engage your reel and start turning the handle at medium-fast speed in high gear. Your rod tip should be pointed down toward the water at the 4 o'clock position. Keep it there — raising the rod tip kills the jig's depth tracking and slows the effective presentation.

Don't stop. A retrieve that starts fast and slows down produces followers and not bites. A retrieve that stays fast through the entire burn produces strikes. The fish that are chasing your jig will hit it — but only if you don't give them a chance to turn away.  Don't move the rod to impart action, just turn the handle.

The burn-and-drop variation. After 15–20 full cranks at a moderate-fast speed, drop your rod tip and let the jig sink freely for three seconds before starting your retrieve. Most strikes on this variation happen in the first two cranks after the drop, when the jig accelerates again from a flutter. This is the move when fish are following but not committing on a straight burn.

The speed rule: If fish are showing but not eating on the 45, speed up before you slow down. This feels wrong to most anglers but many times It works.  If you still can't get bit, change it to another 45, the one you have may not be swimming right.

Colors and Conditions

• Blue and white — the year-round standard. Works in most lighting and water clarity conditions. Start here.
• Mint and white / mint — excellent in clear water and bright conditions. These are often considered being the two best yellowtail colors alongside blue and white.
• Scrambled egg (yellow/white) — when the fish are eating sardines or in stained, warmer water. The yellow-gold finish reads as sardine in lower light.
• Mackerel — when bait is visibly large, in kelp paddy situations, or targeting bigger fish.
• All white — particularly effective when white sea bass are mixed with yellowtail, or when fish are showing finicky behavior on a flat-calm, pressured day.

The rule of thumb: match the color to the water. Blue and white in blue water. Scrambled egg in greener, warmer water. Jigs with any mint, work just about all the time.

Rigging the Tady 45 Correctly

The factory hook on a Tady 45 is serviceable but worth inspecting before every session. Run your thumb across the point. If it doesn't catch skin on light pressure, sharpen it or replace it.

Solid rings: The rings on almost all surface irons are welded rings so swapping hooks can be a little more difficult than other lures.  When you tie to the front ring, make sure the weld is to the side of your tie point but not touching the lure.  I put it 90 degrees to the line tie point.  If the weld touches the jig it can impart a weird action that will prevent it from getting bit.

No swivel on the 45. Surface iron is tied direct to your main line. A swivel or snap swivel adds hardware that deadens the jig's action and slows the presentation. Tie direct with an improved clinch or San Diego Jam knot and hang on.

Line setup: 65 lb braid is the SoCal sportboat standard. The Power Pro Spectra Moss Green 300 yds is what local regulars run for good reason — it casts cleanly off the spool, handles repeated long casts without memory.  Make sure you put a monofilament leader of 30-40lbs as a top shot to the braid.  We use 3-6 feet in most situations, it acts like a shock absorber when they crush your jig.  You can also run half braid and half mono, just make sure the mono is fully wet before casting the jig.

Rod and Reel Setup

Reel: High gear ratio is non-negotiable for surface iron. A moderate to moderate fast retrieve is the goal. The Avet HXJ 5/2 Raptor Plus MC at 10:1 in high gear is a great option — the Magic Cast system also gives you clean, long casts that put your jig farther past the school. The Penn Squall Lever Drag 2-Speed is the entry-level conventional that still gets it done.  The Shimano Trinidad and Shimano Torium star-drag reels are standards and will not let you down.

Rod: The Shimano Teramar WC has become the most commonly seen jig stick on SoCal sportboats this season — it's accessible enough for anglers getting into iron fishing and capable enough that experienced anglers trust it as a daily driver. For a step up, the Phenix Axis Conventional Rod is what the regulars reach for. High-modulus graphite blank, outstanding sensitivity for feeling the jig's action, and enough backbone to stop a big yellowtail before it reaches structure.

When to Switch: Tady 45 Alternatives in the Bag

The Tady 45 covers a lot of situations, but not all of them. Here's what to switch to and when:

Into the wind or for more distance: The Tady 4/0 Sr. is heavier than the 45 and carries further in adverse conditions. Slightly less flutter but more mass that pushes through wind chop.

When fish want something different: The Salas Baby 5X has a different profile and a slightly more erratic action — the change-up option when yellowtail have seen every 45 in the fleet. Also keep a Salas 7X Jr Surface Iron for a slightly smaller profile presentation.

When fish are holding 15–30 feet down: Stop throwing surface iron. Pick up a yo-yo setup with a heavier iron. See our Yo-Yo Iron Guide for that setup.

Custom finish: The JRI DW-3 Surface Iron and JRI-35 are hand-finished and produce a  pattern you can't get off a production jig. Carry one or two when you want something the fish haven't already seen.

Sportboat Rail Etiquette for Iron Fishing

Worth covering because it saves headaches. Iron jigs flying off a crowded rail are a leading cause of angler injuries on SoCal party boats.  Stay at the bow of the boat in most cases.  If you get bit, move down the rail so the next guy can get on the bow and make a cast.

Always look behind you before your cast. Call "GOING OUT!" clearly. Keep your rod loaded close to the rail and cast with a smooth, sweeping motion rather than a full overhead cast. When someone near you is fighting a fish, stop casting. Lead the school — cast past the fish, not into the middle of what everyone else is landing in.

The deckhand is watching where the fish are breaking and where the current is pushing. If they point, cast there. It's not a suggestion.

The Short Version

The Tady 45 works. It's worked for 40 years on these same fish in these same waters. What separates the anglers who get bit on it from the ones who don't is almost always retrieve speed — burn it faster than feels natural, keep the rod tip down, and don't slow down when fish follow. The jig does the rest.

→ Shop all Tady surface irons, split rings, assist hooks, and jig sticks at TackleExpress