I've always mounted any bait with a paddle-type of tail with the tail's stem high and the tip down, like just about everybody. Just about everybody. I fished with a fella once that mounted his paddletails just you see I have this one mounted and the fish most certainly didn't mind the difference. Sometimes I think these subtle little nuances that we as anglers develop, like tail up or down, don't actually hinder us at times. Who knows?