5 soft plastic baits for bass
You may have heard the term Soft Plastics or Soft Plastic Baits in the fishing world. But what does this mean and what kind of baits fall under this category?
Soft plastic baits are usually referred to any bait that is, you guessed it, made from soft plastics. This allows the bait to be solid but also flexible and rugged. Being soft plastic you can probably guess that these will not be making a big splash, and the fact they are flexible may be a clue they also are used more for the movement they create. They are usually used in a finesse type of presentation. You can fish soft plastics weedless and with exposed hooks.
There are so many soft plastics on the market that it may become overwhelming. We have narrowed the list down to 5 soft plastic baits you can get started with.
1. Stick baits/Worms
One of the biggest categories for soft plastics, Stick baits and Worms. This is a large category in itself as there are so many types on the market today. Generally, these look somewhat like a worm or snake, or a stick as the slang name indicates. They are flexible throughout the body with some being more flexible than others.
There are a lot of different types of worms, each one being superior for specific applications. Some even have a different kinds of tails, you have paddle tails, curly tails, and straight tails among other less common varieties. Stiffer worms may be used for wacky rigg or Texas rig for example while more flexible ones may be a better choice for drop shotting.
Stick baits are generally used in more finesse situations and can be fished either weedless or hook exposed. Most hits will come during the drop or hop.
2. Creatures
Creatures are newer to the market than worms. These resemble anything from a bug to a crawfish to a lizard. However, in this case bug is probably not exactly what you are thinking. These have a slender profile usually with multiple appendages. These appendages allow for extra movement. Some brands don’t even look like something that a fish would normally eat.
These can again be rigged in multiple ways with the most popular either weedless or hook exposed. They can even be used as a trailer on a jig head. This is a very common way to use these. They can be great baits for flipping cover, working areas out deep, and pitching around objects. Even with the streamline body these are generally not a good idea for heavy cover. This is due to the appendages.
They come in a variety of colors and are a very versatile bait. Some brands come in smaller sizes but you can always rip off appendages or cut the bait in half to get the exact presentation you are looking for.
3. Tubes
An old school bass method. Popular before stick baits and creatures even hit the market. These don’t really resemble anything you may find in a pond or lake. They are a hollowed-out tube with tentacle like appendages at the end. They are generally small and mimic small bait fish.
They come in a variety of sizes and colors. They have an erratic fall due to the design and are usually fished with an EWG hook or jig.
4. Soft Jerk Baits
This is another popular soft plastic that can be used in a few different applications. You can make it weightless and use a jerk reaction type of retrieval or you could even use these on a drop shot setup. These again come in a variety of colors and shapes but we tend to stick to ones that mimic baitfish in the lakes and ponds we fish.
These can have a variety of different kind of tales. Some include the split tail like a fluke bait. Others have a paddle tail. The paddle tails are unique in that they make their own movement as you steadily real in the bait. Meant to mimic a bait fish swimming by.
5. Toad/Frog
You can probably guess what this bait mimics. A toad. Very similar looking to a creature bait with the fact the appendages are used to mimic the legs of a frog or toad. These sometimes can float and be used as a weightless top water bait. They were designed to glide over the top of dense vegetation such as lily pads. In open water, the legs reverberate to act almost like a subtle buzz bait.
These come in a variety of shapes and colors. Again, we stick to the hatch around us with the coloring. One disadvantage over using a ready made frog lure, these will only have a single hook unless you purchase special two prong frog hooks.
As you can see, the soft plastic market has some good choice if you are trying to switch up techniques. There are always new types of soft plastics that are coming out each year.