D, Matt offers some great advice on keeping the soft plastic swimbaits together. When you first get the bait, put superglue on all the parts of the bait most likely to rip....hook hanger, where the hook exits the back, and the line tie. Then while fishing, just put on a slippery attractant like megastrike....or KY, lol. You won't have any 2lbers ripping the bait if you take care of it, and when a small rip develops, just superglue it back together before it turns into a serious problem.
I had a Matt Bluegill last me over a year and I took care of it. At the Roadtrip at Lake Guntersville, I passed it on to Electrikal and I believe he is still using it. That gill caught one over 7lbs and many smaller fish. Give it a try....soft swimbaits are donkey