Your "go To" Rig For Soft Plastics?

[NotnatsSamoht]

Since I started fishing it's always been easier to use a hard bait to get a bite, soft plastics are not in my confidence baits or even my top 5, and I want to change that. I think they were pushed aside because it became overwhelming, there's so many soft plastics and so many different rigs to tie up the endless options made me tie on a crankbait instead.

So what's your favorite rig and type of plastic to use with it?

[Bluebasser86]

T rig, Rage Craw, baby brush hog, Pit Boss

Punching rig-Pit Boss, Turbo CrawZ

[CrazyFluker]

Scrounger heads are my favorite. Using with Super Flukes and it is my main confidence bait. Watermelon, Arkansas Shiner, white and baby bass are my main colors. I dip the tail tips in Spike-it Chartreuse garlic.

[Mike L]

Rage Cut R

Rage Craw

RI Skinny Dipper

RI Sweet Beaver

Mike

[scaleface]

I texas rig everything .

[Fishing Rhino]

In no particular order.

 

Wacky worm.   Four inch Senko Watermelon w/blk and red flakes.  Gamakatsu 1/8th ounce wacky jig head.

 

Rage Tail:  Craw, Menace, Structure Bug, Green pumpkin with purple and gold flakes or Watermelon with red and black flakes.

 

Lunker City 2 3/4" Grubster  clear water, silver flash and blue halo colors.

 

The above can be rigged on a Keitech 1/8th ounce 2/0 tungsten super round jig head.  Insert the hook into the center of the head, then along the centerline until the nose of the bait reaches the end of the bend on the hook.  Exit the point of the hook on the top centerline and button the nose of the bait to the ball with a drop of Loctite super glue.  It will nicely slip through sparse vegetation.

 

In thick plants, I use an owner twistlock hook either 3/0 or 4/0.  put the centering pin at the center of the bait's nose with the top side up.  Three turns will bring the nose of the bait to the eye of the hook.  Bring the hook through the body of the bait leaving the point just below the skin of the bait, or run the hook through the bait and put the point of the hook into a "pinch" of the plastic to make it weedless.  I use a 1/8th ounce tungsten bullet weight to get the bait down into the weeds and to slip it through the plants.  An alternative is to use an Owner keel weighted twistlock hook in the same sizes.  The Owner hooks come in two versions, the original and the latest a lighter wire version.  It makes setting the hook easier with six or eight pound test fluorocarbon line.  Your choice.

[lo n slo]

Texas Rig

[A-Jay]

 

 

Right here ~

 

A-Jay

[sprint61]

Texas rigged culprit original 7" worm, baby brush hog, and a zoom 6" lizard. All with a 4/0 EWG gammy and usually a 3/16 or 1/4oz tungsten weight. If im using a craw it's eitger on a punching rig or a stand up head.

[Fun4Me]

Right here ~

 

A-Jay

 

 

That's a good looking lure, I need to learn how to make those. I keep getting the weedless jigs caught up, whereas the Texas rigged stuff would go through things better.  

[bassr95]

Texas rig with a chigger craw or pit boss 

 

Weightless wacky rigged yum dinger in shallow water

[Choporoz]

NotnatsSamoht, on 26 Aug 2015 - 07:18 AM, said:

        So what's your favorite rig and type of plastic to use with it?

*************************************************

1. Weighted swimbait hooks - Cut-R's and Beaver-style mostly

2. Texas Rig - Just about anything plastic - worms and flukes and lizards mostly

3. Swing jighead - Rage Tail Structure Bug

4. Ned/Shakey - straight worms and smaller creatures

5. Dropshot - mostly finesse-y worms and french fries

6. Carolina - use your imagination....if its soft plastic, it can probably be dragged on a c-rig

 

I use them all, but if I had to rank in the order that I use the most, that would probably be close

[DogBone_384]

T-Rigged curly tailed worm, usually a pumpkin/green with colored flake. I'm pretty brand indifferent.

My second choice is a T-Rigged 4" Senko similarly colored to above.

[Preytorien]

When I can't get bit, I put on a weightless fluke...but not a Zoom Fluke. I exclusively use and recommend either the Strike King Caffeine Shad or Missile Baits Shockwave....both in pearl white. 

[Raul]

 

I´m old fashioned !

 

80% of the time I fish a soft plastic it´s going to be T-rig, most of the time it´s a straight tail worm or a 7.5" Culprit ribbon tail.

[Spryguy]

I use a Texas rigged rage craw in falcon lake craw when I need a confidence bait.

[Brian-S]

Like many have chimed in on, definitely the texas rig. It will help you gain that confidence and then you can venture out from there! 

 

As far as bait suggestions.... I might be a little bias  

 

In terms of styles, try a weightless stick bait or some good craw imitator for a 1/8-1/4oz weight pegged to it! 

[Montanaro]

Swing jig.

Very versatile.

[Haze]

Texas or wacky rig

[Jaw1]

Texas rig zoom big critter craw and zoom flukes. The critter craw in watermelon red accounts for the majority of my fish when I'm in river backwater and you can't beat a fluke for skipping under limbs on the bank. But given the choice I would rather have a crankbait bite going on

[Big Bait Fishing]

drop shot - Robo worm FX 6'' straight tail worm in summer shad

wacky rig - big bite baits 5'' trick stick in tilapia

shakey head - Savage Gear 4'' real crawfish red

[roadwarrior]

#1 use to  be the T-rig, but now that is a distant 3rd.

 

1.  Jika Rig

2.  ShakE2 Pro Series

3. Texas Rig

4. Carolina Rig

5. Split Shot

[The Patriot]

Most of the time I'll go with a Texas rig.  Senkos, swimsenkos, craws, grubs, etc.  

 

When I'm not T rigging, I'll try one of these:

 

drop shots with worms or a small soft plastic shad

wacky rigs

or carolina rig with swims.  

 

often times if im playing the bottom I'll rig up a curly tailed grub to a weighted jig hook.  Usually white but if the waters clear and clean bottom I'll use a pumpkin/green.  I like to dress these in a skirt at times.  I found yet, for me, when this becomes a good idea.  I just throw one on sometimes and see what happens.  

 

 

[BIGGEORGIADAWG]

I've probably caught more fish on a weightless ZOOM green pumpkin green trick worm than anything else. Might not always be the biggest fish but I'll definitely always keep some in my tackle box.

[Jar11591]

Wacky rig: Senkos

Texas rig: Rage Craws, Culprit fat Max, Zoom baby Brush Hogs