Your "go To" Rig For Soft Plastics?

[NotnatsSamoht]

#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

I'm never heard of the jika rig, googled it though, looks interesting, how is it on hang ups? Good at getting through things? The river I fish is very rocky and I sacrifice tackle often when fishing bottom.

[NotnatsSamoht]

Thanks to all for the comments, I believe I'll dedicate a rod to Texas rig and throw it until I'm confident, based on my river conditions a Texas rig makes more since being weedless and all.

[Catt]

Texas Rigged Plastic of any kind

[desmobob]

The river I fish is very rocky...

 

A Texas-rigged Havoc Pit Boss or Missile D-Bomb is a killer where crayfish are present (and even where they're not!).

And if you can't get bit on a wacky-rigged Senko then, well, maybe it's time to give up fishing and try stamp-collecting or model trains...   ;-)

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[Dennis1972]

weightless texas rigged, any worm style that is heavy enuff to cast, its my #1 fish catcher. i have found color or brand does not matter a bit. i just reach in my bag and pull any color out and catch fish, i can go from white to black to pink on any given day... they all work fine.

[poisonokie]

I'm never heard of the jika rig, googled it though, looks interesting, how is it on hang ups? Good at getting through things? The river I fish is very rocky and I sacrifice tackle often when fishing bottom.

I posted this the other day on a thread regarding the subject:

I fish mine a variety of ways. Sometimes 3/8-1/2 oz with a rage craw hopping, dragging, and dead sticking like a jig, or pitching into rip rap, sometimes punching through grass with a 3/4-1 oz, sometimes swimming it around with a paddle tail shad, sometimes with 1/8th oz and a roboworm like a dropshot.

 

They are very versatile and effective. They slip through grass easily, they rarely get snagged, and they cast further than most rigs. They aren't a t rig replacement though. It just depends on the bottom, structure, and mood of the fish. Sometimes the bait chasing the sinker down is the only way to trigger a strike, but sometimes it's the subtle dance of a jika on the bottom and in between rocks that triggers one.

 

 

I

[ned_riggins]

Never heard of a jika rig either but ill definitely be trying it this weekend. 

[blckshirt98]

Dropshot x10 billion.  I've caught probably 90% of my bass on a dropshot!

[Bankbeater]

When I am fishing a soft plastic it will either be on a t-rig, or weightless.  The only plastics I fish weightless will be a Super Fluke or a Senko, everything else gets a weight.

[bigfruits]

to build confidence I would try 4" wacky rigged senkos and small jigs w/ small trailers like a bitsy bug and 2.75" craw papi.

[Arobb2012]

Lately my go to baits are havoc the jerk and flat dawg. Both in green pumpkin/green pumpkin candy. Rigged weightless on a 3/0 ewg hook.

[Jtrout]

Texas rig or weightless on a 3/0 hook

[Bass newb]

I just started fishing 5 weeks ago and the texas rig is getting it done while spinners, buzzbait, crankbait, jig, and a few others just aren't getting me any fish.

Just caught my pb 2 lb 2 oz spotted bass on a t rig two days ago.

[GodfatherOfSeoul]

Wacky senko type bait

Rage craw spilt shot slowly swam

Light t rig baby brush hog

Shaky head zoom trick worm black

Super fluke jr eiter weightless or on a drop shot

[ww2farmer]

I fish a multitude of plastics, if I had to break down rigging methods by the % of time used it would probably be like this:

Texas rigged-30%

Wacky rigged-30%

Drop shot-30%

Shaky head-5%

Biffle/swinging jig head-2%

Belly weighted hook-1%

Carolina rig-1%

Weightless-1%

[OkobojiEagle]

The river I fish is very rocky and I sacrifice tackle often when fishing bottom.

 

Draggin' head... it's a weighted wide-gap hook that is not widely distributed.  It works through rock and weed beds well.

 

 

oe

[BaitMonkey1984]

Many years ago, I was in the same position as you. I did not have confidence in soft plastics and opted rather for spinner baits, inline spinners, or rappel jerk baits and crank baits. I has tried several worms and crawfish style baits without success. Part of the reason was my equipment, you need a sensitive tip to detect the some times subtle bites. More importantly though, you need to slow down your presentation. I was workign my baits too fast. A crawdad swimming through the middle of the water column isn't realistic. Slow down, and start with 5" inch wacky rigged worms with a circle hook. You will catch fish and get confidence, then you can move onto other soft plastics. 

[The Fisher]

I use lots of plastics but in the essence of space and time here are my top 5 in no particular order

Megastrike Pro Shaky Head with a 5" bluegill Hags Tornado

Wacky Rig with an Owner 1/0 Wacky hook, 5" Yamamoto Senko watermelon black red flake with an O ring

TX Rig with a Tungsten weight, 2/0 Ewg hook and a baby brush hog in watermelon orange

Black blue jig with a black blue rage craw or baby rage craw depending on the size of the jig

Keitech Swing Impact FAT 3.8" Baby Bass on an Owner Ultrahead Bullet Rig or light TX rig

[Paul Roberts]

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?

I have lots of favorite rigs and baits, each used in different scenarios.

 

To keep from being overwhelmed, start with a 6" worm -any style, any color you find appealing, and Texas-rig it. The T-rig will fish well just about anywhere. Branch out from there.

[WRB]

At night a T-rigged big worm.

During the day the choices depend how deep and where the bass are located.

My first choice is pork trailer, if they don't that then soft plastic creatures and as a jig trailer.

Slow bite than get with out the light tackle and finesse presentations; 3" to 6" worms etc.

Drop shot

Slip shot (finesse C-rig)

Tom

[hatrix]

Plastics are probably the only thing that will always work no matter the day of you stick with it. It might only be 1 or 2 that whole day but they will always eat them to some extent regardless.