Best Durable Soft Plastics

[LEWITH]

Sick of only being able to use my soft plastics on 1 or 2 fish before they rip up and need to be replaced. What brand do you guys like that are durable and still catch fish?

Thanks!

-the LEW

[bigturtle]

yum plastics are fairly durable for me

[frosty]

Zmans will really take a pounding. I went through a whole pack of sencos in 1 day, that includes turning them around and using the little end. I feel your pain!

[A-Jay]

There's a fine line between soft & effective or "durable"  but fishes like a hunk of chewed bubble gum.

While I don't want my soft plastics baits so soft they fly off on the cast, I can't & don't expect much from many of the more firm offerings.

Durable may be a relative term and can mean some thing a little different to each angler.  For me, I do not want anything close to Durable.

I want soft.  If it's a one & done then that's what it is.  If I want a bait that's expected to get repeat customers - I'm going with a hard bait, otherwise - on any cast - the pike here can & will shred any bait bait- regardless of it's composition. 

Berkley Powerbait, Lake Fork Tackle, Lunker City, Megastrike, Missle Baits, Provider Tackle, Reaction Innovations, Reins,  SK especially Rage Tail baits, Xcite Baits, Yamamoto, Z-Man & Zoom along with a few custom hand pours, round out the majority of my soft plastics staples.

A-Jay

[iiTzChunky]

You should look into making a mold of the senkos and melting them down and porting them into new ones. I've been saving all of my used ripped ones for this. 

[frosty]

16 minutes ago, iiTzChunky said:

You should look into making a mold of the senkos and melting them down and porting them into new ones. I've been saving all of my used ripped ones for this. 

I was just going to save the ripped ones for wacky rigging, but that's not a bad idea!

[blckshirt98]

Missile Baits are fairly durable and seem to last through more bites than other plastics.  I still however fish plastics that are not very durable because I feel they havre more action on the water.

[iiTzChunky]

27 minutes ago, frosty said:

I was just going to save the ripped ones for wacky rigging, but that's not a bad idea!

I'm currently watching videos on how people make their own molds to repour soft baits. Gonna give it a try once I get a bag or so more of ripped up senkos. I'll try to make a topic about how they turn out. 

[frosty]

Just now, iiTzChunky said:

I'm currently watching videos on how people make their own molds to repour soft baits. Gonna give it a try once I get a bag or so more of ripped up senkos. I'll try to make a topic about how they turn out. 

I'll be looking for it!

[Senko lover]

I'm with AJay here, I would rather use softer plastics if they work better for me. If a more durable bait won't catch fish as well for me, there's no point in it lasting longer per fish.

[Ktho]

The stiffer plastics are great in the heat because they soften up. I can't think of any brands off the top of my head thats known to be stiffer. Roboworms aren't too soft, Zoom magnum trick worms aren't super soft either.

[lo n slo]

when i start cussing about my Zoom lizards and worms getting all torn up my cousin reminds me that we bought them to catch fish and to stop whining about it. 

[whitwolf]

I fish Zoom and Reaction Innovations a lot and I have absolutely no complaints. I do understand the Importance In  getting the most bang for your buck but In the end whether a certain soft plastic catches one or five fish per bait  It matters not as long as It catches fish. 

[A-Jay]

2 hours ago, Senko lover said:

I'm with AJay here, I would rather use softer plastics if they work better for me. If a more durable bait won't catch fish as well for me, there's no point in it lasting longer per fish.

 

2 hours ago, lo n slo said:

when i start cussing about my Zoom lizards and worms getting all torn up my cousin reminds me that we bought them to catch fish and to stop whining about it. 

Maybe we should think of soft plastic like it was really just live bait that's super easy to care for

A-Jay

 

[MIbassyaker]

I seem to lose and break hardbaits almost as fast as I go through a pack of soft plastics. How many times getting snagged in laydowns will it take before I have to break off jig or a trebled lure?  How much banging on rocks can your crankbait take? How many big fish, toothy critters included, will it take to completely mangle your spinnerbait or buzzbait beyond the point of use? 

[blckshirt98]

My expectations with soft plastics is actually one fish per bait, anything more than that I consider a bonus.

[kcdinkerz]

Off topic but mend it glue will save you some$ over time. Now if I can get the bass to stop biting off the tails on my kietechs I'd be a few dollars richer

[iiTzChunky]

2 hours ago, kcdinkerz said:

Off topic but mend it glue will save you some$ over time. Now if I can get the bass to stop biting off the tails on my kietechs I'd be a few dollars richer

I actually had a couple bass shred senkos on me last weekend. Hadn't had that problem before, guess those guys where just a little more aggressive. 

[ErikmonBillsfon]

Ribbits used to rip at the nose as well as where the hook goes threw the belly. Same with kietechs. Now that I've switched to spring lock the lures last me 3-4 times longer. Of course a big bass or pike will bring that ratio way down but still I'm happy with them. For stick baits I found big bites baits and tight Ines UV to hold up well. Zman of course are d**n near indestructable. I'd say if you don't want to lose lures don't use stick baits at all.

Sometimes you can salvage lures. A bunch of strike king structure bugs had the nose ripped from flipping hooks. I cut off the top 3 segments so it's no longer torn and now I can throw it on the back of a jig or rage blade or somthing.

[A-Jay]

Baits & Trailers that have a split nose or a worn open "hook whole" but are otherwise intact, are candidates for Dr. Mend-it.

I'll save then all up and use the process to help get through the hard water season.

A-Jay

 

[roadwarrior]

16 hours ago, A-Jay said:

I want soft.  If it's a one & done then that's what it is. 

A-Jay

"Soft" always works better for me.

[thirtysixit]

Zoom is the most durable...

[Catt]

Ya got a choice to make...lures in your tackle box or fish in your livewell...ya can't have both!

Let's do some math!

Zoom Trick Worms: $3.79 for a 20 pack

2 bass per worm = 40 bass per pack

Yea I'm happy  

[Cgolf]

A little late to this one because well I was out fishing and tearing up some plastics. 

For me I want a bait that lasts and will hold up to multiple fish, and has plenty of fish catching action. Yes part of it is because I am cheap, but the biggest reason I don't throw one and done baits is when fishing certain covers, rerigging means missed fish. I fish reeds a lot, and the bite is really hot and cold, and of course snagging up is a reality.

For example this year I tried the Rage Menace grub. The first bait held up to multiple snags and fish despite tearing slightly on the first fish. Unfortunately after that the news wasn't as good for the bait. While it caught fish it isn't a bait for how I fish. Switched back to tubes and the catch rate was similar, but they just held up better. 

IMO you can find durable baits that catch fish as well as the one and dones, but it might just be a different style. If fishing them gives you confidence go for it, for me I want to be efficient as possible on the water. 

[Scott215]

Savage gear, Z-man, and Molix all make durable baits. You’ll catch multiple fish before needing replacing….Also they are soft and flexible so they seem life like