Soft Plastics

[NinHendo]

Hey guys! Have a question and would love your opinions on this.. When it comes to soft plastics does it really matter what BRAND you use but rather the creature you're imitating? I see a lot of people talk about Gary Yamamoto, YUM and Zoom brands and I'm finding that Zoom seems cheaper most of the time. What makes the Yamamoto brand so much better (if it is at all.) Thanks ya'll!

[jr231]

Dayton isn't far from me at all ! Look forward to seeing your catches and experiences. 

Yum and zoom are fairly equal in price. Zoom has the slight edge depending where your shop. 

Idk what it is.. but GYCB has perfected the stick worm. I'm not sure if it's the salt or the softness combined with that perfect wiggle and fall rate, but it's just the best (stick) worm... with a price that will take the food right out of your children's mouth. So I only buy them on sale.. or if my family hooks me up with a card from a fishing outfitter I'll splurge on them then. Otherwise I can get by with the SK perfect plastics and the yum dingers. Even though I'd rather use the original senko. 

Have you fished all the brands ? I think you can form a much more solid opinion if you try them yourself. Take a buddy with you and take the senko and and any other brand (in the same color or very close) and see what happens. Then switch. And you use the off brand. 

It's getting close to winter tho man and they are biting right now in your area ! Go sore lip em all 

[Bluebasser86]

It only matters when it matters. 

My BIL kicked my butt out of the back of my boat this summer. We were both fishing black and blue beaver type baits, mine was a YUM and his was a Big Bite Bait. They wanted his and wouldn't touch mine. Sometimes they don't care about brand, color, or presentation, just put it in front of them.

If you want to stick to one brand for everything you can get away with doing that no problems, but it will cost you some fish occasionally. As long as you aren't fishing with someone else who is whacking them, you'll never know though. 

[Catt]

I'm plastics freak!

I love em all!

Some have asked if I'm brand loyal to which I answered, "yes...to several brands"

I think Zoom would suit you well for two reasons; reasonable price & availability.

Gary Yamamoto's Senko

I throw em but I throw three other brands with equal success.

[Todd2]

I've almost completely stuck with all Zoom this year. The two exceptions are the Yum Dinger and SK Cut-R worm and thats because I don't think Zoom makes a stickbait and I prefer the Cut-R worm over the Speed worm.

[singlecoil]

I used to buy and try everything that came around.  After years of fishing, I figured out what plastics I like and use and I'm sure you will have to go thru the same process. Time on the water with them is the only way to tell what works for you and your water.  My collection of plastics has been narrowed down thru the years because now I only buy what I have confidence in. I know if I throw this certain plastic in the right conditions that plastic will work.  That is the key for me, is to have confidence in the bait I'm using.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bowhunter63]

I use the Rage Craw and Bug alot,Probably head food for me.But i catch alot of fish on them.Dont ever hit the river with out them.I guess if you have confidence in them you fish them better.Find what works and stay with it.

[JustJames]

If only worm, I would stick to a few brands in different type style and color. That way you have varities when fishing like get a few in fitness worm 4-5" type one brand in  light(green pimkin/shad) and another in dark (blue/black) a few thick worm 6-8" also in light (smoke) and dark (grape)color. Then there senko may be a bag of light color and senko alternative like yum dinger in dark color. Another type of plastic that I recommend would be fluke type also in light (white pearl) and dark like jun bug.

This way you got to try different type different brand. After you know which one work best then you can buy more in the same style and color.

The lake in my area (Perris) the worm that works best has to has purple color into in no matter what time of year like roboworm in Margarita Mutilator color. 

[Mike L]

The only difference between brands is price, action, fall rate and design. If you can find one that covers it all for your waters and style you're a lucky man!  Differences are varied and wide.

They all make a beaver style, a sick bait style, a creature style etc. To limit yourself to just one brand or even one design can imho, limit your success rate. 

 

Mike

 

[scaleface]

  I fish Manns a lot but if they went out of business tomorrow I would go with Zoom , Mister Twister  or some other brand and not miss a beat .

[Darren.]

Soft plastics nut here, too. I have narrowed my use
down to a few brands, but I will sometimes branch
out to try one I haven't used before.

Stick worms: Yamamoto and BPS Stik-O are my two
favorites. Have tried others, but these tend to work
best in my experience. Want to try Big Bite, and a 
few others eventually.

Trick/Finesse: Zoom. However, I used to throw a lot
of YUM when they produced watermelon gold flake
in the smaller variety. There was something to that
bait, the small gold flakes and coloration that was 
superior. Then they stopped making it.

[WRB]

I tend to stay with what works for me and is usually the brand that started a particular soft plastic worm or creature. 

We use a lot of hand pours in SoCal simply because the put fish everything else. I consider Roboworms hand pours although they are automated hand pours. One reason why hand pours work well is the are softer and have custom local colors that bass in out lakes eat. Very few mass produced soft plastic worms work well, there are exceptions. GYCB Senko's,  Kut tail worms and Hula  grubs, Berkley Power worms and Chigger craws, Zoom Brush hogs, Flukes and RI beavers.

My go soft plastics worms are Roboworms, Iovino worms, Uptons Customs worms, Yamamoto Senko's and Hula grubs, Berkley Chigger craws, Zoom brush hogs, Flukes and RI beavers. Sometimes use Berkley 10" ribbon tail Power worms at night, prefer Uptom's 9" or 13" straight tails.

The only way you will know is to try out different brands and styles until you find what works for you. Don't let price be the driver, soft plastics are' that expensive compared to your time on the water catching bass and remember catching bass is the goal.

Tom

PS, RI's Pocket Rocket stick worm looks impressive....

 

[j bab]

2 hours ago, Darren. said:

watermelon gold flake

one of my favorite colors ever

[NinHendo]

Thanks guys. This really helps!

[primetime]

I am not sure I could name a soft bait Company that I could say "I would never use those baits".....

Except maybe Burke? If they still make baits.

I have some odd preferences....Charlies worms for Motor Oil Ribbon Tails and Red Shad....

Producto soft baits, but I use an awful lot of Gambler and Culprit stuff lately and Strike King, and the standard baits...

The only bait from GYB that I think works better for me compared to copies is the swim senko. They are expensive but I could never not have several bags with me at all times. I have tried the Yum versions, Cane Sticks, only 2 worms that work close are the Cut'r and Bass Pro Swizzle Sticks....

[blckshirt98]

Every plastic sold in retail stores will have it's supporters if you ask enough people.  Baits sell because they catch fish, and baits that don't sell don't last on the retail shelves.  Unless you're sponsored by a bait company or have a vested interest in a bait company (it's run by a buddy of yours, you're trying to get them sponsor you, etc), just use what gives you the most confidence because they all catch fish.

Your confidence can come from the action of the bait, the shape, the size, the color, the durability, the scent, the softness, the texture, lots of different factors play in and I've bought one pack of almost everything out there.  There's always a few brands/models I always go back to over and over that have evolved into my "confidence" baits...just find the ones that give you confidence.

[S. Sass]

9 hours ago, Catt said:

I'm plastics freak!

I love em all!

Some have asked if I'm brand loyal to which I answered, "yes...to several brands"

I think Zoom would suit you well for two reasons; reasonable price & availability.

Gary Yamamoto's Senko

I throw em but I throw three other brands with equal success.

^^^ this

6 hours ago, scaleface said:

  I fish Manns a lot but if they went out of business tomorrow I would go with Zoom , Mister Twister  or some other brand and not miss a beat .

And ^^^ this for me as well. My fishing for ever has been 80% or more soft plastics. Only this year have I even come close to lowering that % and I am not sure I have. I can say other than " confidence" many plastics work just as well as others.

Mann's is one of my all time worm baits just because I cut my teeth with them. But like scaleface said there are many others that I can catch fish with. As for a craw NetBait Paca Craw and the Baby Paca craw are my go to craws. These are durable, 25 to 30 or so colors, and have a middle of the ground action that can be slow rolled and get a gentle flutter, or burned and get a pretty fast action. 

Other than some of the stick baits most plastics aren't horribly bad about tearing up real easy. To me maybe BioSpawn is probably the next worst in durability besides GYCB. Mentioning the Senko style baits I still say the forum sponsor BizzBaits Sassy Stick is a excellent copy. 

 

[d-camarena]

My arsenal of plastics consists of 5 brands. 

1. Zoom ( finnese magnum, fluke, ol monster, trick worm)

2. Gycb (senko, flapping hawg, swim senko)

3. Strike king ( shadilicious, rage bug, ocho)

4. Yum (christie craw)

5. Zman (trd, pop shadz)

I find everything i need with these companies.

[lo n slo]

Zoom and Berkley now but down thru the years i've thrown my fair share of Culprit, as well as, some obscure stuff like Renegade worms and Diamond Back lizards. my pb was caught on a Renegade Fall Pumpkin worm. I dont think thery're even around anymore!

[Jar11591]

90% of my soft plastic fishing is done with 4 brands:

GYCB
Strike King (Rage)
Zoom
Culprit

I also dabble in Z-Man, Robo and Net Bait.

[kadas]

 Just about all my plastic fishing is done with GYCB--Gambler--Gene Larew-- Roboworm--Mann's baits    Can just about find all my needs with one of them

[KDW96]

Ive narrowed mine down over the years. And i only take certain stuff depending on time of year,and weather.

1. Damiki

2. Original ZIPPER shakin worm.

3. Zoom baby brush hog

4. Uncle Josh tiny craws( jig trailers)

[roadwarrior]

80 percent Rage Tail...EVERY style Big O offers

15 percent GYCB...Senko, Fat Ika. Kut-Tail and Single Tail Hula Grub

5 percent...Other...LFT Live Magic Shad, MegaStrike Mega Craw Tube, Gitzit and BPS Tender Tube

 

[doyle8218]

On 10/5/2016 at 7:17 AM, Catt said:

I'm plastics freak!

I love em all!

Some have asked if I'm brand loyal to which I answered, "yes...to several brands"

I think Zoom would suit you well for two reasons; reasonable price & availability.

Gary Yamamoto's Senko

I throw em but I throw three other brands with equal success.

What are the other three?

[NYWayfarer]

On ‎10‎/‎5‎/‎2016 at 7:17 AM, Catt said:

Some have asked if I'm brand loyal to which I answered, "yes...to several brands"

I am the same way.

My soft plastics brand loyalty lies with:

Gary Yamamoto

Roboworm

Zman

Strike King

I have found baits in these brands that have consistently landed fish for me. I dabble with other brands but I always seem to return to these four.