"Best" soft plastic...

[Fishingintheweeds]

I've got a few that I'm partial to and maybe I use some of them in ways or situations where they don't exactly shine. So, of a few types (worm, creature, or by open water/in cover, etc.), what are your favorites and why? What of each type is your favorite in the most situations?

[CroakHunter]

Anything rage tail. 

[Mobasser]

I'm starting to get into rage tail, but I like Zoom, and Roboworm also.Mostly plastic worms, Texas rig, shakey head, or split shot. I still use Mann's jelly worm also. Now I've started throwing Rage Tail menace. All use it alone, and as a jig trailer this fall too

[The Fisher]

Zman TRD Ned rig 

Senko Wacky or Texas

Keitech Swing Impact Swimbait

Paca Craws different sizes jigs

Chigger Craws Texas or jigs

Hags  Tornado Shaky Head

 

 

[TOXIC]

If Yamamoto doesn't make it, I don't throw it.  IMHO their line up covers all of my plastic needs with quality baits.  I'm a bit biased but it's been that way for over 20 years.  

[Bluebasser86]

I probably fish a beaver style bait more than any other with the Strike King Rodent, Big Bite Baits YoMomma, and YUM Woolly Bug and Bad Momma being my favorites. 

[Mike L]

Punching...Sweet Beaver, BB Cricket, Speed Craw

 

Swimming...Fat Max, magnum Speed Worm

 

Bottom...Jelly Worm, Recon

 

All subject to immediate change. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Lead Head]

My "go to" soft plastic is a Texas rigged zoom baby brush hog. For me, those things flat out catch fish pretty much anywhere. I've been leaning more on jigs recently but if I'm going to throw a tx-rig it's always the baby brush hog first. If the brush hogs fail me I'll try a weightless senko (yum dinger).

[Jig Man]

This year TRD because it gave us 65 bass with 14 keepers to 6.25 # this spring.

 

I always have a Zero tied on.

 

Can't beat a beaver on a jig.

[tander]

Anything Z Man or Yamamoto.

[TBAG]

TRD crawz

TRD

Senkos

Baby Brush hogs

[PersicoTrotaVA]

Zoom finesse worm and trick worm, yum dingers, yam senko, all wacky rigged on a 1/16 oz owner wacky rig hook or 1/16 oz keitech mono spin jig. Oh and the color is almost always green pumpkin or green pumpkin magic. I put 5 fish in the boat the other day total weight about 18 lbs, all caught with the same bait, 1/16 owner wacky with a green pumpkin magic finesse worm. That’s my go to bait for any situation except super heavy cover, then it’s jig time. 

[Dens228]

Last year I would have said Senko's.  

This year I would say Keitech Impact paddletails.  I've used different sizes, fat and regular on swimjigs, weighted swimbait hooks, and chatterbaits and have absolutely nailed bass with them.

 

Ragetails are a very, very, close second though as my top three bass this year were all caught on them on a jig. 

[Log Catcher]

I like the baby brush hogs, ol monster and mag 2 worms, and ultra vibe speed craw. If the bite gets really tough I will throw a grub or centipede. Once in a while I throw a senko type worm.

[fishwizzard]

4 hours ago, TOXIC said:

If Yamamoto doesn't make it, I don't throw it.  IMHO their line up covers all of my plastic needs with quality baits.  I'm a bit biased but it's been that way for over 20 years.  

What do you use from the GYCB line as a Trick/finesse worm?   Pro-senkos or the small Kut-tails come to mind, but they are both heavily salted, right?  

[TOXIC]

39 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

What do you use from the GYCB line as a Trick/finesse worm?   Pro-senkos or the small Kut-tails come to mind, but they are both heavily salted, right?  

Yes, I am a big user of the Pro Senko in 5".  I use it on shakey heads, dropshot and Ned rigs.  I also use other baits for these presentations as well.  Yamamoto does not make a true "floating" worm.  I have never found that much of a difference between the floating and non floating but the Ned crowd will say that a Ned rig without a floating bait is just a shakeyhead.  I disagree.  The difference in the 2 is the mushroom head and the hook eye placement which gives the Ned a different action.  I prefer the Pro Senko over the Kut Tail most of the time because I find the fish key in on and bite off the tails on the Kut Tails more often.  

[NYWayfarer]

My favorite soft plastics ATM:

 

Worm: Yum Dinger (shallow) Senko (deep water) , Powerbait MaxScent (deep moving water)

 

Ned rig: TRD and Hula Stickz

 

Tubes: Zoom Salty Super Tubes

 

Don't throw many creature style baits to have a favorite

 

 

[Choporoz]

I probably have 50 pounds of plastics.  

 

Ironically, I could probably do just fine if I had only three things:

Rage Tail Cut-R

Rage Tail Structure Bug

Rage Tail Craw

[fishwizzard]

43 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

 I prefer the Pro Senko over the Kut Tail most of the time because I find the fish key in on and bite off the tails on the Kut Tails more often.  

Hah, oh yea. I have a bunch of the 4” Kut-tails and while I love them on a small Slider head, they do get bit off constanly if I am fishing them around panfish.  It’s even worse if I dip the tails in Chartreuse JJ’s. 

 

 

[Brad in Texas]

I'd certainly agree to most anything Gary Yamamoto makes as being quality, creating great outcomes. One way you know this to be true? He has been able to command a premium price for a very long time. Deservedly.  ***His fishing resort is about 15 miles from my home in east Texas. I need to go out there some day!!!

 

The others?

 

Several things work well for me on my drop shot, none though do as consistently well as a small Roboworm.

 

For soft swimbaits, sort of like Yamamoto's line-up, there is nothing in the Keitech line I don't like.

 

I've tried and even liked scores of other plastics, though rarely return to them after a go or two using them, not like I do my primary three.

 

Brad

[Troy85]

Craws: RageTail or Zoom Z-craw

Worms: Culprit for curly tail, and Zoom for finesse.
I used to only use yamasenkos for stick baits, but I recently started using yum dingers as well

For soft plastic bait fish imitations I use super flukes or swimming flukes.

[RevoSEMIpro]

Zoom Trick Worm - usually weightless

Keitech Fats Swing Impact - weighless, swimbait hook, trailers

Reaction Innovations Sweet Beavers - jig or t-rig

Rage Craw or Menace- trailer, t-rig, rage rigged

GYMC Senkos- wacky

Zman Hula Sticks or Leechz - ned (spoiler alert - walleyes like them almost as much as the smallmouth do)

[MassYak85]

The last couple years I've found myself using the following almost exclusively for soft plastics

 

BPS Stick-O (senko knockoff) -  T-rig weightless or wacky 

Keitech Fat Impact - Go to for swimjig/chatterbait/spinnerbait trailers or on a weighted swimbait hook

Keitech Crazy Flapper - Jig Trailer or weighted T-rig, bigger ones I use for punching as well

Zoom Super Fluke - Either in open water with a small finesse wide gap or in cover with a 3/0 Superline EWG hook

Roboworm straight tails - Shakeyhead and drop shot

Upton's Customs worms (Mainly the 9" and 10" ones) - Larger shakeyheads, T-rigged and fished slow on the bottom with a split shot

Berkley Powerbait power worms (curly tails, mainly the 10" ones) - Carolina rig or weighted T-rig

 

I still go to a few others for stuff like finesse jigs (Various grubs), coldwater jig trailers ("dead action" trailers) etc. 

 

[greentrout]

1. Zoom Trick Worm

 

2. Berkley Power Worm 7" Original

 

3. Culprit 7.5 Original Worm

 

4. Mann's 6" Jelly Worm

 

5. Creme Worm

 

good fishing

[the reel ess]

1. Zoom Trick Worm

2. Berkley Chigger Craw. I like to rig on a plain weedless Arky jighead. It'll get more bites than a skirted jig, it's a big fish bait and they'll bite and carry it around all day. They won't spit it out.

3. Tie for Zoom Super Fluke and Swimming Super Fluke. The latter I like to rig on an EWG hook with a 1/8 oz. bullet weight.

4. Others.