"Best" soft plastic...

[Hillbilly Bennett]

I really have gotten in to throwing straight tail worms this year and have caught most of my fish this year on them. 

1- Yamamoto Senko-Weightless, wacky or on a light Texas rig. 

2-Strike King Ocho-I’ve done some damage with these on shakey heads in my local lakes. 

3-Strike King Caffine Shad-My favorite Soft Jerk Bait

4-Missile Baits D-Stroyer-My confidence bait on a t-rig. 

5-Netbait Paca Craws-T rigged, Carolina rigged or jig trailers. 

[J Francho]

10 hours ago, TOXIC said:

I'm a bit biased but it's been that way for over 20 years.

I think bias built over two decades of experience with a line is totally OK.  Even if you're sponsored.  Speaking of sponsors, I'm lucky that our site sponsors put a VERY diverse bunch of baits in our hands, to test them out.  Rarely is there a "bad bait."  Some I can't use that much, like the hujungous glide bait Savage Gear sent me, but the thing swam well, and did what much more expensive baits do.

 

So plastics.  I have a few favorites for certain things.  Ragetail Denny Craws, GYCB Senkos and Ikas, YUM Dingers, Jackall Crosstail Shad, Robowoms, and RI Sweet Beavers will always be in my box.

 

I'll be looking forward to trying a pile of new Berkley MaxScent baits.  I used to fish a ton of Powerbait plastics back in the 90s, so I already like their stuff.

[Jar11591]

Netbait Paca Craws & Chunks 

Rage Tail Menace 

Zoom Baby Brush Hog 

Culprit 10” Ribbon-tails 

Yamamoto Senko 

 

[LonnieP]

Berkley Power worms t-rigged 

Rage craw or chunk for jig trailer

[BigAngus752]

I keep trying other things but no plastic catches for me like a Zoom Trick Worm or Zoom UV Speed Worm.  I have never caught anything on a Senko...and I've really tried!  In fact, I have fished a Senko for an hour with not a bite and pulled it off, put on a Trick Worm (same rig!) and bang...fish in the boat.  Not sure why and I'm not knocking Senkos.  I've got a lot of other brands of plastics also but those two Zoom worms are my best bets.  

[Fishingintheweeds]

Thanks for the replies. I ask because I set out to spend time with a type or to specifically try and fish one into the ground and/or try color changes throughout the day and then I draw a blank on what to do next OR I start to play with my retrieve and trying different targets and angles instead. 

 

Any of a few Zoom worms are good for me. Most of what I've caught on worms lately had been 9" or larger...I keep meaning to throw in the 4" but...all I have are intentions. How does everyone decide when to try a larger or smaller worm? If you're getting feedback from the fish, what kinds of things indicate that you should try and downsize? 

 

For me...it's when I have zero bites but don't want to give up in the plastics just yet. I say zero because fishing from the banks, spots are limited and if I know there is reason for fish to be there but I've got no action, it's time for a change.  

[Fishingintheweeds]

Thanks for the replies. I ask because I set out to spend time with a type or to specifically try and fish one into the ground and/or try color changes throughout the day and then I draw a blank on what to do next OR I start to play with my retrieve and trying different targets and angles instead. 

 

Any of a few Zoom worms are good for me. Most of what I've caught on worms lately had been 9" or larger...I keep meaning to throw in the 4" but...all I have are intentions. How does everyone decide when to try a larger or smaller worm? If you're getting feedback from the fish, what kinds of things indicate that you should try and downsize? 

 

For me...it's when I have zero bites but don't want to give up on the plastics just yet. 

 

About the craws and creature baits...I know the brush hogs are supposed to really kill em...but I have had zero on them. Same with the crawdad baits. I take that back, I was tossing them into holds in the pads and on the retrieve got a blowup on top. Ha, it was pretty cool, because topwater strikes always are, but it wasn't what I was trying to do.

 

Maybe I just can't comprehend or process some techniques but I like the chigger bug on the weedless no-skirt arkie. That will be getting tied on soon. 

 

Do you have any specific recommendations for how you like to fish craw and creature baits? When do you choose one over the other? 

 

I have pretty good success with almost any kind of paddle tail swimbait...as my chatterbait trailer. I've caught more fish on chatterbaits, since I started using them, than almost all other ways combined. Thanks to the paddletails. But I've also had success throwing them at cover and working them through or slowly dragging them, weedless. "Swimming" them hasn't gotten me any action. 

 

Last, the Berkley Havoc Pit Boss...they've worked for me as chatterbait trailers, topwaterz (open or in pads), weightless and T rigged in lots of applications. Similar is the devil spear...but I think I'm the only person who still has some of those lying around...but they worked for me. And even though I never hear any talk about them, I see the Pit Boss is still being made so it must be working for at least a dozen other people besides just me.

[TOXIC]

15 hours ago, J Francho said:

I think bias built over two decades of experience with a line is totally OK.  Even if you're sponsored.  Speaking of sponsors, I'm lucky that our site sponsors put a VERY diverse bunch of baits in our hands, to test them out.  Rarely is there a "bad bait."  Some I can't use that much, like the hujungous glide bait Savage Gear sent me, but the thing swam well, and did what much more expensive baits do.

 

So plastics.  I have a few favorites for certain things.  Ragetail Denny Craws, GYCB Senkos and Ikas, YUM Dingers, Jackall Crosstail Shad, Robowoms, and RI Sweet Beavers will always be in my box.

 

I'll be looking forward to trying a pile of new Berkley MaxScent baits.  I used to fish a ton of Powerbait plastics back in the 90s, so I already like their stuff.

The funny thing about being sponsored by Yamamoto is that I bought them by the case for the guide service at retail for a number of years.  Then I got on their guide program which gave me a bit of a discount.  I didn't get to the upper level of sponsorship for a number of years and only then by putting in a lot of extra hours doing a lot of extra work doing shows, appearances, seminars, writing articles, etc.  Plastics is a pretty generic catagory of baits that most everyone uses.  The differences between them are small I mean is there really a difference between all of the craw style baits other than what it takes to avoid copyright infringement?  Shape of the claws, extra leg here or there, balls on the end of the legs, etc.  Look at the number of Senko knock-offs there are out there.  Other than the plastic formula, amount of added salt/scent/silica/flake/pigment they all are pretty much the same shape.  In my personal opinion the original Senko still out performs all of the others and that's based on my using them as well as the others.  I believe the difference is in the plastic formula which is only known to 3 people.  Will the others catch fish.....absolutely.  So it boils down to cost, personal preference and most of all confidence.  Buy what you want but you better have confidence in what you buy otherwise you won't catch anything.  

[J Francho]

That GY plastic formula is like magic.

[mattkenzer]

55 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

In my personal opinion the original Senko still out performs all of the others

I concur!

 

14 minutes ago, J Francho said:

That GY plastic formula is like magic. 

It can be scary good at times.

 

I only carry one stick bait that is not GYCB because they do not make that color.

[Crankin4Bass]

22 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

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. 

 

Have you found a non-lead weighted swimbait hook for the fat impacts?

[fishwizzard]

2 hours ago, Crankin4Bass said:

Have you found a non-lead weighted swimbait hook for the fat impacts?

https://www.siebertoutdoors.com/Moaner-The-Weighted-Stroker-Lead-Free-1509.htm

 

The selection is pretty thin at the moment and they are not on Moaner's website anymore, so they might be discontinued.  

 

http://www.omtdhooks.com/en/catalogo/products/hooks-en/oh1500-2/

 

These are pretty good as well, but I wish the hookgap was a little bigger.  

[Crankin4Bass]

11 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

https://www.siebertoutdoors.com/Moaner-The-Weighted-Stroker-Lead-Free-1509.htm

 

The selection is pretty thin at the moment and they are not on Moaner's website anymore, so they might be discontinued.  

 

http://www.omtdhooks.com/en/catalogo/products/hooks-en/oh1500-2/

 

These are pretty good as well, but I wish the hookgap was a little bigger.  

It's tough finding lead free options. Thanks for pointing me to these two options!

[fishwizzard]

1 hour ago, Crankin4Bass said:

It's tough finding lead free options. Thanks for pointing me to these two options!

No problem.  The OMTD line has a lot of interesting looking jigheads as well.  If you are willing to wade through JDM sites, there are more lead-free options out there.  

[J Francho]

6 hours ago, mattkenzer said:

I only carry one stick bait that is not GYCB because they do not make that color.

I carry Dingers because sometimes I think the slower fall gets bit.  I'm testing the new General from Berkley and reports say it falls faster than a senko.  I realize it's not all about fall rate, but I like to know these things.

[MassYak85]

4 hours ago, Crankin4Bass said:

It's tough finding lead free options. Thanks for pointing me to these two options!

I have been using the OMTD hooks as well! Another thing I do is take an Owner Beast Hook (unweighted) and then use nail weights.

 

I do use the Owner Flashy Swimmers though. To me any kind of underspin falls into the grey area of the law (it's more than just a weighted hook or jig head at that point). Because how is an underspin different than a spinnerbait (which are not part of the law, and in essence are simply jigs with a wire blade attached)? The length of the wire arm? Yea I don't think so. Obviously the law doesn't go into that kind of detail so to my understanding they're fine. Take away the blade though I don't use the normal weighted beast hooks because according to the letter of the law they do count. 

[Dorado]

44 minutes ago, MassYak85 said:

I have been using the OMTD hooks as well! Another thing I do is take an Owner Beast Hook (unweighted) and then use nail weights.

 

I do use the Owner Flashy Swimmers though. To me any kind of underspin falls into the grey area of the law (it's more than just a weighted hook or jig head at that point). Because how is an underspin different than a spinnerbait (which are not part of the law, and in essence are simply jigs with a wire blade attached)? The length of the wire arm? Yea I don't think so. Obviously the law doesn't go into that kind of detail so to my understanding they're fine. Take away the blade though I don't use the normal weighted beast hooks because according to the letter of the law they do count. 

Huge fan of the Owner Flashy Swimmers as well!

[scaleface]

I have hundreds of Jelly worms , so I use them all the time .I still have a lot of the old 6 inch Bass Pro Shop Squirmin Lizards . They are   thin and flat . I  like  them because the hook comes through so easily . The Larew Salt Craw Is another favorite . Bass Pro and Mister Twister Worms that had a different color core would get used up rather quickly .Bright  lime green Fliptail worms were a hot color . I have never found that color in any other worm .

[Maxximus Redneckus]

1.Manns  6" jelly worm purple

2.bass assasin 

3.zoom

These 3 keep my fingers rough all i need ..grubs to flukes to worms

[thinkingredneck]

Zoom trick worm, finesse worm, U vibe speed worm

Creme scoundrel

Zoom lizard

Horny toad

Lunker city salad spoon

[FishTank]

Senkos> 5in any dark color

Zoom lizards

Venom Tubes> when I can find them

Any creature bait >just for the fun of it

 

 

[Way north bass guy]

One word: Berkley 

There, that’s all you need to know, your welcome ?

[Graham]

On 8/23/2018 at 1:28 AM, CroakHunter said:

Anything rage tail. 

Straight up gets em.

[Sellersrobe]

shhh... don't tell anyone but Cabin Creek Spider Parts on a NedLock jig head catches any smallie around. My problem is finding them...

[Fishingintheweeds]

Hmmmm...sounds like any of these baits are good if you present them the right way. I guess that's really the lesson.  I definitely like the suggestions...I threw together something today, that I found out already exists as a Jika rig...that felt good to throw, open water or into the reeds and pad edges. It seems like a good rig for the smaller craws that some of you have mentioned. I also threw a Christie Critter (or brush hogs, man bear pig, etc.) in it for a bit and that seemed like it has potential also.