Bass are soft plastic picky?

[Ravox]

Not sure if I’m going to make myself clear here but I will try…

 

Usually when and try 2,3 different soft plastics changing colors type etc and if I see that they don’t bite I will try something else, like a lipless crank etc… in my mind if they don’t get those soft plastics is because they don’t want soft plastic at all.

 

Today I faced a situation like that in my neighborhood pond tried Senkos, Ol Monster, different Yum Dinger colors etc and nothing instead  moving out from soft plastics decided to use some Creme Scoundrel that was forgotten in my tackle bag, to my surprise 3 casts = 3 catches.

 

My question is Bass can be picky like that regarding soft plastics? Maybe I should try different kinds of soft plastics before trying another bait? Is that possible that they can notice difference on worms that look almost the same but have a preference for a specific worm like that?

 

 

[OldManLure]

It is more likely that the Creme Scoundrel was the best mimic of a bait fish native to the pond. 

[Trox]

Some bass are super boujee and will only eat designer brands

[Bluebasser86]

I badly outfished my boater in a tournament once when we were both fishing the same exact shakyheads, except mine was a green pumpkin/red flake, his was plain green pumpkin. I'd say it wasn't the flake, but they were so aggressively eating mine and ignoring his, I'm not sure what else it could have been. 

 

Normally, I don't worry about color too much except things like light vs dark or opaque vs translucent. Body style can make a big difference also though. 

[GRiver]

I switched brands one time, same ribbon tail and length, June bug…. They just quit biting. 

[Captain Phil]

There is no way to figure out what lure a bass wants at any particular time other than to try it.  I have seen anglers slaughter bass on a particular lure right alongside an angler who can't get a bite. Often it's not the lure, it's something one angler is doing that the other doesn't.  A good example of this is Rattle Trap fishing.  Some days the fish want a slow steady retrieve and some days they want a jerky retrieve.    Worm fishing is similar.  Same bait, different result.  Instead of switching baits or looking for the perfect color, try changing the way you fish it. 

[Catt]

36 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Often it's not the lure, it's something one angler is doing that the other doesn't. 

 

Rhythm: a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound.

 

Part of figuring out a pattern is figuring out how the bass want it.

 

Don't think it was just a lure or color that got bit. Think about was your were doing with the worm prior to & when ya got bit.

 

Pattern: the regular and repeated way in which something happens or is done

 

Duplicate it ?

[Crankin4Bass]

11 hours ago, TroxBox said:

Some bass are super boujee and will only eat designer brands

Shhhh...I am trying to keep my Louis Vuitton crankbait color a secret.

[scaleface]

I have witnessed  smallmouth turn down a plastic worm   then jump all over a plastic craw .

[Todd2]

For me, when I have a type of plastic that I have confidence in I do better. Of course confidence comes from previous success. It might be in my head, but it seems real. I do think small changes (brand, color, type,retrieve) in plastics can make a difference.

[Fat Ika]

12 hours ago, Ravox said:

Not sure if I’m going to make myself clear here but I will try…

 

Usually when and try 2,3 different soft plastics changing colors type etc and if I see that they don’t bite I will try something else, like a lipless crank etc… in my mind if they don’t get those soft plastics is because they don’t want soft plastic at all.

 

Today I faced a situation like that in my neighborhood pond tried Senkos, Ol Monster, different Yum Dinger colors etc and nothing instead  moving out from soft plastics decided to use some Creme Scoundrel that was forgotten in my tackle bag, to my surprise 3 casts = 3 catches.

 

My question is Bass can be picky like that regarding soft plastics? Maybe I should try different kinds of soft plastics before trying another bait? Is that possible that they can notice difference on worms that look almost the same but have a preference for a specific worm like that?

 

 

Who knows, but everyone's input are all valid considerations. IMO, the strongest variable as many others stated, is your technique with casting approach and how you're working the bait. I have zero experience with Florida fishing, but your choice of a finesse worm sounds like a great last resort to me. 

[gim]

31 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I have witnessed  smallmouth turn down a plastic worm   then jump all over a plastic craw .

I have experienced this too.  The natural forage in the body of water were crayfish.  Not so much worms.  Same with a jerk bait more than once.  Perch were the natural bait fish forage, and I caught fish on a perch jerk bait.  My friend fishing in the back of the boat was using more of a purple-ish color and couldn't get bit.

 

But I will say that I've caught them on a plastic worm-looking bait too.  Predatory fish will often take advantage of a meal regardless of what it is, but they can definitely be picky too at times.

 

Water clarity could be playing a role here.  The smallmouth in my examples above were in a lake that had very clear water.  In a murkier lake or river, maybe it wouldn't make much of a difference.

[Deleted account]

18 hours ago, Ravox said:

Not sure if I’m going to make myself clear here but I will try…

 

Usually when and try 2,3 different soft plastics changing colors type etc and if I see that they don’t bite I will try something else, like a lipless crank etc… in my mind if they don’t get those soft plastics is because they don’t want soft plastic at all.

 

Today I faced a situation like that in my neighborhood pond tried Senkos, Ol Monster, different Yum Dinger colors etc and nothing instead  moving out from soft plastics decided to use some Creme Scoundrel that was forgotten in my tackle bag, to my surprise 3 casts = 3 catches.

 

My question is Bass can be picky like that regarding soft plastics? Maybe I should try different kinds of soft plastics before trying another bait? Is that possible that they can notice difference on worms that look almost the same but have a preference for a specific worm like that?

 

 

Scoundrel is a smaller more subtle bait than the ones you tried before it. I'm guessing that made the difference, but it could be a number of things. I try not to attribute a reason as to the why until it can be repeated. Too often the tendency is to give credit to a particular lure or color, and more times than not, that is in fact not the case. What I won't do very often when I'm not catching (yeah, like that would happen  ) is try different brands or colors of similar baits, I'm going to something different and taking it from there, and I always let the fish drive.

[geo g]

Location placement and technique are the two most important factor on using plastics.  I try to figure out where they are hanging on a given day and hour.  Then I will change techniques until I start to get bites.  First a steady slow retrieve, then a stop and go. Then a snap off the bottom and long stop.  Finally a slow pull with no jerks.  If nothing works I will change size and color and go through the same series of retrieves.  If that doesn’t work I will go trick worming.  By then it’s time to pack up and try tomorrow.