Plastics time!

[lovecranking]

As I've posted on this site before, I really love cranks whether it's jerks, topwater, lipless, shallow or deep. Just love to throw them...total confidence. I'm always trying to improve with plastics to the point that I have confidence using them at any time. Now I've used lizards, tubes, senkos, toads, worms & smallie beaver type baits. The techniques I've used are texas, carolina, casting, drop-shotting & jigs. Now I'm thinking that I'm trying too much. I'd like advice from all of you as to which one or two different types of plastics to stick with. And then maybe which type of presentation(s) to stay with. Am I better going in the direction I've been going in or do you think I should concentrate on just a few. I think I need to find the one or two ways to really get the feel for fishing soft baits. What's your advice?

[Vyron]

Stick to:

senkos

and t-rig worms

[roadwarrior]

For water <12', Senko and Fat Ika are VERY effective and are fished basically the same (just different profiles and action). You should fish both of these baits weightless and weedless.

For wate 12'>, Kreature, T-rigged with a bead. I prefer the weight unpegged, but I have a DVD from GYCB that features some of the staff and Gary Yamaoto using a pegged weight. Do you think he knows anything?

[nwgabassmaster]

In my opinion, for what it's worth, I would stick with anything T-rigged.  There are certain occasions that require a particular style worm, etc.  However, as a man that has been fishing soft plastics for the last 8 years, almost exclusively, I find that I lean more toward the newer generation of creature lures that have come around.  The Sweet Beaver, Smallie Beaver, Kreature, Baby Paca Craw, etc., are all lures that can be modified to fit any occasion.

I use tubes, from time to time, mostly in spawning situtations.  For worms, I don't use many of the twirl tail worms anymore, unless it's on a C-rig in the dead of summer.  For worms, I almost use the Zoom Finesse Worm and Gambler Sweebo worms, exclusively.

As for lizards, I use them during the pre-spawn and spawn, and then, during the dead of summer on C-rigs, only when I can't get them to hit worms.

So, I guess what I am saying is that, try what you wanna try.  LOL  You will gain the confidence that you need in certain lures, and you will find ways of adapting them to each situation that you come across.  

As anglers, we can sit here and preach at you about what you need to use, when you need to use it, where and how to use it, etc.  However, it's you as an angler that must decide what is good for you, and how you will use it.

 Just try different things.  And when you feel that you wanna throw the rod in the water, always think that the next cast could yield that bass that is going to make you feel better about the particular lure or technique.  

[Rattlinrogue]

Keep it simple.T-rigs and C-rigs will cover you pretty well as far as catching numbers of bass.I like to pitch a T-rigged tube or creature bait,pegged also.

[phisher_d]

My main plastics are senkos and tubes.  I usually t-rig or wacky rig the senko, and I usually use an inserted jig head for the tubes.  

[lovecranking]

RoadWarrior & Rattlinrouge when you refer to unpegged or pegged weights, what exactly do you mean?

[MyKeyBe]

lovecranking,

It refers to if the sinker is left to slide on the line(unpegged) or if the sinker is attached to the line by inserting a toothpick in the sinker, using a rubber band, etc... basically keeping the sinker in place(pegged).

[Triton21]

Pegging a sinker is to fix it on the line so it don't  move.  I think most people use a toothpick pushed in the sinker then break it off.  My favorite way is to use a piece of monofiliment (sp). put the tag ends together, run it through the sinker forming a loop on one end, place a piece of rubber band through the loop, pull the tag ends of the mono pulling the rubber band through the sinker.  Leave just enough rubber band on the end of the sinker so as to be able to get hold of it with your fingernails and be able to pull it out to be able to reuse the sinker.  This will peg the sinker without any chanch of damageing the line.

[CJ]

I'm not sure on your exact location but,if you fish Shelbyville or Wren Lake I would check in to some Power Bait blue fleck power worms.I think they are 7 in.As far as what kind of plastic to throw there are to many to list.I think color is going to be more of a factor.I would start by Texas rigging.

[orangebynature]

Last year when I first started fishing I was in your shoes I loved cranking top water anything I could see or feel. One day I went out and made myself use plastics now I use them almost 95% of the time.  A easy way to start is by using a #1 or#2 EWG hook and a Zoom Fat Albert ( I like the rootbeer/pepper green or the watermelon/orange) T-rigged & pegged close to the hook then find a downed tree, stump, dock or a pile of poles like the ones barges tie up to.  I like to fish them close up 5 to 10 feet away sometimes I sit right on top of them ( fishing straight down ) let it sit on bottem moving it up and down with the rod tip about every 10 sec. each cast takes about a minute. I have found this to be very successful for me I hope it works for you.

[SneakySnook]

Just stick to t-rig for now and when your confidence is up from that then try c-rig.

[bubbler]

senkos are the best in the spring.

cast to shore then let it go to the bottom and slowly hop it along the bottom.

Use t-rigs all year round with short hopping movements.

efective in the spring around cover.

[Dan:]

When I first started fishing it seemed like I bought every type of soft plastic they made. Now I all use are worms, senkos, tubes, and creatures. If you find a soft plastic from each one of these bait categories that you like the most, you can really clear out a lot of unnecessary baits in your tackle box. I think those are pretty much the basics, but after that you can always throw in lizards, frogs, flukes, craws, grubs, etc...

btw, i include ikas in the "creature" category.

[eastkybass]

When using soft plastics I use T-rig all the time.  I have to force myself to do it any other way.  I have just been so confident with this.  I never saw my Dad use anything else when he was fishing worms and I guess it has just stuck with me.  I did try some C-rig this past year but spent most of the year working on getting better with spinnerbaits and jigs.

[bassfisher70]

I love the T-rig with a watermelon seed horny toad (spring all the way through summer)

[Chris]

Which presentation do you like to use? Then expand on it with different lures. When you get that down then pick out another style of fishing and figure out if it works for you and if you like it and so on. If you want to be well rounded then learn them all if you want to be proficient then pick the ones you like because your more opt to use them.