Bass fishing with soft plastic lures can seem like a daunting task at first site. With so many styles, colors, and techniques, which one is right? Don’t be the guy that grabs a lure just to toss it in and hope for the best. With some basic knowledge and practice, you will be catching trophy bass on soft plastics during any time of the year. 

Best rod and reel for using plastic bait

A good all-around rod for fishing plastics is at least 6’6” with a fast action and medium-heavy power. The fast action will give your lure the most action and sensitivity. While the power will help with hook sets and pulling bass out of the weeds. 

Whether you prefer a spinning reel or bait caster is subjective, depending on the style of fishing each has its advantages and disadvantages. A good drag system and a minimum of 6.1:1 ratio are a must.  Read more about rod selection here!

Most common styles of plastic bait

Worms: come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from straight tails to ribbed and curly tails. Good for a variety of retrieves and fishing situations.

Lizard: resembles a lizard or small snake, good for fishing in heavy cover and mimicking a variety of prey species.

Crawfish: resembles a crawfish, good for fishing near rocks, logs, and structure.

Stick baits: resembles a minnow or worm, good for a finesse approach or fishing in clear water.

Creature baits: resemble a variety of creatures, such as frogs, salamanders, and lizards, good for fishing heavy cover and imitating prey species.

Fluke/Swimbaits: resembles a large baitfish, good for fishing in open water and targeting larger bass.

Tubes: A tube normally between 2.5” and 4” with an attached skirt, mostly resembling a squid-type creature. Normally bounced on the bottom with a tube jig. 

How to rig and fish plastic baits

Soft plastics can be rigged on a jig head, Carolina rig, Texas rig, or drop shot rig, depending on the fishing situation. Choose colors and shapes that resemble the natural prey in the water, such as worms, lizards, crawfish, or shad. Use a weight that is appropriate for the current conditions you are fishing in to get the lure to the proper depths. Vary your retrieval speeds and action to trigger the attention of lurking bass. Some soft plastics may already have salt and scent added to help attract bass or you can add your own, more on that later. 

Jig Head Rig: a soft plastic is rigged onto a jig head and fished vertically or near the bottom. Good for fishing heavy cover and deep water. Fish with a vertical jigging motion, or drag it slowly near the bottom. Experiment with retrieve speed to match the mood of the fish.

Carolina Rig: a soft plastic is rigged onto a weight, leader, and hook and fished along the bottom. Good for fishing open water and deep structure. Slowly drag the rig along the bottom, occasionally lifting and dropping the rod tip to give the lure action.

Texas Rig: a soft plastic is rigged weedless by burying the hook in the body of the lure. Good for fishing heavy cover and vegetation. Fish it near cover, such as logs, rocks, and weeds, and retrieve it through the cover to target bass holding in these areas.

Drop Shot Rig: a soft plastic is rigged below a weight and fished vertically. Good for finesse fishing and fishing deep water. Let the rig sink to the desired depth, then slowly lift and drop the rod tip to give the lure action. Pay attention to the line for any strikes or bites.

Where to fish with soft plastic baits

Soft plastic lures can be fished all year, and in almost every condition due to the versatility of rigs. Targeting areas with cover such as logs, rocks, and weeds will produce the highest amount of fish. Areas where the lake has a natural structure such as breaks, humps, and points are also good spots to target. 

The fish will move and their patterns will change throughout the year. Knowing your local lake will give you the best opportunities. Check out some of our other articles about how to fish during spring, summer, fall, and winter for more information!

Do scent and salt make a difference with soft plastic baits?

Using salts and scents on lures is another one of those debatable topics. I will try to present both sides of the debate and then give you my opinions on the matter. 

Scent can be effective in luring in a bass, triggering strikes, and covering up your scent on the lure. There are hundreds of different styles of scents, some include dyes giving the lure a different color. The scent can either be sprayed on or the lure dipped into it. Another way scents can be added is during the manufacturing process, mixing it directly with the plastic. 

Salts are used for a variety of reasons, which include giving lures better sinking rates and different action once in the water. Salt can be added to the outside of baits and also through the manufacturing process, mixing it directly with the plastic. 

Now in my opinion, I believe salts and scents have their place in soft plastic lures, but I also believe most people depend on salts and scents to do all the work for them. Scents can be used to mask smells, or attract fish but if sprayed or dipped quickly become useless once they hit the water. 

Salts added to the outside of baits are great for packaging, keeping the lures from sticking to themselves. Most of the salt added to the outside will fall off during rigging and the rest will dissolve as soon as it touches the water. Salt added into the plastic is necessary for some lures to get the desired density and action, unfortunately, there are drawbacks to this. The salt-infused plastic will break down faster than bait with pure plastic. Some manufacturers will also use salt as a filler to save costs on plastic and not for reasons to enhance the lure. 

Salt and scent is a balancing act that is detrimental if overused, but can also help get the attention of bass if used properly. I am neither for nor against salts or scents, I use them for some baits and others are fine without them. 

Final Words

Bass fishing with soft plastics is a great way to catch bass. You can use them in more aggressive styles and for punching through thick cover a crankbait will never get through. Or you can fish them with finesse and catch the finicky bass that will not touch anything else. Practice, patience, and learning your local lake will help you determine which style, color, and rig to throw and when.