Plastics help!?

[BassinBEAST]

Im usually a spinnerbait guy and really have got away from plastics...why i don't know!? but i know how to rig them up and everything but just cant seem to get a hit. So basiclly what i'm asking how are you supposed to fish a texas rig and what drop weight should i use to get those big hits i've been longing for this season!?

-All help appreciated!
[signature]

[Simp]

My experience with plastics is that they're hit & miss. They're what I fished last year, and it was such a problem for me to set the hook that I've gone to crankbaits this year, being my 2nd year bass fishing. But the success I did have with them, I would cast it out, let it sink for a few seconds (or more depending on the depth), and then reel in slowly, bringing them up, and then stop, let them sink, then retrieve again. That was the pattern I used, and it worked fairly well. If I knew more about it last year I probably would have had more success.

This year, I've only had success on one tiny little crankbait. I'm trying to get away from it and find other lures that the bass in the pond I fish will strike. My girlfriend's dad got a big bass on a white/chartreuse/red spinnerbait the other day, but it jumped out of the water and lost the hook. I'd like to use some spinnerbaits, but I don't know good fishing technique of them, unless the best method is simply cast out and retrieve. It's a murky pond, so I've been looking at solid white, solid chartreuse, and mix color spinnerbaits. I've heard that spinnerbaits are a "big fish" bait, so I want to try and get the bigger bass in the pond, not just the little half pounders. So if you've got some help with spinnerbait stuff, I'd actually greatly appreciate that.
[signature]

[BassinBEAST]

yeah i tried fishing a plastic today and didnt get any hits but what i did is i let it sink on the cast then gave it 2 small tugs, reeled the slack and repeated. Now if thats not right please correct me. The pond im fishing now is DENSELY vegetated and when it starts growing even more to the waters' surface im going to have to rely on plastics to get the job done. It's to bad to throw a crankbait out there so im using my white terminator spinnerbait.

Spinnerbaits are great. They work in any condition at any time. With the exception of lure color you can really throw any spinnerbair out u want and get hits. Unfortantly this year has been TINY bass like half an ounce to a pound so far.Spinners are cast and retrieve but try and mix your speeds and teqnique up. If your wanting to reel at a fairly fast pace what i do is put the rod tip down. if you want to slow roll it than put the rod tip up. Thats just how i do it.

Spinnerbaits are all i use mostly due in part to all the success i have with them. Now i want to broaden my horizon with plastics. I see them as too good of a weapon NOT to use.

So keep the tips coming!
[signature]

[Simp]

Yeah, that's what I was doing and getting hits. I know how the pond bassin' goes. I haven't landed one over a pound. But I'm aiming for that big one that they almost caught. I'm looking to catch one at least 5lbs this year on the river...I guess we'll see. I'm going to use spinnerbaits on the river, probably white and chartreuse.
[signature]

[BassinBEAST]

Yeah it's a fairly large pond and i know theres a few big ones just asking to be caught. just need to find where and how.
[signature]

[Simp]

Amen brother. I'm casting deep and hoping haha.
[signature]

[Martini78]

Ponds are different than lakes or reservoirs or rivers because there usually aren't crayfish in ponds.

For a pond, you can fish wacky-rigged or weightless Senkos (soft stickbaits). You can throw a 9"+ worm weightless and swim it on the top like a baby snake. You can throw Flukes on a light split shot rig. You can Texas Rig a curly tail worm. Frogs are another option.

As far as weight goes, its a mix between preference and situation. If there are a load of weeds, I like a heavy tungsten weight. Tungsten is smaller than lead, so it collects less lettuce... also the heavier weight allows it to punch through the weeds a bit better. I'd probably take my flipping stick and texas rig a 9" worm with a 4/0 Owner hook and a 3/4 oz tungsten flipping weight and pitch the shoreline cover. Keep in mind that bass fishing won't be really hot in a pond until it warms up (in my neck of the woods, anyway).
[signature]

[BassinBEAST]

yeah its cold out like low 40s high 30s so im thinking im gonna buy a willowleaf spinner today and see if i can't explore those pesky weeds to find the big ones. If that doesn't work out the way i plan il go back to my plastics. also do the bass tend to like the longer tails on the worms or shorter tails with longer bodies? or no tails at all? Whats working for you guys? I'll tell you how it goes when i come back!
[signature]

[Martini78]

As worm preference goes, you'll get all sorts of answers because bass in different waters respond differently to the same lure shape, color, noise, vibration, etc... In a pond, I'd tend to go with a worm with a big flappy tail. Pond water is usually murky, so I would fish the curly tail in hopes of getting the vibration of the flapping tail to get the fish's attention. Of course, that might not always work.

I forgot to mention lizards. A soft lizard can be rigged Texas style or on jig head. I'd go with a 4" until it warms up and then try the bigger lizards.
[signature]

[fsh4fun05]

The vegetation growing to the surface could be your clue to catching the bass when it gets thick. Dragonflies seem to love that vegetation for some reason and the bass will eat them up. Match the color of the d-fly with a worm and twitch it on top of the moss until it falls through a hole.
Weightless Texas-rigged stick baits are also a killer.
[signature]

[Simp]

The moss in my pond just pisses me off. But I don't see dragonflies or anything out there...So I just cast around it with a crank. I'm goin fishin tomorrow so I'm definitely going to using a greenish lizard and try to hit the shore and drag it back in...been a while since I've used plastics.
[signature]

[tubeN2]

Don't forget that Bass get lazy in the colder water. It is important to slow your presention down considerably.

If you go weightless, pitch it out and let it set. Wait up to a minute if you can. Give it a twitch and wait again.

For structure fishing, you can land on lily pads or moss and use the same technique. As soon as you get to an opening, a hungy Bass could be waiting for the fall in the hole.

There is no sure fire method to force the fish to attack if they are not hungry. Sometimes you can just piss them off and get them to strike out of anger.[cool]
[signature]

[Simp]

Kinda fun pissin off wildlife when they can't strike back lol. Well, it makes your fishing day better.
[signature]

[BassinBEAST]

well my summer vegetation issue isn't moss that pond is virtually mossless its a ridiculous ammount of underwater vegetation growing all the way to the surface. of course i guess that dropping it in a hole method applies as well!

As for my day fishing! it was FREEZING and i was very underdressed so i wasn't there for long i bought a pack of kinami senkos and gave those a try but not long enough to get an accurate conclusion also boughta willowleaf bladed spinner to help cope with the weeds and so far i have pulled in much! so horray!

and i'll deffinatly have to try the lizards and weightless idea that sounds like a great idea! just hope it lets me pull out a 3 or + pounder and i'll be satisfied for the day. now its snowing hard....it went from being high 60's low 70's last week to snow.... so wierd so thats gonna throw off my fishing time [:/].

But all great tips thank you very much.

More are appreciated!!
[signature]

[bytebull]

plastics are the best.... i get most of my big bass off them...

slow... slow is the word...

throw it out and let is sit.... amost a minute, i Know that seams nuts but trust me.

then must move it a little...

UNLESS its spawn time then move it into the bed and work it alot.... get the male to aggro it. hahahah


here in arkansas we already got fry....


so the females have moved back out and the males are defending the little kids...

they will hit soft plastics if you put them in their face...
[signature]

[bytebull]

but soft plastics ....

my advice .... SLOW ..... throw it out and let it sink and dont even move it for over a minute...


then move it a bit .... wait another minute...

sound's crazy eh? i'ts the best with softs....

I give good advice.
[signature]

[TTBound]

I LOVE plastics, hell I have everything under the sun. Always have the best luck with them more then most other lures. I most of the time do a carolina rig sink it to the bottom and like most of the anglers in the above posts I retrive it slow with some good jerks to follow. I think most of the time with plastics and any other lure the water clarity,temp, and the active natural living bait thats around the area of course plays a big factor. Flukes,Jerk shads have been doing great for me early season. I can't wait to start hitting Tubes, and crawlers mid spring. Have fun! []
[signature]

[SKGuides]

I think I can help with plastics. If the suggestions below dont help, I can give even more detail at my website and I have free videos as well to watch on this. Tight lines, Steve
Delaware Bass Fishing For Trophy Bass

The variety of soft plastic baits for bass fishing is mind boggling. The choices available just in worms alone, are enough to cause confusion with the novice angler, and hours of debate among the more experienced. What size? color?, straight tail? curly tail?, salt or no salt? what rig to use them on, drop-shot? Carolina rigged?, weightless?, when are the best times to use each one? Then add in the endless variety of lizards, grubs, jerkbaits, freakbaits, tubes, and creatures, and you end up with more questions than answers. In the following article I will try to list the most effective plastic baits and presentations that catch not only numbers, but big bass as well, whether it is in a lake, pond or river, just about anywhere in the country. There will always be a new type of bait that one person or the other claims is better than the others, but the following baits and techniques will cover most any situation that you are likely to encounter.
Plastic Worms
The original artificial worm manufactured by Nick Creme, in 1949, was a standard straight tailed worm, but it spawned generations of worm companies and hundreds of soft plastic lure designs that are the mainstay of modern bass fishing. Straight tailed worms are just that--straight, with no bends or kinks in the middle, no curly tails, paddle tails, no air pockets, no flotation, nothing special at all, just a worm. Regardless of their plain appearance, many times straight tailed worms are much more effective than other fancier styles. This was proven to us first hand one day in a New York tournament. The bass absolutely refused to hit any other style of worm except a 6 inch straight tail in black, with a tiny bit of blue fleck in it. If you didn't have that particular style of worm, you were out of the money that day. Straight tailed worms are often at their best when bass are suspicious of anything out of the ordinary, such as in highly pressured tournament lakes. Many times in these situations the bass are put off by a curly tail waving in the current. But the opposite can be true for the same fish, in the same lake, when they are on their beds during the spawn. Many times, the movement of a curly tail will cause the extra enticement you need to catch them. Plastic worms aren't at their best in cold water, but then nothing is. When the water is cold, bass will feed only occasionally, and whether it is spring, fall, or winter, the slow, slightly twitchy retrieve with a straight tail worm will work wonders. But the key to this is working the worm slowly, only twitching it occasionally, allowing the worm to stay in the strike zone as long as possible, where the sluggish bass will notice, and possibly hit it. These worms also work well for bedding bass, but don't hesitate to put on a small curly tail worm if the bass won't pick up the straight tail. The fact that most straight tail worms are not floating models can be an advantage. While floating worms have a lot to offer in terms of waving around just off the bottom, bass are in the habit of searching and feeding off the bottom. Eels, worms, crayfish, nymphs, frogs, and other prey are often found there. Smallmouth in particular make a habit of routing in the rocks and gravel to find a meal. Plastic worms, rigged weedless, and worked slowly across the bottom, look more like natural prey trying to hide and escape than something floating off the bottom and waving around. To accomplish this, the standard Texas rig with a bullet weight is best. The Texas rig keeps the worm from getting hung up, and the weight gets the worm to the bottom and keeps it there. The Carolina rig is another option for the straight tail worm. This type of rig allows for a deeper, slower, even retrieve. The straight tail worm, and even retrieve, make this rig resemble an eel, although in smaller sizes, the bass may see it as a slim baitfish, or even a large dragonfly nymph. We found that these straight tail worms are excellent for fishing in the river. We cast them across the current, using a high rod technique, to minimize drag and allow the worm to drift with the current. Often a little twitch will provoke a strike, but the twitch should be subtle, just enough to move the worm a little bit. We also cast the worm straight upstream, which works very well in the rivers since they require less weight to sink naturally and can be fished dead with the current to resemble a dead or dying shad or other baitfish. Both Texas and exposed hook riggings work, but the Texas seems to be the best if there are any snags or it is a rough, rocky bottom. Tackle is important when fishing straight tail worms, since much of the fishing depends on slow techniques. I like to use a real sensitive rod, such as a G. Loomis, with the reel spooled with a sensitive line, such as Stren Sensor, or any other sensitive line. Using an outfit like this makes it easier to detect strikes, but you should always maintain contact with the worm, even when Deadsticking it. I like to use a small weight to accomplish this. Cross-stream casts in the current will usually maintain some tension, but upstream casts require a retrieve as fast as the current to keep slack out of the line and make sure that you detect all the strikes. Straight tail worms are also great for deep jigging. The jigging action makes the worm seem alive without a curly tail waving around in the water. Again, the key here is sensitive tackle, as the bass will often hit the worm on the fall. Straight tail worms are serious bass takers. If a bass follows another type of worm but doesn't take it, then try a straight stick of a worm. They may not look like much, but can take serious limits of bass when they are off their normal feed.
Worms/Floating Worms, & Critters
First, almost all plastic worms float. Usually, just adding any hook to the worm is enough to sink it. This allows a variety of bottom presentations, but they are not that great for working on the surface as a topwater. True floating worms have air blown into the PVC mix to create enough flotation to keep them on the surface. Many times over thicker cover these worms shine. When the bass are active, and would be hitting a buzzbait, or other topwater bait, but the cover doesn't allow it, these floating and curly tail worms, can be fished right on the surface, and worked quickly over thicker vegetation like a buzzbait. This has drawn some tremendous strikes throughout lakes and rivers all over the country. Most of these floating worms will float with a hook up to about a 3/0. Some of the more popular companies that manufacture these worms are Riverside, Bass Pro Shops, Culprit, Bass Assassin, Creme and others. Carolina Fish and Fur offer some great hand made floating worms. Most of the companies also make other floating baits, such as Mann's, who calls them Floating Creatures, and they come in frog and lizard shapes. Air pocket worms have a bunch of pockets of air, such as the Riverside Air Worm, and others have single large pockets, like on the Culprit Burst worms. Bass Pro Shops sold some worms a few years back that we had a lot of luck with, that were called Caterpillar worms. They have a prickly or spiny exterior that holds air bubbles. Most of these worms not only take numbers of bass, but also take big bass. We have been in many tournaments where the big bass was taken on a small worm or creature bait. These floating baits also work well when rigged to work over deeper structure such as brushpiles or weedbeds. A lot of these worms are designed to hold different scents also. Some are designed to have the scents injected right inside of the worm. All floating worms vary in their flotation ability with various hooks, so some experimentation is necessary to produce the desired results. One problem with floating worms is that they look no different than standard worms. Keep your floaters in a separate bag or box in the original bag to keep them from getting mixed up with the regular worms. The "critter" baits such as the soft plastic crayfish, lizards, frogs, and hellgrammites, also catch a lot of big bass. The craw type baits often have air pockets not only in the main body, but in the claws as well. Claws with air pockets float up off the bottom, putting it in a defensive posture that triggers strikes from bass that are fooled into believing it is a real crayfish. Experiment with different rigs, scents, and rattles in these baits until you find the most productive in that particular area. The floating worms and critters don't replace the old standbys, but they add another dimension to your fishing.
Tube Baits
There are as many different tube baits as there are worms, and more and more variations arrive each year. Some of the best tube baits we have used for catching bedding bass, and bass that are holding in tight to cover, are listed below.
Ringed Tubes
Many bait manufacturers have incorporated rings into their tube designs. Rings add bulk, trap air bubbles, and feel soft and lifelike to the bass. They allow for better hookups by reducing the amount of plastic that the hook has to penetrate. The first tube we ever bought that had this feature was a 4 1/2 inch tube made by Larew. These baits are made with an injection-mold, rather than a dip process, which is what you need to do to make a ringed bait. A lot of manufacturers are now adding a skirt to the ringed tube, which gives it even more bulk and a slower fall. The pulsating motion of the skirt and tail seem to come alive when rigged Texas or Carolina style, or used a jig trailer.
Solid Head The first solid head tube was introduced right after Denny Brauer won the classic. It is made by Strike King, but now there are many more manufacturers. This was a great innovation, since it gave standard worm hooks enough plastic in which to gain a firm hold. The main problem with finesse tubes is that the thin noses won't stay put on worm hooks. After these tubes came out, many other new innovations followed, such as longer and fatter tubes. Now there are many tubes in the 4 1/2 and 5 inch sizes. There are even bigger tubes than that, they are Saltwater tubes, which we have used successfully in the California Delta for BIG bass. Oversized tubes also are easier for bass to find in cover or muddy water.
Tube Critters The 5 inch Sala Tube from Mister Twister, features a solid head and a body shaped like a salamander. This bait also has eyes. This is part of the Exude line of baits, which contains a water soluble scent that gives the plastic a slimy feel when wet. These baits work very well on bedding bass in lakes all over the country. Because it has a lizard type shape it produces a stronger reaction from bedding bass than a regular tube does. We like to use this tube in heavy cover also, on 20-25 pound test line. When we fish real nasty cover, we use it on a jig with braided line, such as "Spiderline." Another new type of tube is the tube craw. This bait mimics a crawfish well, and can be worked in all types of cover. Another craw type tube bait is the Yum Craw Bug. The tail of this bait is curled under like a crawfish on the move. We always use this tube when fishing for bass that have received a lot of pressure. It seems to get strikes from heavily pressured bass that you wouldn't normally get. We usually rig this bait on a 3/0 or 4/0 Gamakatsu hook, with a 3/16 ounce bullet sinker, and 14-20 pound test Spiderline Mono. They make a small 2 inch craw now also, which we use for drop-shotting. I like to use the Craw tube in muddy water, because it is more buoyant than regular tubes and moves more water. Rattles can also be added to this tube to increase it's effectiveness in muddy or stained water. There is also a tube now called a Fork Craw, which I like to use when fishing grass. It is thinner and slides through vegetation more easily and presents a smaller profile which is great for clearer water. Another new type of tube is the Double-tail tube, which has two curled tails that appear as wings. Luck "E" Strike also makes a new tube called a "Ring Daddy." It was designed by Rick Clunn who believes the rings give off a hydrodynamic signal that appeals to bass. I have used this bait effectively when pitching and flipping. When we need to skip a tube under docks, we like to use Strike King's new baits called the Tube Craw, Wild Thang and Tube lizard. They have smooth bodies which make them ideal skipping baits. I use them on a 4/0 hook with a 5/16 ounce bullet weight. The Wild is a great bait for after the spawn, and it catches huge bass. It is 5 inches long, has a hollow body, and a shredded tail. I always use this bait when I believe the bass are looking upward. I like it in the summer months, and I have fished it with a swimming motion very successfully. The tube lizard is a great bait for the spawn, through the post spawn period.
Soft Jerkbaits Soft Jerkbaits like the Zoom Super Fluke are great substitutes for a hard Jerkbaits when the grass is too thick to use a hard bait with treble hooks. This bait was the best producer for the top ten finishers in the finals at Lake Gaston. We had tried many other baits that day, but the Fluke was the winner, hands down. There are a variety of different rigging techniques for soft plastic Jerkbaits, but I want the maximum action I can get with this bait, so I use a really large offset hook made by Eagle Claw. This hook is bigger than what most anglers use for the Fluke, but the bigger hook not only adds casting weight, but it shifts the weight to the rear of the bait and causes an exaggerated "walk-the-dog" action on the retrieve. It's a great bait for bass in weed pockets, or in deeper, thinner grass like the situation we ran into on Lake Gaston. This bait definitely gave you an advantage that day. I use a light/dark pattern with these baits, but occasionally go to colors like watermelon and green pumpkin, in the clearer water sometimes. I use this bait a lot in place of a surface bait like a rat, and if a bass blows up on it and misses, which happens a lot in heavy scum and grass, then I just maneuver the bait to the hole created by the bass and let it sink. Most of the time the bass will still be there and take the Fluke on the drop, something I can't do with the rat. All of these baits and more can be very effective for big bass at times. At night I use a 10-12 inch worm for some huge bass. But none of these baits will work for the beginner or intermediate angler unless you are fishing in the right spot. Some of the best advice I can give is: Fish slowly, when you think you're fishing slowly, slow down some more. Fish some of the smaller lakes and rivers. With emphasis on tournaments, many anglers forget about the great fishing in some of the smaller lakes and rivers that you can't fish in a bass boat.
Don't make your fishing too complicated. Use a few basic baits to start, then expand after you have learned how to use those starter baits. Find the right depth You can't catch fish if you fish above them or below them. Learn how to use the electronics on your boat properly.
Fish as often as you can, nothing can replace the knowledge you get from being on the water a lot. The first few years I started fishing, we spent at least 8 hours a day, 3 or 4 days a week fishing. Get out on the water as much as you can, nothing replaces hands on experience.
[signature]

[SKGuides]

If you need specifics on fishing plastic grubs, this may help, or stop by my site for a video. Steve

Delaware and Maryland Ponds, Lakes, and Rivers are receiving more and more pressure as each year goes by, not just from weekend anglers, but tournament fishing as well. If you apply some new tactics with these spider grubs, you can be more productive in your recreational and tournament fishing alike.

Surprisingly, this deadly soft plastic bait is not a staple in everyone's tackle box, but in many other states, it is a long time favorite lure when the going gets tough. Several companies make spider grubs, but I prefer the ones made by "Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits" the best. The grubs come in a variety of colors and sizes, from two to five inches long. They are absolutely deadly on spring largemouth and smallmouth bass alike. Most anglers like to use them on jig heads, and this is an extremely effective method, but I also like to rig them Texas style. The grub resembles a darting crawfish depending on how you fish it. It is the most effective in clear water, but also produces bass in stained and muddy water.The lure is compact like a jig and pig, as versatile as a worm, can be fished vertically or horizontally, fast or slow. You can pitch it, flip it, swim it, hop it, or drag it on the bottom. Here are some of the ways I like to fish it in Delaware and Maryland waters, and elsewhere throughout the country, that really produce bass

When searching for bass, you want to try to cover the water quickly. The spider grub is a great search tool when you're looking for bass that are feeding on crawfish around scattered weeds and rocks on shallow flats like the Susquehanna, or similar shallow areas. You can fish it faster than a jig, cover the water quickly, and trigger more reaction strikes, The earth tone colors are easy to match with the forage and blend in well with the surroundings. This is critical in clear water, when the bass rely more on sight. Sometimes I like to fish it fast, with an erratic, jerkbait type motion. The lure is always moving, but on or near the bottom.

When I fish the open flats with scattered grass, I rig it on a light jighead, or if the cover is thicker, I rig it Texas style. I found that I land more fish If the hook is exposed, and if it becomes hooked on weeds occasionally, I jerk it free, sometimes causing a reaction strike. I like to use 1/8 ounce or 1/4 ounce jigheads, depending on the depth of the water, wind, currents, or how hard it is to keep on the bottom. I also prefer to fish them on a 6 1/2 to 7 foot spinning rod with a medium action soft tip, in graphite. Using six to eight pound test P-Line.

Sometimes you can go to ten pound line, depending on the cover. The light line gives the bait more action, and is less likely to hang up in the weeds. I have used these successfully on the grass flats in the Potomac River and on the Susquehanna flats. Working it the right way takes some practice. You want the lure to scoot along in short bursts, on or near the bottom, without making excessive hops. Don't pull it too hard, or you will lose contact with the bottom. Keep the rod low to the water, and on the side of the boat so the wind doesn't bow the line and ruin the action of the bait.

Keep contact with the bait at all times, because many of the strikes will feel mushy or heavy like it is on grass, but most of the time when I set the hook, it is a bass. If it is just weeds, it pulls free and sometimes triggers a strike.

Sometimes I swim the grub like a jerk bait. Once in a tournament the bass were ignoring the jerkbait, so I switched to the spider grub, and fished it erratically over the weeds, stopping it occasionally. This triggered the strikes that I needed to win. Fifteen pounds of bass slammed the spider grub while ignoring the other jerkbaits and crankbaits that were being worked in the same area.

Sometimes when I am fishing on a long, sandy, gravel point, I use a stand up jighead and just pull it slowly on the bottom. I work it very slow, and maintain contact with the bottom all the time. Also, I Carolina-Rig the bait, and when I feel it hit rocks or heavy cover, I start shaking the line, and this causes strikes to occur much of the time. This has been working real well in lakes in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, but I have used it with success all over the country.

Frequently a cold-front moves through, bass will suspend over some structure. When this occurs, You can rig it Texas style, on a very light weight, or with no weight at all, and let it float down to the bottom. When conditions are tough, this works wonders at times by keeping the bait in front of the fish longer. I have even tried drop-shotting this bait with success. They are more prone to strike the bait with this method, over a bait that moves quickly by them. When you are searching for fish, and the going gets tough, this is the bait to try. I like to use a good spinning rod, such as G.Loomis or St.Croix, and a good reel like a Shimano or Daiwa. Sensitivity is very important, and a combination such as this improves your chances of catching them when they strike. This technique has worked well in clear lakes all over the Midwest, and in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. I caught a lot of nice bass using these methods at Table Rock Lake, in Missouri also. Whether it is spring, summer, fall, or winter, this is a bait for all seasons
[signature]

[jigs]

^
probly some good info in that thing but wow. way to much to read.
[signature]