Plastic Explosives

Whether a worm, crawfish, jerkbait, tube or grub, soft plastic baits are bass fishing's hottest summer lures. Here's how to rig 'em and fish 'em right.

A lure category that a decade ago consisted primarily of worms now includes a world of creatures in an assortment of colors and sizes.
Why? Because as fishing techniques become more refined and skilled fishermen more numerous, bass become harder to fool with traditional cast-and-crank methods. Especially during the summertime. By June, bass have seen just about everything in an angler's tackle box. 
Experts say they get "lure shy" after intense exposure to baits that wiggle, rattle, 
vibrate and zip through the water.
But a life-like soft plastic bait is different. When fished properly, it moves seductively, stays in the strike zone longer and best resembles vulnerable prey — something bass cannot resist.
Furthermore, technological advances in tackle have boosted soft-plastic-lure fishing to the next level. Ultra-sensitive rods, smooth reels and premium lines have made anglers more efficient with soft plastic baits.
However, there is a lot of confusion about when, where and how to fish soft plastics. Each type has its own special characteristics that make it appropriate for specific techniques and fishing situations.
There are the numerous rigs for soft plastics. The Texas rig is the most popular, although the Carolina rig and split-shotting have gained ground in recent years.

• The Texas rig incorporates a sliding bullet sinker on the fishing line and a "worm hook" that is threaded into the nose of the bait, rotated, then embedded into the plastic to make it weedless. It's the preferred rig for fishing visible cover.
For smaller baits or when fishing in open water, the open-hook jig is a better choice. With the hook exposed, you're insured more hookups when bass bite. It's ideal for fishing small worms, grubs and other finesse-type lures on light line and in snag-free water.

• The Carolina rig is designed for deeper water and sparse cover. A heavy sinker is slid onto the line and backed with a glass bead. A barrel swivel is tied to the line and a 2- to 3-foot leader is attached to the other end. The bead helps protect the knot and adds a clicking noise that is said to attract fish when it bangs into the sinker.
The rig is fished on a long rod to make it easier to cast and set the hook. The sinker goes to the bottom and the lure floats above, appealing to suspended bass as well as the aggressive fish near the bottom. Best of all, the Carolina rig can be fished quickly, either by slowly winding the reel or pumping the rod. For some reason, bass tend to hang onto a Carolina-rigged lure longer than they do plastics fished on other rigs.
Lizards and worms are the most popular baits used for Carolina-rigging, although craw worms, grubs, and tube jigs can be used as well. The Zoom Centipede is rapidly becoming a top choice, too, despite it's "do-nothing" appearance. There are no legs or tentacles, but the Carolina-rigged gliding action tends to produce fish when other lures fail.

•Split-shotting is a finesse version of the Carolina rig. It requires light line, smaller hooks and a split-shot weight placed on the line a foot or more above the lure. It's generally used in clear water 10 feet or less, around limited or no cover and when bass are fussy. Most lures used with split-shotting are small, straight-tail worms, grubs and other finesse-style soft plastics. To fish it, allow the bait to settle to the bottom then turn the reel handle s-l-o-w-l-y. Like the Carolina rig, bass hang on longer, and it's a great midday tactic.

Expert Tactics And Tackle

Structure, water depth and clarity, and the mood of the bass often dictate the proper technique and lure choice. Here's a look at some of the most popular summer plastic lures and tactics.

• Worms: Many anglers believe should never go fishing during the summer without at least one rod rigged with a plastic worm.
Choosing the proper size, color and style of worm gets tricky. Worms come in dozens of sizes and tail designs, not to mention the hundreds of colors that are available. Most veterans match the size of the worm to size of bass available. If a lake has an abundant population of 12- to 14-inch fish, you won't get as many strikes if you're using 8-inch or larger worms. On the other hand, you may catch a giant.
Smaller worms, such as those in the 4- to 6-inch class, can save the day when there's a tough bite, such as when the fish have been pressured or during a brutal cold front.
Water clarity can be another factor. Bass living in clear water are conditioned to find their food sources by sight. That's why natural or translucent colors tend to work better than bright or flashy colors in clear water.
In stained or muddy lakes, bass rely more on their ability to pick up vibrations caused by the water displacement of creatures moving in the water. That's why many anglers opt for bulky worms or lures with active tails.
"Deadsticking" is a popular technique for fishing worms when bass are fussy, such as during cold fronts. Instead of pumping the rod to cause the worm to rise and fall on retrieve, the worm is left on bottom for two to five minutes at a time. It requires patience, but will catch bass when other tactics fail.
After the worm has sat motionless for awhile, lift it slightly, shake it, then allow it to fall back to the bottom. Sometimes bass take the worm and won't move until you lift it again.
One of the best lures for this technique is the Touchdown, a pre-rigged straight-tail worm attached to a leader. The Touchdown can be used for Carolina rigging or split-shotting as well.
Worms are best for fishing on bottom in heavy cover, but can be equally deadly when twitched near the surface of shallows to dupe wary bass into striking.
To rig the floating worm, tie a worm hook onto a leader connected to a barrel swivel and the main line. The swivel not only reduces line twist but provides additional weight without causing the lure to sink rapidly.
Oddly enough, bright-colored worms are preferred. Pink, chartreuse and yellow are among the favorites. They're twitched just beneath the surface near visible cover.
The floating worm is deadly for fishing in lily pads when bass pull into the thick vegetation to savor the shade. Rig it weed-less and work it over the surface, allowing it to sink into pockets. As the worm falls slowly, twitch it occasionally, and be ready for an explosive strike! •Jerkbaits: Soft plastic jerkbaits have taken the bassing world by storm in recent years. Nearly every soft plastic manufacturer offers a version, and most catch fish.
These eel-like creatures glide through the water and entice strikes when other lures fail. Bass attack them readily and hang on forever. Although designed for shallow-water fishing, they'll draw strikes from deep fish when worked over sharp drops.
Most of the soft stick-baits are fished weightless on a 4/0 or 5/0 "L"-shanked hook. The lure is threaded onto the hook similar to a Texas rig, except the hook is slightly exposed. Unfortunately, when a bass strikes, the lure tears and slides down the hook. That problem is alleviated with Mustad's new Needle Power Lock hooks.
Instead of threading the entire bait on the hook, a separate prong attached to the hook eye is inserted into the nose of the bait and only the hook bend and barb is embedded into the center of the lure.
Furthermore, the rear-weighted model has lead around the hook near the bend. The weight adds a unique tail action that appeals to bass.
There's just enough weight to allow you to work the bait faster without it jumping out of the water. It allows you to cover an area faster without inhibiting the qualities of the bait.

• Crawfish: When water temperatures rise and bass are looking for a bulky meal, a soft plastic crawfish is a popular replacement for the pork in a jig-and-pig combination, especially for heavy-cover flipping. When the jig is resting on bottom, the pincers rise in a defensive position and look a lot like a crawfish on the bottom. Crawfish are a principal forage to shallow water bass in the summertime. Plastic crawfish move more water than pork, and you don't have to worry about them drying out in the hot sun like you do with pork. There are more color options, too, although black craw worms with blue or chartreuse claws remain the favorites.

• Grubs: Curly-tailed grubs have been stereotyped as a lure choice for clear Northern lakes or deep Western impoundments, but they work well in Southern lakes, too. When flipping grubs, watch for strikes as the bait falls. Leave it in the cover for a few seconds, and try jiggling it before moving to a new target. The tail will squirm with the slightest movement, displacing water and sending signals to nearby bass.
The grub can also be fished like a plastic worm along steep ledges, deep weed lines and rock bluffs. It's effective in clear water lakes that have sandy flats and scattered weeds. Most soft plastic lure makers offer a grub design, but Kalin, Mister Twister and Yamamoto are among the most popular.

• Lizards: A lizard can be fished like a plastic worm but performs best on a Carolina rig. In fact, Carolina-rigged lizards have been one of the top baits used by successful bass pros in recent years.
Lizards are available in a variety of sizes and colors, but the 4- and 6-inch models are most popular. Cotton Candy, Green Gourd and Pumpkinseed are the most popular colors, and many anglers prefer lizards with chartreuse tails. Zoom, Riverside and Yum are among the favorites.

• Tube Baits: Last but not least are tube jigs. Tube jigs, also known as "gitz-its," work well in clear water for spotted bass, smallmouth bass and fussy large-mouths feeding on minnows.
With a lightweight leadhead jig inserted into its hollow body, the lure can be skipped under low-hanging brush and piers. Some anglers tie multiple tube jigs on a Carolina rig for fishing schooling spotted bass on deep structure.