Ol faithful

[Kapfishing]

So i been Out everyday since Monday on a local lake I tend to do very well at. I figured i would work on my Soft plastic skills. So Monday and Tuesday i tossed an assortment of Senkos and Tubes for hours. Manged just 2 small bass. So yesterday i started off the same way trying to get better at fishing with the soft plastics and same results. barely nothing. So I decided to switch to Ol Faithful (Rapala jerk Silver and black) and man was this the best idea i made. Landed 5 bass after the switch. They were all over it. This is by far my favorite lure to use. i have caught bass trout picks and perch with this baby.

I do not like using the same thing all the time but it seems only certain things work for me. (spinners, Jerks, live).

Any tips to help me improve fishing with soft plastics. Types? Colors? Presentation? Retrieve? I need to direction cause i see a lot of others having success with them year round while its been hit or miss with me .

[Chrisper4694]

i guess i'd say casting accuracy sometimes has to be right on point with soft plastic finesse lures. the lures you say you're good with are probably catching the aggressive fish where as if (for example) a more passive bass is under a dock and you throw a senko right to the edge of the piling and get no bite, you can cast the senko skipped deep back under the dock and whack 1 or more nice bass out of there. same goes for a fallen tree or any structure. don't throw it near the tree like you would a stick/jerk bait or spinner to get them to rush out at it, weedless rig it and throw it directly into the tree or structure right on their noses.

[Lard Almighty]

Here are a few hints that have helped me over the years with fishing soft plastics:

In clear or lightly stained water, use natural-looking colors like pumpkinseed or watermelon, and in heavily stained or muddy water, use darker colors like june bug or blue/black. Only when the natural colors don’t produce any hits for a long time should you try a weird color like chartreuse or hot pink.

If the water is under about 50 degrees, a slow retrieve is best. Conversely, speed the lure up as the water warms. Use more subtle baits in cold water as well, such as stick worms or tubes. Curly-tail worms, lizards, and creature baits work well in warmer water.

Rig the bait weedless at your discretion. Obviously a weedless bait is much better in heavy cover, but you may miss a fish here and there as the hook is buried in the plastic. If you can avoid a weedless rig, then you should.

Use the lightest weight you can get away with, or rig the bait weightless. Less weight means a slower fall and a more natural presentation.

If you’re just starting out, I would pick out 2 or 3 different baits and get comfortable with them, and slowly branch out from there. A senko-style bait, a tube, and a grub are all good starting points. There are literally hundreds of different soft plastics on the market, so try not to get overwhelmed in the beginning.

Hopefully this will help you get started. Good luck!

[Kapfishing]

Thanks for the advice.

I have been tossing t-rigged senko weightless just dont see the results. i guess its just going to take practice. I think the issue is my retrieve or the bass just dont like my colors. anyway im keep trying..


I had photos for you guys but lost my phone last night smh.

Lard been hoping to run into you again out at spring lake.

Question. Can anyone give me a lake with decent small mouth? Im in central jersey the shore area but work in Middlesex and keep a rod and some gear in my truck.

[goodfishin]

I gave myself an epic tutorial in using soft plastics over the past couple years and am by no means an expert but can sum up what I've learned pretty succinctly:

1) Senkos are the leaders for a reason. Stick with them until you've mastered how to fish them and then try other options if you like.
2) Stick to two basic colors: green and black. All of the rest are superfluous and a distraction. They just make you waste time on a variable that doesn't matter much.
3) Buy some of both the finesse and regular styles. The finesse ones with the tapered ends can be fished lots of ways. They're really versatile. Swim 'em, drop 'em. Jerk 'em. All good.
4) When you go out, start by testing the two styles a few different ways before you start switching colors. For example, fish the finesse green and if that doesn't work, switch to the regular green. Switching methods is a faster way to figure out what works that day than switching colors most days. Some days casting and letting 'em sink will hammer 'em. Sometimes you need to work them back, etc. Colors are the second variable to toy with.
5) One of the most solid ways to improve how you do with plastics is to focus on developing your sense for where to cast a bait and let it sink and improving your accuracy at hitting that spot. Hard baits don't require that. You can drag it back through a target area and cover major ground. With soft baits, you'll always get way more hits on the fall than at any other time. So, having a gut feel for that spot where there just has to be a fish and then nailing it on the cast is key...

Seriously, I tried virtually every single color Senko you can find and as others told me but I needed to learn the hard way, if you can't make it happen with versions of green or black, those other colors aren't likely to help much... certainly not enough to make it worthwhile for non-pro's to pay more attention to color than placement, presentation and technique.

Good luck!

[slider]

Just my 2 cents worth..i learned a long time ago to quit trying to force feed any type of fish a particular type of lure that I preferred..The object when fishing to find the lure that the fish will accept..better to have 5 or 6 fish landed on the lure the fish want..Then shut out trying to force something down their throats..Bet if u wait till water warms up and weed beds show up you will have more luck with plastics..Just my opinion..

[Kapfishing]

Thanks all for the advice. Im do some more work this weekend and try what you said Goodfishin.

Thanks again

[briansnat]

Thanks for the advice.

I have been tossing t-rigged senko weightless just dont see the results. i guess its just going to take practice. I think the issue is my retrieve or the bass just dont like my colors. anyway im keep trying..


I had photos for you guys but lost my phone last night smh.

Lard been hoping to run into you again out at spring lake.

Question. Can anyone give me a lake with decent small mouth? Im in central jersey the shore area but work in Middlesex and keep a rod and some gear in my truck.

The weightless, T rigged Senko is my go to lure. As far a colors I've had good luck with watermelon, junebug, green pumpkin and black. Flecked and unflecked.

The way I usually fish them is cast and let them sink to the bottom. You need to watch the line closely because a slight twitch may be the only indication that a bass picked it up. I then let it sit dead stick on the bottom for maybe 15 - 30 seconds, then quickly raise the rod tip, reel in the slack and let it drop again. Repeat back to the boat. I get about 80 percent of my hits on the fall and most of the rest while it's dead sticked.

it's a slow process. Could take several minutes to retrieve depending on how far the cast is and how deep the water. I don't go much deeper than 10' using an unweighted plastic.

They way I have them rigged they fall to the bottom in a back and forth, almost sea-saw like motion.