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Best Overall
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Gary Yamamoto Senko
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Summary
Simple but proven design can be fished tons of ways
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Best Craw
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Strike King Rage Craw
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Summary
Offers multiple uses in one package
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Best Jerkbait
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Zoom Super Fluke
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Summary
Universal design and great darting action
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Soft plastic lures are mainstays for catching bass 12 months out of the year, and the angler who doesn’t have a good selection of the best producers in proven colors—and an ample supply of the hot one on any given day—is going to miss out. Hard baits and spinnerbaits are critical tools, too, but they’re more situational than soft plastic baits, which excel in a wider range of scenarios. While there are times when you need a specific lure color to catch fish, I picked the best soft plastic baits for bass that are proven producers in most places and scenarios, regardless of color.
- Best Overall: Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits Senko
- Best for Flipping Heavy Cover: Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver
- Best Jerkbait: Zoom Super Fluke
- Best Swimbait: Keitech Fat Swing Impact
- Best for Drop-shots: Roboworm Straight Tail Worms
- Best Craw: Strike King Rage Craw
- Best Classic Soft Plastic for Bass: Berkley PowerBait Power Worm
Best Soft Plastic Bait For Bass Overall: Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits Senko
Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits
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Key Features
- Size: 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 inches
- Salt-infused
- Over 150 colors
Why It Made the Cut
The Senko is a simple soft plastic bait that you can fish countless ways, and it just works. It remains the best soft plastic bait for bass overall because competitors have yet to successfully copy its patented design.
Pros
- Versatile soft plastic
- Wide variety of sizes available
- Tantalizing fall
Cons
A largemouth caught on the Gary Yamamoto Senko. Pete Robbins
Product Description
While many of the best soft plastic baits have all sorts of wiggly appendages and fancy tails, the simple Senko resembles a Bic Pen and still rules the roost. It’s at its best when wacky-rigged or fished Texas rigged shallow, but it can do so much more than that. Cut in half, it’s a perfect Ned rig bait. It also excels on the end of a Carolina rig or on a dropshot, and big bass are caught on massive jigs using the longest Senkos as trailers. This versatility makes it one of the best plastic worms. There are many imitations, but none match the original.
Best Soft Plastic for Flipping Heavy Cover: Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver
Key Features
- Sizes: Smallie, Sweet Beaver, and Double Wide—as well as variations like the Kinky Beaver and Spicy Beaver
- Split the tail or keep it whole for different fall rates and actions
- 60 colors available
Why It Made the Cut
This flat, ribbed soft plastic generates a lot of action while penetrating the thickest cover.
Pros
- Compact, ribbed body offers weight without the bulk
- Great multi-color options
- Holds a large flipping hook in place
Cons
- Not a lot of action at rest
Product Description
This ribbed, flat-bodied dynamo set the flipping world on fire when it emerged in 2002, and it remains a best-in-class choice for penetrating thick cover. You can customize the lure’s action by keeping the tail as one piece or splitting into two. With the tail left in one piece, it glides, making it a great bait for bedding fish. With the tail split, it provides just enough action on the fall to convince uncooperative bass that it’s time to feast. Behind a tungsten weight of any size, even two ounces, it looks natural and edible. Some of the color names are NSFW, but that’s part of the charm as well.
Best Soft Plastic Jerkbait: Zoom Super Fluke
Key Features
- Size: 4, 5 1/4, and 7 inches
- Slit belly for maximum hook-up percentage
- Must-have colors: Junebug, Watermelon Seed, Chartreuse Pearl
Why It Made the Cut
Universal baitfish shape provides unpredictable darting action.
Pros
- Wide range of colors
- Can be made to dart, twitch or glide
- Soft plastic promotes better hooksets
Cons
Product Description
The Super Fluke was one of the earliest members of its class and still excels, particularly when you let it fall weightless and then trigger it to dart erratically through the water column. It swims like an injured baitfish, and where legal, using two of them on the same rig can lead to a feeding frenzy. It’s also a fantastic Carolina rig bait, an excellent trailer for Scrounger heads and on vibrating jigs, and is available in smaller 4-inch and larger 7-inch sizes.
Best Soft Plastic Swimbait: Keitech Fat Swing Impact
Key Features
- Size: 2.8, 3.8, 4.3, 4.8, 5.8, 6.8, and 7.8 inches
- Impregnated with squid scent
- Beefy paddle tail provides visual and sonic attraction
Why It Made the Cut
Ribbed swimbait calls fish from a distance by flapping consistently at any speed.
Pros
- Clamshell packaging keeps swimbaits in proper shape
- Tail moves at any speed
- Injection molding combines two different plastics for maximum balance
Cons
- Not all colors available in all sizes
Product Description
The Fat Swing Impact spawned a generation of imitators, but none flaps as enticingly as the original, which works best burned, slow-rolled, or descended to the bottom on a semi-slack line. It works well on a weedless hook (weighted or unweighted) in shallow water and on jig heads, and it’s a prime choice for castable umbrella rigs. The Fat Swing is also an exceptional trailer on swim and vibrating jigs, and several companies have invented spinnerbaits specifically to hold these highly-effective lures. There’s also a “saltwater” formulation that provides enhanced durability, which works well in freshwater when fishing around toothy critters or using the Fat Swing Impact as a trailer.
Best Soft Plastic Worm for Drop-Shotting: Roboworm Straight Tail Worms
Key Features
- Size: 4.5, 6, and 7 inches
- Salt release system
- Ultra-soft and natural
Why It Made the Cut
The lure’s softness and multi-layered color patterns are comparatively inexpensive, and the Straight Tail design makes it flutter irresistibly when drop-shotting.
Pros
- Originator of several now-standard color patterns
- Super soft
- Can be nose-hooked or Texas rigged
Cons
Product Description
This is the worm that the late, great finesse guru and three-time Bass Master Angler of the year, Aaron Martens made famous, especially with his signature colors like Aaron’s Magic and Martens Madness. It has the allure and attributes of a traditional California hand pour, but they’re actually poured robotically for maximum consistency. On a drop-shot it has a remarkable flutter that calls fish from a distance. The salt release system encourages even the wariest bass to hold on for the long haul. It also works remarkably well on a shakey head, and the larger sizes are great for Carolina rigging and split shotting in clear water.
Best Soft Plastic Craw: Strike King Rage Craw
Key Features
- Size: 4 inches long
- Patented Rage claws flutter at any rate of fall
- Proven color palette
Why It Made the Cut
Ultra-versatile craw covers lots of bases in one compact package.
Pros
- Versatile, can be used as a jig trailer or swimming presentation
- Durable
- Variety of color options
Cons
Product Description
There are plenty of great craws, but Strike King’s hard-thumping Rage version adds a little more realism than competitors. Whether you’re pitching it alone, flipping it into thick cover, dropping it on a bed, or using it as a trailer this soft plastic bait is tempting for bass. On the back of a swim jig it flaps hard, and on a football jig or flipping jig it takes a distinct “claws-up” defense posture to trigger strikes. The Rage Craw series comes in all of the proven colors for a wide range of fisheries and even various forms of watermelons and green pumpkins. It’s also available in a 3-inch “Baby” size and a 4.5-inch “Lobster” version. All of them can be shortened to provide the right amount of flutter and flash without as much bulk.
Best Classic Soft Plastic for Bass: Berkley PowerBait Power Worm
Key Features
- Sizes: 4, 7, 8.5, 10, and 12 inches
- Ribbontail design provides excellent action
- PowerBait material keeps fish holding on
- Colors: More than 30 different options
Why It Made the Cut
The PowerBait Power Worm is a true classic that’s put big bass in the boat for years.
Pros
- Wide variety of colors and sizes
- Easy to rig and fish
Cons
- It’s so popular that bass in pressured waters have likely seen it before
Product Description
The bait designers at Berkley have spent decades optimizing the plastic worm, and all that effort and testing has led to the super-popular and long-standing PowerWorm. This is a versatile soft plastic that excels when fished around cover. The most common way to fish it is on a Texas rig, but you can also throw it on a Carolina rig, or even put it on a shaky head jig. It’s an easy bait for beginner bass anglers to use because there’s really no way you can mess up its action. Swim it, drag it, or hop it—it’s all good. In the summertime, big-bass hunters will run the 10-inch, or even 12-inch versions in deep water. The PowerWorm comes in a whole variety of colors but you can’t go wrong with a few packs of watermelon and blue/black fleck for most bass waters.
Tips for Catching More Bass on Soft Plastics
- With a bottle of Spike-It dipping dye (or the comparable aerosol can or markers) it’s possible to add a touch of color to factory patterns. Chartreuse is the most popular, but others like orange and blue can be useful, too.
- Even the best soft plastic bait for a specific situation won’t be effective if you don’t use enough hook. Make sure the wire is fine or powerful enough for your line, and that there’s enough gap to penetrate a balled-up lure.
- Anglers can get extra usage out of soft plastics by patching them up with Mend-It or regular Super Glue. Many wacky worm fans use O-Rings to keep their Senkos from tearing.
An angler with a big bass caught on a fluke. Pete Robbins
FAQs
Q: What color plastic worm is best for bass?
The best color plastic worm for bass depends heavily on conditions, including water clarity and the available forage, but it pays to keep a basic selection on hand. That includes watermelon, green pumpkin, and black and blue. In tannic water or on tidal fisheries you should add in junebug, and consider baitfish colors on a drop-shot.
Q: Do you need a sinker with soft plastics?
Many soft plastics can be fished weightless or without a sinker. These include the Senko, which is often at it’s best on a weight-free Texas rig or fished “wacky” style. Fluke-style lures also excel weightless. If you need to get deeper or contend with current, there are various nail weights and other inserts that get the job done without dampening a lure’s action.
Q: Do you need a swivel with soft plastics?
Most soft plastics do not require a swivel. If your swivel creates line twist, take care to straighten it out or change your line at the end of the day. There are, however, some notable exceptions. One is the Super Fluke, which is often fished on an 8- to 12-inch leader with a swivel connecting the two lines. Not only does the swivel add casting weight and keep the lure down, but some anglers believe it represents an even smaller baitfish that the Fluke is chasing. Of course, a Carolina rig also employs a swivel to keep the weight away from the trailing soft plastic and to prevent line twist.
Methodology
Certain soft plastics serve multiple functions well, while others are masters of a specific application. It makes sense to integrate a number of each into your arsenal, choosing proven worldwide or regional color schemes to test their effectiveness. For this review, I looked for the best soft plastic baits for bass that will work for both novices and top tournament professionals. Some of these are versatile, some not, but in each case I wanted to make sure that the manufacturers’ products demonstrated quality and functionality.
Final Thoughts
There are endless soft plastic options on the market, and it’s easy for beginning anglers to go down an endless rabbit hole of experimentation. There’s nothing wrong with experimenting with new baits, but when it becomes a game of constantly changing lures, that takes away from valuable fishing time. Keep colors simple and find six or eight soft plastic designs that work for you. These are some of the best soft plastic baits for bass anywhere they swim. Fish long enough with these and you’ll see that slight size or color variations can make all of the difference.
Read Next: Best Spring Bass Lures
The post Best Soft Plastic Baits for Bass appeared first on Outdoor Life.
By: Pete Robbins
Title: Best Soft Plastic Baits for Bass
Sourced From: www.outdoorlife.com/gear/best-soft-plastic-baits-for-bass/
Published Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2022 22:30:54 +0000
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