What Angler Said: Why I Like Soft Plastic?

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Soft Baits Rigging Guide

January 18, 2015

I’m a fan of soft plastic when it come to casting techniques. For me soft plastic is more natural that any fake soft baits when you know how to action it. There are few important things in the selection of soft plastic that needs to be in accordance with the target fish because each fish target has its own diet and needs to be adapted to its habitat to get strike.

There are lots of things need to be aligned in order to make the fishing session more productive. Among the factors to consider are:

1. Colors

Choosing the right soft plastic colors is very important because it needs to match the diet and water condition. If the water is clear, I prefer to use a slightly darker natural color to make it more obvious by the predator. If the water is red, I prefer to use a rather bright color like white, pink, orange, yellow and glow. Color like this will give a clear reflection. So, bring color variations in your trip because you will never know the weather might change anytime or the night before might be raining and affecting the water condition.

2. Size

Choosing the right size of soft plastic is also essential so that predators are easily tempted. Different species has different appetite such as predators like Channa species and groupers; soft bait above 5cm size suits them well in most situation. For fish like Tarpon, Tilapia, baby Hampala, Burmese Trout and all small sizes fish choosing 5cm size and below might be the best choice. These small soft baits should go along with 0.5g-2.5g jighead so that it can maintain the baits action and it looks like actual live bait. However, there are species that whack almost anything example mangrove jack (MJ), peacock bass, etc.

3. Shape

The shape of soft plastic influences the swim action and the best technique to go with. If you are using the slow retrieve technique, choose a soft-tailed to produce wave @ vibration when crank. If you want to jerk slowly, may choose a small tail / worms based bait that looks like a fish, worms and or shrimp when moving up and down. Soft plastic with a fat body is suitable to crank/jerk in on the ground targeted fish because it can surprise predators and in most situation the size just perfect for them.

4. Effective

It is undeniable that the use of soft plastic is very effective and it can be used in freshwater and saltwater. This is because soft plastic is more mimic to the grub / maggots / worms / insects that become the main food of most fish. Apart from that its appearance and action that is almost the same as live baits makes it more effective.

5. Price

To me, the soft baits price is way cheaper than most fake baits especially if you compare it to hard baits. Most soft baits comes with large quantities in a pack so it doesn’t really burn your pocket if you lost one.

6. Easily Stored

I prefer to use soft plastic that is not allergic if mixed with another brand. There are some soft baits in the market are very sensitive example easily melt when put together. I do understand there are some reasons to it but this type of soft baits may not be my choice.

When soft plastic become your main bullets you need to understand few important things. After using it regardless saltwater or freshwater make sure to rinse with fresh water before keep it in the box. If not you may face issues like melt, the shape bends for some reason, the color comes and some may give stinky smells. Its advisable you keep the soft baits back in the original packaging and before you store it away take off the hook so that the soft plastic last long if not it may get rusty due to the chemical reaction to water/rusty hook.

Conclusion

It cannot be denied that the use of soft plastic or soft baits has gained more attention since the momentum of the ultralight fishing game was introduced. Not because its cheap but because its more effective when compared with other fake baits. Whatever baits you use there needs to understand the compatibility. Most of the time soft plastic becomes the main dish for fish but sometimes they are not so you need to adjust to get it right. What is sure soft plastic will surely give you better strike rate because it looks similar to live baits and its difficult to be rejected by the targeted fish.

If you have opinions please share your experience. Good inputs always assist others to grow knowledge.

Credit: Zamisma Abu

Note:

All information given is based on best efforts to express our opinions and knowledge that has been acquired. Paragraph or inappropriate words may have been used and it is out of control because we have tried most wisely. If you have suggestions, please comment. We will make changes.