Soft plastic baits come in all shapes and sizes – plus hundreds of colors. As complicated as it can seem to look at soft plastics online or at your local tackle shop, picking the right one can be pretty straightforward, according to professional angler and Bassmaster Classic champion Casey Ashley.
Here's some of his insight for picking the perfect bait based on the situation and how you plan to target an area.
Flipping And Pitching
Two of the most popular techniques in bass fishing, flipping or pitching shallow cover, are time-tested ways to catch bass. It's also one of Ashley's favorite ways to fish.
"When you are fishing like this, you are obviously around some kind of cover, whether it's grass, blowdowns, logs, or docks," he said. "For any grass or wood, I like soft plastic creature baits. If I'm fishing a dock, I'd throw a jig."
He likes a jig when he can get away with it, and docks are perfect since they won't snag the same way grass or brush will. That's when he switches to a creature bait that mimics bluegill.
"A bulkier bait like a Zoom Z-Craw or Z Craw is bulky but also compact and looks just like a bream or a crawfish," he said. "Because of their weight, those baits are easier to flip and pitch. When you are fishing this way, you are getting the fish to react, and they don't have to entice them along the bottom, so a thicker bait helps your efficiency in making more presentations, and they don't need a lot of action.
Finesse Fishing
Ashley likes to downsize his baits and fishing line when fishing with spinning gear. He has specific baits for techniques like a shaky head and drop-shot that have proven their worth over the years.
"For a shaky head, you only need two baits, in my opinion," he said. "During the winter and pre-spawn, I throw a Zoom Finesse Worm on a 1/8 or 1/16-ounce jighead. That compact bait gets more bites for all bass species when the water is still cold."
As the water warms, he goes to a slightly longer bait in the Zoom Trick Worm. "Starting with the spawn and for the rest of the year, that's all I use," he said. "I also keep it simple and throw green pumpkin about everywhere I go for tournaments, and it gets the job done. The only time I'll switch is if the water is gin clear, and then watermelon seems to do better."
Ashley adjusts his bait and the hook for the drop-shot rig based on the species he's targeting.
"For smallmouth, they like tiny little baits that are 3 and 4 inches long," he said. "I'll always use green pumpkin or solid black, as those work everywhere. The other thing with smallmouth, I'll always fish them with an open hook and nose-hook the bait because it will hook them better and keep them pinned."
He likes a straight-tail worm like a Zoom Swamp Crawler or hand-poured finesse worm for spotted and largemouth bass. "That straight action from the thin worm is what they want," he said. "I like to fish them on straight shank hooks like the Owner Cover Shot and will Texas-rig the bait. Doing that will ensure you land more of them and won't snag as much if you are fishing around grass or brush."
Offshore And Swimming Worms
When fishing away from the bank, Ashley likes to fish a Carolina rig or standard Texas rig with a bullet weight. The soft plastic he uses depends on the cover and the time of year.
"The Carolina rig is sort of a forgotten rig, but it's excellent right after the bass spawn and are very lethargic," he said. "I like to use a Zoom Baby Brush Hog or a straight-tail worm like a Zoom Trick Worm. There are also times when, for some reason, they only want a bigger Magnum Trick Worm when the water cools up quickly in the spring."
For casting a Texas rig to offshore cover like ledges or brush piles, he likes either a Zoom Magnum Trick Worm or jumbo Zoom Ol' Monster. "It seems like the later into the summer it gets, the bigger worm will work better," he said. "I fish both of them on a 1/4 to 5/16-ounce tungsten bullet weight and don't peg my weight to give the baits a little better action."
He likes a swimming worm when fishing around grass because of how well it comes through the cover. "The Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm is a staple down in Florida, but it works anywhere with grass," he said. "I always fish it with fluorocarbon line instead of braid and never go over a 1/8-ounce weight to make it easier to keep near the surface. You can cast and reel it and catch fish, and it will come through any cover."
Jig Trailers
Skirted jigs of all types are perfect for adding a soft plastic as a trailer, and Ashley says it's a big topic.
"Oh boy. We could get into a lot here, but let's keep it simple," he said. "With a moving jig like a swim jig, I want something with a lot of action like a Zoom Z-Craw or twin tail grub. For baits that I'm fishing around docks, I like hanging chunks like a Zoom Super Chunk Jr. or Big Salty Chunk, but only from winter until around the spawn. After that, when the water warms up, I want something a little more wiggly, like a Zoom Fat Albert Twin Tail Grub that perfectly imitates bluegill that they are focused on later in the year."
Picking the perfect soft plastic bait can be as straightforward or as complicated as you want to make it. Professional angler Casey Ashley prefers the former and tries to make things as simple as possible so he can focus on catching the next bass.
