{"id":3987,"date":"2025-08-05T02:48:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T07:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/fishing\/?p=3987"},"modified":"2025-04-17T13:10:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T18:10:25","slug":"how-do-you-choose-the-best-soft-baits-to-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/fishing\/how-do-you-choose-the-best-soft-baits-to-use\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do You Choose the Best Soft Baits to Use"},"content":{"rendered":"

Best Soft Baits to Use<\/span><\/p>\n

There is No #1 Soft Plastic Lure<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no single solution to landing fish all the time with a specific soft bait from a specific brand.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you think the top 100 pros are catching a lot of fish?<\/span><\/p>\n

More than the average angler? YES. Are they sponsored by different brands, each recommending TONS of different soft baits? YES.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, if they are all catching fish on different soft baits, how is it possible that each pro holds claim to the secret soft bait?<\/span><\/p>\n

They Have a Selection of Soft Plastic Lures<\/span><\/p>\n

There are so many pros that recommend so many different soft baits because A LOT of them work.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, they work for different situations (species, tactics, and conditions). The key is to have a good combination of soft baits that work for different situations.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no one soft bait to rule them all, but maintaining a well-thought-out combination of styles, sizes, and colors will land fish.<\/span><\/p>\n

So there is no secret ingredient, but there is a secret sauce.<\/span><\/p>\n

4 Best Rules for a Soft Plastic Arsenal<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

1.) Maintain an abundance of different soft bait styles<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Styles or profiles are dependent on tactics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without the ability to adjust tactics, you limit yourself not only to fewer fish but the potential of getting skunked for the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Have the basic styles of<\/span><\/p>\n

Worms<\/span>
\nLizards<\/span>
\nCreature Baits<\/span><\/p>\n

Also include small profile soft baits like Curly Tail Grubs for Trout and Panfish.<\/span><\/p>\n

2.) Hold sizes<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The size of a soft bait is not only defined by the target species but also by the aggressiveness of the bite.<\/span><\/p>\n

Larger bait = larger fish; however, this is not entirely true when factoring in the bite.<\/span><\/p>\n

Larger profile baits should be used to target aggressive bites, while smaller profiles can be used to target the same-sized fish during dormant periods.<\/span><\/p>\n

Staying nimble and changing size in relation to your results is critical. Oftentimes, the correct approach resonates on the water through trial and error.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Curly Tail Grub on a jig head has the flexibility to weed out smaller Panfish just as successfully as it can convince finicky Largemouth Bass on slow days.<\/span><\/p>\n

Generally, a good rule of thumb is 4-6 inches for gamefish and 2-3 inches for Panfish.<\/span><\/p>\n

3.) Alternate 2 dimensions of color<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Natural and Neon. While color can get broken down more thoroughly, natural and neon are the most basic approaches when defining your color strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Natural color types work best in less than 10 ft. of water (Brown, Green, Gray).<\/span><\/p>\n

Greater than 10 ft., you should place more emphasis on neon color types (Chartreuse, White, Red).<\/span><\/p>\n

The deeper you fish, the darker the water. It is also more difficult to relate to structure as you are often mapping to your chart rather than a physically visible structure like docks and reeds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your colors need to be brighter, not only for immediate visibility but to call in fish from a greater distance, as targeting a specific spot is now more challenging.<\/span><\/p>\n

A combination of the two can be a versatile solution.<\/span><\/p>\n

4.) Hold 5-10 pieces of each profile in the correct size<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

When on a hot bite, you will likely lose a few with your bait. After 4-5 landed fish, you will likely need to replace your soft bait to maintain its original presentation.<\/span><\/p>\n

To take advantage of the hot bite on a particular tactic, you need a decent amount of depth in your lineup to avoid missing out.<\/span><\/p>\n

You should have 5-10 pieces of each common style.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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