HOW IT’S DONE
Here’s how I might fish with a couple of different soft plastic lures that I’ll use weedless/weightless – for instance, a twitchbait-style soft plastic like the killer OSP DoLive Stick in the 6in size, and a simple soft plastic ‘stick’, usually called a senko.
I fish senkos during the day, but especially at night. I fish the DoLive Stick with a kind of ‘twitch, twitch, pause, reel a bit’ sort of style - basically, I am trying to bring the lure to life. With a senko, I will straight-retrieve it quite quickly at night, and, most likely, straight-retrieve it somewhat slower in the daytime over mainly shallow, gnarly ground.
There are many different soft plastics and ways to fish them, but we’re talking more about weedless and weightless here, rather than specific techniques. While bass hitting surface lures might be the most visually stimulating way to catch them, that hit you get when you’re fishing with soft plastics ungarnished with any extra weight is just electric.
There are no hard-and-fast rules here, but, in general, I will use the biggest weedless hook I can get away with, say a size 5/0 or 6/0 for 5in and 6in soft plastics. The Lunker City Texposer weedless hooks are usually fairly easy to track down, and I really like some of the Owner and Mustad versions designed to be used with a hitchhiker or twistlock attachment.
Without a doubt, a soft plastic on a hitchhiker lasts longer than on a conventional weedless hook. I tend to stop using a soft plastic if it starts tearing up and then replace it with an undamaged one. When I get home I will repair the damaged soft plastic with some of the ingenious Mend-It glue.
Fishing lures like this is merely another string to your bow because there are a number of long-casting, shallow-diving hard lures that will fish effectively for bass over shallow ground. However, it’s difficult to ignore how many times that it’s the subtle, quiet and more measured approach that these soft plastics offer that catch me some bass when the hard lures haven’t worked.
I carry a selection of hard lures and, unless I know I am going out in some rough conditions where weedless/weightless soft plastics aren’t going to cut it, I will always carry a selection of them as well.
I want options, and this style of lure fishing gives me plenty.