OUTDOORS WITH BABE WINKELMAN

Tips for fishing soft plastics

By Babe Winkelman

[June 17, 2013]  Those who know me (people and fish included) know that my favorite lure for catching virtually anything is the jig. Sometimes I use jigs that are dressed with feathers and marabou. Other times hair jigs seem to have the magic appeal. But more often than not, my weapon is a simple lead-head jig with a soft plastic body threaded on its hook.

Soft plastic bodies go well beyond jig applications, however. Plastic worms on hooks -- rigged Texas, Carolina, Wacky or drop-shot style -- are bass-catching machines (in addition to other species). Soft plastics can be added to other types of lures, too, to increase the profile size of the bait and add extra action.

Soft plastic variety

However you fish them, no tackle box is complete without a decent assortment of soft plastics in the following categories: grubs, tubes, worms, "creatures" (representing crayfish) and swimbaits. There are more styles than these out there, but if you have a selection of sizes and colors within all of the major plastic categories, you'll be set to tackle whatever the fish or conditions throw at you.

It can get pretty expensive to amass a selection that you'd find in a professional tournament angler's boat. So for the regular Joe, I recommend a couple of sizes and styles in each category -- in three colors ranging from pearl white to dark (black, purple or dark blue). This will pretty much cover you for virtually any water clarity or condition you'll experience on the water.

Hooks and jigs

Being equipped with the terminal tackle you need is critical. That means having the jigs (traditional and tube), hooks and sinkers necessary for rigging soft plastics in a variety of ways -- from the classic Texas rig to the more specialized drop-shot rig. Don't skimp on your terminal tackle either. Strong, sharp hooks are an absolute must.

"Skin-hooking" plastics

When anglers thread soft plastic baits on hooks or jigs, they typically run the hook dead-center through the body of the bait. And that's just fine. It's the strongest way to rig the plastic for the longest fishability.

But if the fish are biting light and you're having trouble hooking them, try skin-hooking the plastic. That means running the hook shank just below the surface (skin) of the plastic. This opens up the hook gap between the hook tip and the body of the bait. It helps the hook point find tissue inside the fish's mouth more easily. However, it also increases the likelihood that the bait will tear, so use the tactic only when times get tough, so you're not burning through your plastic supply faster than you want.

Dress it up

Lures like spoons, spinnerbaits and even crankbaits can be turned up a notch with the addition of a soft plastic "trailer" applied to the rear hook. It makes the lure bigger, adds more vibration, and if the plastic is scented, it makes the presentation more attractive to the fish's sense of smell.

More abrasion = more scent

Many soft plastics today are impregnated with fish-attracting scent and taste. Many anglers have reported that the more they fish with a particular jig or worm body, the more productive that bait gets. One reason for this is the abrasions made on the bait by the fish's teeth. The abrasions create more surface area on the bait, which equals increased scent dispersal.

So a little tip is to keep some coarse sandpaper in your soft plastic box, and when you bring out a new bait, scuff it up with the paper. This pre-abrades the bait so it immediately begins emitting extra scent and taste.

There's a lot of debate about whether fish actually follow a bait's "scent trail." I'm not sure. But I do believe that if a soft plastic bait tastes agreeable to a fish, they'll hold on to it longer before spitting it out. A longer bite means more time for you to detect the strike and get a good hook set. So if scuffing the bait buys you an extra second or two inside the fish's mouth, then it's well worth the effort.

I hope these tips help you enjoy a more productive fishing season. Soft plastics have always been my favorite weapons for bass, walleye, pike and panfish -- so I highly recommend using them in a variety of ways to catch more fish.

Good fishing.

[By BABE WINKELMAN]

Babe Winkelman hosts "Good Fishing" and "Outdoor Secrets," the most-watched fishing and hunting programs on television. Tune in on NBC Sports Network, Destination America, Velocity, Time Warner Sports Texas & New York, and many local broadcast channels. Visit Winkelman.com for air times and more information.