2016 was the first year I really used plastics.  (I'm fairly new to bass fishing with lures).  

 

The first success I had on a plastic in 2016 was hopping a Yum wooly hawgtail on a shakey head in a sandy bottom area.  I didn't really know what I was doing, but it worked!

 

I wound up T-rigging craws a lot in 2016.  I'm hoping to use jig heads more in 2017.  I mostly fish from shore, and usually in ponds with fairly soft bottom.  

 

What heads do you recommend for this application, shape/size/type/brand? 

 

 

 

 

Soft bottom, stay with the Texas rig or a drop shot.

I use shakey heads in my neighborhood pond & sometimes they work fairly well. It's a softer bottom pond with silt & it gets a little muddy at times. When it's like that, I use really dark colored worms & craws that have slightly bigger profiles. I like using Zoom ultra vibe speed worms & the magnum ultra vibe speed craws. 

 

It's pretty shallow so I use 1/16 - 1/8 oz shakey heads. Owner makes a pretty good one with their centering pin spring & it's got a decent sized hook for bigger baits. I've even used Zoom magnum trick worms with the owners.  I've also had good luck using the Picasso Shakedown jig. 

8 hours ago, wdp said:

Owner makes a pretty good one with their centering pin spring & it's got a decent sized hook for bigger baits. I've even used Zoom magnum trick worms with the owners.  I've also had good luck using the Picasso Shakedown jig. 

@wdp thanks very much for the details and suggestions.  I figured they could work well.  Can you comment on why you chose that type of head?  Was it just what you had around for worm fishing?  I assume that it is better to have a tighter profile head vs. a football (or other oblong shaped-) head in silt or sand?

5 minutes ago, snake95 said:

@wdp thanks very much for the details and suggestions.  I figured they could work well.  Can you comment on why you chose that type of head?  Was it just what you had around for worm fishing?  I assume that it is better to have a tighter profile head vs. a football (or other oblong shaped-) head in silt or sand?

Well, to be honest I've only been using shakey heads for the last 3 yrs. I just kinda started experimenting and trying different things on my own. My neighborhood pond gets a fair amount of pressure & sometimes it's hard to get a bite. Also, it have very, very little cover or structure. I figured the shakey head might work even tho it's not the perfect senario for this presentation, so to speak, with a soft bottom. So far it's worked pretty well. 

 

I started using the owner shakey heads bc I like their hooks with the centering pin & the bigger hook works well for larger baits. Plus, their available at my local Academy Sports. The Picasso Shakedowns I bought on clearence somewhere - smaller hook that works better on finesse and trick works. I've also had luck using some Luck E Strike shakey jig heads. They're available at my local Bass Pro. They also have a bigger hook than most shakey jigs & have a nice slender head that comes thru a little bit of cover better. 

5 minutes ago, wdp said:

My neighborhood pond gets a fair amount of pressure & sometimes it's hard to get a bite. Also, it have very, very little cover or structure.

@wdp thanks very much.  I fish a few different ponds that have varying conditions, but the one you described is pretty common.   I will try your approach.

@snake95 Just experiment & try a few different things. The 1/16 - 1/8 oz seem to work best for me in shallower water.  I use the 1/16 oz about 90% of the time & only go with the 1/8 oz if it gets windy. The smaller weights come thru limited cover better too. The heavier weights tend to get snagged on stumps & I'll have to break off. 

 

Shakey heads just just don't work great in too much cover. T rig is much better in that case. 

 

Good luck. 

I use the Rage Rig alot. 4/0 twistlock and 1/16-1/4 weight. Skip great too.