Hi everyone,

I am based in MA and spend a lot of time around local ponds paying attention to how bass respond to different soft plastics.

My background is in materials science, so I tend to notice things like texture, flexibility, and fall behavior more than specific techniques.

I’m mostly here to hear what experienced anglers notice underwater, sometimes small differences seem to matter a lot.

Cassie, are you looking to ascertain what differences in soft plastics trigger more strikes?

I'd suggest maybe taking a look a some underwater videos on youtube. Glenn Lau and others have filmed this sort of thing over the years. There are lots of underwater videos to choose from.

I do know if it’s a Rage Tail. They slam it

Berkley power bait & the other Berkley scent release technologies. There are other cooked in scents and rub on types. You’ll have to search for Berkley’s studies on this. My favorite is garlic, I’m not sure I understand why but it seems very effective for me.

I fish very clear water and see at least half of the strikes from largemouth bass. Most of the time they bite twice: once to take the plastic lure or a part of it into their mouth and then a second time to suck it in further. When it's there, they will usually move with it a certain distance, then stop to swallow it completely. It's probably during that second phase that texture and taste is important.

Welcome from the 617.

Interesting topic @PondCassie, one that I hope you can keep posting on. I’m really interested in hearing about your findings.

I think there are so many factors that come into it. I’ve seen large mouth bass do exactly what @Reel mentions above. I’ve seen large mouth literally pick up the soft plastic by an appendage and move it off the spawning bed and drop it a foot next to it just to get it out of the way. And I’ve also seen them literally engulf a soft plastic like they haven’t eaten in days.

Again, very interested in hearing about your findings.

Each one, texture, flexibility, and fall rate. It really depends on the fish…. Which can be affected by weather or temperatures, and time of year.

A lot of variables.

I’ve come to a conclusion…. If nothing else to save my own sanity.

It’s what the fish wants at that giving time and place, with the surrounding elements.

I try be an analytical type person….. get a base line, measure and record, each cause & affect of all action and reactions.

Just think …..100 fish in a pond- using a curly tailed worm ……..you catch 1 fish in 12 hr period= 1% of the fish in a 50% time period of a day. Factor in the percentage of the pond you actually fished.

If you would have switched bait, would the other 99 fish have bitten? Or half the 99?

When you throw in texture, flexibility, and fall rate, the numbers are crazy.

Haven’t even discussed colors yet.

Welcome!

Fluorocarbon line less action

Braid more action

When

Fat Ikas fished off bottom

Check out the venerable Doug Hannon's works the Bass Professor. His favorite presentation was a 7 inches plastic worm.

Good Fishing

Bassmaster

Doug Hannon dead at 66 - Bassmaster

Hannon came to prominence in the bass fishing world as a fishing guide who caught more than 800 bass weighing better than 10 pounds.

Welcome aboard

I’ve noticed that the shimmy on a weightless worm drives bass wild . Especially if the worm is purple.

I don't believe the actual texture of a soft plastic is as important as what it's trying to imitate.

Worm on the other hand is simply a worm and probably catches more fish than any other bait year in and year out.

It's what you do with it and the color that may intice more strikes.

Then you have technique - how you want to present the bait.

Nothing has created more techniques than a soft plastic and is responsible for what the bait does under water.

There’s a lot of MA representation here, welcome from the South Shore.

What I’ve learned is softer plastics have more dramatic action which translates to more bites but less durability. My favorite soft plastic is the 4 inch Yum Dinger, great fish catcher with acceptable durability. Most people swear the Senko is better but I just haven’t found that to be true(for my ponds).

What I like is secondary action. Something that moves when standing still.

6 hours ago, TheSwearingAngler said:

There’s a lot of MA representation here, welcome from the South Shore.

What I’ve learned is softer plastics have more dramatic action which translates to more bites but less durability. My favorite soft plastic is the 4 inch Yum Dinger, great fish catcher with acceptable durability. Most people swear the Senko is better but I just haven’t found that to be true(for my ponds).

Ive seen a lot of people say they like the Dinger better because its cheaper and catches fish just as good, for them. I personally dont like stick baits, played around with some senkos last year but just dont get the hype. I prefer a roboworm or something like that. As stated above, the slithering action on a weightless worm is difficult to pass up, and theres the rocking action back and forth as a bait falls, that can trigger strikes. But I guess the senko just has that pulsating action as it falls that drives them nuts. Im starting off with my classic Junebug 7" power worm this year, weightless, so I can play around with it on topwater to look like a snake or something slithering on the water

Welcome aboard! 🤙 Some interesting replies above!

I watch YouTube vids of underwater footage from various

tubers, Steve Rogers Outdoors is really good.

Welcome to the family!  We're glad you're here.