Soft Plastics Built for Action and Durability

Soft plastics are the most versatile tools in bass fishing — and the most effective when you match the profile, action, and presentation to the conditions. Whether you're dragging a craw across rock, swimming a paddle tail through grass, or deadsticking a stick bait in clear water, the right soft plastic triggers strikes other lures can't.

Why Soft Plastics Work

Bass hold soft plastics longer than hard baits. The lifelike texture, natural movement, and ability to fish slow give fish time to commit — and give you time to feel the bite and set the hook. Soft plastics let you control depth, speed, and action in ways that hard baits can't match.

Soft Plastic Types and When to Use Them

Stick Baits (Senkos): Versatile, weightless presentations with a natural fall. Fish wacky-rigged, Texas-rigged, or on a Ned head. Excel in clear water, around docks, and when fish are suspended.

Creature Baits: Bulky profiles with multiple appendages create disturbance and profile. Texas-rig or use as jig trailers in heavy cover. Trigger reaction strikes from aggressive fish holding tight to structure.

Paddle Tail Swimbaits: Swimming action mimics baitfish. Rig on weighted swimbait hooks or jig heads. Burn over grass, swim parallel to cover, or slow-roll deep structure.

Craws: Defensive crawfish profile with claws that pulse and flare. Use as jig trailers or Texas-rig for bottom contact. Drag across rock, gravel, and shell beds where crawfish live.

Grubs: Compact profile with curly tail action. Rig on jig heads, drop shot, or swim them. Versatile for panfish, bass, and smallmouth in cold water and finesse situations.

Tubes & Ned Baits: Finesse profiles for pressured fish. Tubes work on Carolina rigs or jig heads for deep water. Ned baits on mushroom heads for slow, bottom-contact presentations.

How to Fish Soft Plastics

Match your rigging to the cover and conditions. Texas rigs punch through vegetation, wacky rigs maximize fall time, and weighted hooks control depth. Experiment with retrieve speed — slow drags, sharp hops, or steady swims all work depending on fish mood and water temperature.

Watch your line. Soft plastic bites often feel like weight or a slight tick — set the hook as soon as you feel anything different. In clear water or when sight-fishing, watch for line movement or the flash of a fish turning.

Color matters. Natural patterns (green pumpkin, watermelon) work in clear water. Dark colors (black, blue) shine in stained water or low light. Bright colors (chartreuse, white) trigger reaction strikes in murky conditions.

Pair with the Right Rigging

Texas rigs with bullet weights for heavy cover and vegetation. Wacky rigs with O-rings for maximum fall time and action. Weighted swimbait hooks for swimming presentations. Jig heads for vertical presentations and bottom contact. Drop shot rigs for suspended fish and finesse situations.

Match hook size to bait size — 3/0 to 5/0 for creature baits and swimbaits, 1/0 to 3/0 for stick baits and craws, smaller hooks for grubs and finesse baits. Use fluorocarbon for invisibility and braid for heavy cover.

Built for Lifelike Action and Durability

Our soft plastics feature proven formulations that balance action, durability, and scent retention. From super-soft stick baits that collapse on the bite to reinforced creature baits that hold up through multiple fish, every bait is designed to move like the real thing and last through hard fishing.

Store soft plastics in their original packaging or in compartmentalized boxes — some plastics react with each other and can melt or discolor when mixed. Keep them out of direct sunlight and extreme heat to maintain durability.

Best For

• Bass, panfish, and inshore species
• Clear water and pressured fish
• Heavy cover, open water, and deep structure
• Slow presentations and finesse techniques
• Versatile rigging options from Texas rigs to drop shots
• Anglers who want to feel every bite and control every presentation

The D&F Way

We keep things simple, honest, and respectful of the water. If it's in our store, it's something we'd fish ourselves.

Nothing extra, nothing wasted. Just solid gear for good days on the lake.