Fishing Plastic: Soft Plastic baits For Salt Water Fishing
When I first began fishing for Striped Bass one of the yearly rituals we had was recognizing the first arrivals of the spring run at our favorite early season spot. We would start making the effort sometime late in March during the milder years and by mid-April if winter had been slow to give in. In either case those former season excursions were never very warm, with the water temperature usually lingering just below fifty degrees and the most favorable circumstance for catching fish being a southwest breeze over it.
Our method consisted of casting lead-head jigs, often tipped with fishing plastic grub tails. We used small stuff, mostly less than one-half ounce, and would often tie in a teaser fly up higher on the leader that was not much more than three or four hairs tied on a hook. Some guys liked to use single tail twisty grubs, some preferred the double tails, and some of us were using the smallest rubber shad bodies we could find.
Then something came along that revolutionized salt-water fishing. Around 1999 or 2000 Storm Lures started making very realistic swim-shad lures with a keel-weighted salt-water hook molded right into them. The fishing plastic lures were obtainable in a assortment of sizes and colors and their action was unbelievable. Most of us put away our lead-head jig molds and were total converts in no time.
It wasn't long before other manufacturers started targeting the market and at this point there are endless versions on these fishing plastic lures. Tsunami, Berkley, Offshore Angler and D.O.A. are just a few of the others offering up rigged soft fishing plastics to fit almost every facet of salt-water fishing.
We're not just using these types of lures for early spring schoolies but throughout the season. The swim-shads are now available to match all different sorts of baitfish patterns from the smallest silverside to the biggest bunker - Storm Lures offers a swim-shad in it's Wild Eye line that is nine inches and rigged with double hooks. They have also started offering rigged eel imitations in ten-and-a-half and thirteen-and-a-half inch lengths.
You will also find these rigged soft fishing plastics to imitate the prey of many of your other preferred salt-water game fish. Shrimp, crab and lobster patterns are all available, as are a number of patterns designed for targeting southern species like redfish and snook.
All of the fishing plastic lures I've mentioned so far are available rigged. If you don't mind rigging your own the possibilities only expand further. There are literally soft fishing plastic counterfeits of every kind of bait in every different size you can think of available today.
Additionally, many lure manufacturers are starting to offer hybrid lures - a combination of the realistic appearance of soft plastics and the realistic swimming characteristics of a conventional stick-bait.
If you're a hold out and haven't really given any of these "new generation" fishing plastic lures a fair try there couldn't be a better time. You'll find an array of soft fishing plastic lures to compliment your fishing arsenal no matter what type of fishing you do.
