In the world of fishing, soft lures are relative newcomers. They owe their existence to the plastic boom of the post-WWII years, when composite materials that were soft and elastic enough to imitate live bait, and at the same time cheap enough to be disposable, were developed. The credit for the invention of the soft lure is often given to Nick Creme, who, in 1949, introduced the Creme Scoundrel — one of the first plastic worms. From then on, these lures began their triumphant march along the angling world. 

How Do Soft Lures Work? 

Predatory fish find their prey in a number of ways. They can do it by sight, especially if the water is clear, or by smell, but the most important way is through perceiving vibrations that any body moving through the water spreads. Vibrations sent by softer bodies of living organisms are not quite the same as those sent by hard spinning lures made of wood and metal. Soft plastic lures often do it in a more realistic way. In addition, they are often shaped exactly like the prey they are supposed to imitate, which comes useful with predators that feed by sight. And some of them can even be scented so that the predator can identify them by smell. 

What Are the Major Types of Soft lures?

Soft lures are grouped into three categories, depending on just how they attract the fish. 

Soft Plastic Worms

This is the original type of soft lures, which still works great bass fishing. As the name suggests, they mimic live worms.

Swimbaits 

These lures are designed buoyant, to stay on or near the surface. They often imitate small fish, but are available in many other shapes, including frogs. 

Grubs

Grubs have curly tails that create vibration as they are reeled across the water, making them attractive to many species.

What Are Soft Lures Made Of?

All soft lures are made of all polymers, or simply said plastics. However, there are many kinds of plastic that can differ from each other as night and day. Here are the most common types used for soft lures:

PVC

One of the first polymers to revolutionize our lives, the polyvinyl chloride or PVC for short is, in the first place, affordable. In addition, it’s sufficiently flexible, can be made into  various shapes and colors, and even allow for embedded scents. The cons include environmental concerns due to non-biodegradability. Can tear with aggressive fish.

TPE

TPE stands for “thermoplastic elastomer”, which basically means a composite material that is both elastic, and doesn’t change its qualities after being heated and cooled again. So you can heat it, inject into molds, and after cooling it will be as elastic as before. Extremely durable and stretchable, resistant to tearing, TPEs can last longer than traditional PVC, but are predictably more expensive. 

Biodegradable Materials

It ain’t much of a trip if you haven’t lost a single lure, so if you are concerned about littering the rivers and seas with plastic that won’t go away for a few hundred years, choose biodegradable soft lures. Those are designed to break down in water without harming ecosystems, but may not be as durable, requiring frequent replacements.

Latest Developments

In recent years, innovations in soft lure technology include biodegradable materials, scented and salt-impregnated lures, and designs with 3D printing technology for hyper-realistic appearance and movement, making them more effective in attracting fish.

Soft Lure Rigs

Soft rigs alone won’t catch you a single fish. You need a hook, a sinker to get your lure to the desired depths – that is, unless you want it floating on the surface – and an arrangement that holds it all together at the end of this line. Here are the major types of soft lure rigs for various fishing scenarios. 

Texas Rig

The Texas rig is a weedless setup, ideal for fishing in heavy cover like vegetation or timber. It involves threading the hook through a soft plastic lure (usually a worm or creature bait) so that the hook’s point is hidden. That makes this design weedless, allowing you to fish in dense cover without snagging – great for bass fishing, in areas with heavy weeds or cover. On the other hand, it can reduce the hook-up ratio because the hook point is hidden.

To do the Texas rig, iInsert the hook into the head of the lure, thread it through about ¼ inch, then rotate the hook and bury the point back into the body of the lure. You would typically use a bullet weight, placed above the lure, with or without a peg to hold it in place.

Carolina Rig

The Carolina rig is a variation that keeps the weight separate from the lure, allowing the bait to float more freely off the bottom. It’s excellent for deeper water fishing or when fish are more spread out. The free-floating lure has a natural presentation, enticing strikes from finicky fish. On the minus sides, as the weight is separated from the lure, it is a little less sensitive, and with an open hook you may have more snags in heavy cover.

To do this rig, start by threading a sinker (usually an egg sinker) onto the mainline, followed by a bead. Then tie a swivel, and attach a leader (12-24 inches) with the hook and soft plastic at the end.

Jighead Rig

The jighead rig consists of a weighted hook, where the soft plastic lure is threaded directly onto the jighead. The weight is built into the hook, making it easy to control the depth and action. It’s great for fishing near the bottom, especially for species like bass, walleye, and trout. You might find it hard to cover the top and middle layers of the water column, though, although a small head with a large, well-floating soft lure might do the trick. 

Simply thread the soft plastic bait onto the hook starting from the nose, pushing it up the shank until it covers the jighead. The hook should come out of the back of the lure to allow for proper presentation.

Hooks and Heads for Soft Lures

Some rigs like the Carolina rig can be made out of regular lines, hooks, and sinkers, but others require specialized hooks and heads. Here are some of them: 

Offset Worm Hooks

Ideal for soft plastic worms or creatures such as frog shapes, allowing the hook point to sit flush with the lure for a weedless presentation.

Wide Gap Hooks

Also knowns as EWG, wide gap hooks are designed for bulkier soft lures like swimbaits, allowing the hook to penetrate well through thicker baits.

Common Head Types:

The standard design for a jig head is a simple round shape, which works great for general-purpose soft lures. Swimbaits are shaped to give soft swimbaits a natural swimming action. Shaky heads are specially designed for bottom fishing techniques; they hold the soft lure upright.

Effective Techniques for Casting and Retrieving Soft Lures

Getting your rig right is only the beginning of the story. To catch fish, you’ll need to present the lure to your prey in a way that it will find irresistible. There’s no single correct way to retrieve a soft lure; in different situations you may use one of the following methods:

Steady Retrieve

Cast the lure and retrieve it at a consistent speed. Best for swimbaits, this technique mimics the natural swimming motion of a baitfish. Use in clear water when the fish is active. 

Twitch and Pause (Jerkbait Style)

After casting, twitch the rod tip to create erratic movements, followed by a pause. This imitates a wounded or fleeing baitfish. This technique is good for targeting aggressive predators like bass.

Lift and Drop (Yo-Yo Retrieve)

After casting, let the lure sink, then lift the rod tip, reeling as you lower it, causing the lure to rise and fall through the water. Effective for bottom-dwelling fish and in murky conditions.

Drag and Bounce (Bottom Bouncing)

As evident from the name, that’s another highly efficient technique for fish that dwell near the bottom. Slowly drag or hop the soft lure across the bottom, creating the illusion of a crawling creature like a crayfish or worm.

Burn and Kill (Fast-Slow Technique)

Reel quickly to get the fish’s attention, then abruptly stop, letting the lure fall. This imitates a panicked baitfish trying to escape.

Swim and Pause

Retrieve the lure with a steady pace, then pause briefly, allowing it to flutter and drop slightly, enticing curious fish to strike. To use when the fish is very cautious; it also allows you to fish the middle of the water column. 

What Fish Can You Catch with Soft Lures? 

Almost all predators can be targeted with soft lures, and if you use scented worms, even some invertebrate-feeders. For some scenarios, however, soft lures are simply indispensable. One of those is fishing for largemouth bass in shallow, weedy lakes. Weedless Texas rigs will let you fish directly in dense covers – it would be a stretch to say “without drags at all”, but you sure won’t be dragging too often. Another great option is floating lures shaped like frogs, one of the preferred food of big largemouths. 

Soft lures can be highly effective for catching northern pike, too. Rig soft lures on heavy-duty jigheads to fish deeper in the water column. Jerkbaits are especially efficient, as their erratic, darting action closely resembles wounded baitfish, which pike are drawn to. Slow, steady retrieve works well for triggering pike’s predatory instincts. Another freshwater predator for whom soft bait are what the doctor ordered is the walleye. Walleye often hunt near the bottom, and with heavy sinkers or jig heads you get the lure that goes down there. 

Inshore, soft shrimp imitation with a Carolina rig is a great choice for redfish (red drum) on coastal flats. The Carolina rig keeps the shrimp imitation slightly off the bottom, mimicking a shrimp’s movement, which is irresistible to redfish cruising the flats. Soft lures can be very efficient for catching flounder as well. The sideways flattened predators spend their lifetimes lying on the bottom waiting until a small fish or shrimp passes over, and a slow, bouncing retrieve along the seabed imitates just that. The key is maintaining contact with the bottom and a slow, natural presentation.

Conclusion. 

Soft lures offer a realistic movement, with their elasticity allowing them to mimic the natural movements of live bait. They are available in different shapes, colors, and sizes to target a range of species, and generally affordable and available in large packs. On the minus side, you have to carry a larger supply of them, as compared to flies or spinners, as they need to be replaced often, especially near rocky bottoms and structures, or when the fish baits aggressively. They are also not ideal for fishing in fast currents and in the middle of the water column. 

The choice of your lure  depends on water clarity, depth, and the species being targeted. For some scenarios, you may prefer spoons, spinners, or poppers. However, soft lures have become an irreplaceable part of any spinning enthusiast’s gear. If you haven’t tried them yet, do it, you may be pleasantly surprised with the result. And don’t forget that BaitYourHook.com offers you the best selection of fishing trips directly from trusted captains, lodges and guides. 

Next in Fishing 101:

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