This guide covers essential gear for soft plastics fishing, starting with a lightweight, fast-action rod and a smooth 2,500-size reel for optimal sensitivity. It recommends using a braided PE line with a fluorocarbon leader for better bite detection and durability. Selecting the right jig head is key, with lighter options preferred, adjusting for current and wind conditions. The guide also highlights three essential soft plastic types: paddle tails, grubs, and creature baits, each suited for different fishing scenarios. Finally, it emphasizes adapting your gear to local conditions for a successful fishing experience
1. Fishing Rod Selection
This is your typical bait rod, usually made from fibreglass. They tend to be quite noodly, lacking sensitivity, and you can’t really feel bites when you’re working soft plastic lures. What that means is, if you’re using a rod like this and trying to work a plastic lure across the water, the “noodling” action makes it harder to feel anything when working the lure. Detecting bites becomes much more difficult with this kind of gear.
You might think you can use a bait rod for soft plastics fishing—yes, there are no strict rules in fishing—but it’s going to be a lot harder to achieve the desired results with them. We typically recommend a lightweight rod, preferably graphite if you can afford it. Choose something within your budget. A 7ft rod is a good general length, especially for land-based fishing. Aim for either a fast or extra-fast taper. This helps with taking up line slack quickly, allowing you to set hooks into those single-hook lures you’re using with plastics. So, this kind of rod is a good choice.
2. Reel Selection
Next is handling your rod with your reel. You want to select a reel that suits the gear you’re using. For example, a 7ft, 2-4 kg, general-purpose light gear soft plastic fishing rod pairs well with a 2,500-size reel. This setup covers most applications. For finesse and lightweight setups (like 1-3 kg rods), a 1,000 or 2,000-size reel is a good choice.
Another important point is having a smooth drag system. A good drag system will allow the line to come off the reel smoothly and enable the rod to do the work, keeping the hook set in the fish for you.
3. Line Selection
The line you choose is an essential part of your outfit. Line is sometimes overlooked, but it’s important to have a good quality line suited to your fishing type. For soft plastics fishing, a PE (braided) line is ideal. Braid has little stretch, providing excellent sensitivity, allowing you to feel bites, even with lots of loose line. It helps you feel everything you’re working through in the water column. Since braided line doesn’t have the best abrasion resistance, you’ll need to use a leader material, such as fluorocarbon. Fluorocarbon sinks and has less stretch than monofilament line, making it a good option.
4. Jig Head Selection
Jig heads are another key element. You’ll need a variety of sizes and types, depending on the plastics you plan to use. This means varying hook sizes and weights. You want to use the lightest jig head possible for the conditions you’re fishing in. This can change depending on wind, tide, or current, so having a range of jig heads is a must.
When selecting a jig head, I generally start with a lighter one as a personal preference. I don’t want to risk losing jig heads in unknown snag areas too quickly. I prefer to feel out higher water column areas first. If the drop isn’t effective, and there’s some current, I’ll use a heavier jig head to get a more accurate and presentable drop. If wind is a factor, you’ll need to go heavier to get more cast distance. It’s all about adapting to the current conditions.
5. Soft Plastic Types
There are three basic types of soft plastics that are essential for beginners. It doesn’t matter too much what brand you choose; most brands do a similar job and offer a wide range of options. For the type of fishing we’re doing today, we typically use 2- to 3-inch plastics, as they resemble the local bait size. In your local system, you’ll need to learn what forage is available and match the size of your plastics accordingly.
The three types of plastics are:
- Paddle Tail Plastics: These are your standard Monroe paddle tails and similar brands like Crush City Plastics and Rapala. They’re a great go-to.
- Grubs: The grub is incredibly versatile, mimicking smaller prey like shrimp, and pretty much everything eats them. They’re often the best starting point, giving you the best chance of success.
- Creature Baits: These are smaller-profile lures, which mimic things like small crustaceans or minnows. They usually have more appendages and frilly bits. A good example is the OSP Dice, a cube with lots of legs. These are great for species like brim, who hammer them.
6. Creature Baits
Creature baits are a bit more specific. These lures tend to have a smaller profile, meaning they have less presence in the water. They’re more finesse lures, and you’ll work them slower off the bottom. They mimic smaller prey like crustaceans, nymphs, or minnows, which you wouldn’t normally see in a baitfish pattern. Creature baits often have numerous appendages, which create a lot of movement. A good example of this type of bait is the OSP Dice, which has multiple legs. They may look unusual, but I can tell you from experience, brim love them. Stick with these three types to start, and you’ll be off to a good start.