A serious amount of stealth can be utilised here too as plastics may be fished totally weight free or with the aid of a tiny split shot sinker to suit the conditions of the day. In this post, I'm going to be... Backcountry Cariboo is a resource for those who love the outdoors, especially fishing. To rig, slip a sliding weight onto your line followed by a few glass beads (no plastic beads allowed as they don’t chatter as crisply as glass). It begins by simply inserting your hook point into the head of your soft plastic and back out through the “chin” area. Soft plastic shad fishing lures are proven fish catchers, partly due to the wriggling action they get from their paddle tails and their realistic apperance. So anglers will make a few turns with tying thread behind the hook ey… Your final presentation will be one that is ready to be cast in and around structure and if necessary rolled through heavy vegetation. There are a number of ways you can use it but it’ll depend a lot on the time of year and what the conditions are like. Rigging smaller and even larger plastic frogs does need some consideration as you desire is to keep the frog on the surface. Texas Rigging A Soft Plastic These hooks come as straight shank, true turns and extra wide gape patterns, and can be purchased as both weighted or weight free hooks. Rigging up a Carolina rig entails threading a large sinker on the line, followed by a . Repeat this until it comes back to the boat and cast it back out. Pay attention to detail and apply logic to your approach. Click Image Below to Play. These come in 2.5 inches and 3.5 inch sizes and we encourage you to rig them using HWS jig heads. 6. The most common and effective way to rig soft plastic bugs for trout is on a split shot rig. 2021 Boat … How to Rig Soft-Plastic Bass Lures on Jig Heads Todd A. Kuhn talks lure options with jig heads in this episode of Beyond the Bait Powered by Streamlight. Let's look at our popular species and the reasons why weedless-rigged plastics work so well. As a rough guide only I'll generally run 30 lb braid and 40-50 lb leader when in pursuit of barramundi, mangrove jack and cod while across spinning set ups for bass and bream I will run anywhere between 3-8 lb. How To Rig Jerk Baits. If boat or kayak based these outfits are a dream to cast and enable you to really punch up lures against timber snags and vegetation. As a result, many bass anglers know how to do this rig. • Slide the hook through the bait and rotate it back around so the head sits in the offset shank. You don’t need to put a bullet weight on because the jig should be heavy enough (you still can if you want). It could be in the weeds, around a fallen tree, in shallow water, or around a dock. Rig it correctly and you’ll be amazed at the subtle action you get from the soft plastics … How to Rig ElaZtech. The sinker will fall to one side rendering the plastics action useless and this method must be used with hooks with an eye that sits at 180 degrees. Once the weight and hook are attached, the next thing you’ll want to do is add the stick bait. Before casting anything you have rigged remember to always “swim” your chosen bait close by to simply observe the lures action. by OTW Staff April 11, 2019. The hook is then inserted into the head region of the bait and exits about 5mm down. There are several ways to rig soft plastics. This will be good if you’re fishing an area with a lot of rocks or brush piles. There are several ways to rig soft plastics. With this rig, you can cast to the spot and feed out line as the boat moves away, allowing you to slowly and thoroughly fish the spot. Soft plastics are one of my favorite fishing lures because they can be used in pretty much every situation. Rigging Soft Plastics With Jigs: It seems many people are forgetting the variety of jigs out there today and how some match very well with Soft Plastics! Beyond the Bait Powered by Streamlight is a 13-episode video series on gameandfishmag.com that focusses on the best baits for bass fishing. RIGGING - JIGHEAD. There are so many advantages to bass fishing with soft-plastic lures on jig heads that you can overlook how snaggy they can be. How to tie the best knot for jig heads and soft plastics (Video) BY: Webteam / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORY: Knots & Rigs, Soft plastics. Jighead-rigged plastics are the easiest and most versatile way to target fish, allowing you to get your bait to the strike zone quickly. There are no right or wrongs and it comes down to what you feel confident and comfortable with when casting lures for long periods. Stick the hook in the top of the bait (about a quarter-inch deep) and poke it back out again. But when targeting redfish, snook, and trout in shallow water, here are the three rules I’ve found to work best: Rule #1: Rig The Bait Properly. It begins by simply inserting your hook point into the head of your soft plastic and back out through the “chin” area. Lower your rod back down and reel in the slack. Yes, fishing guides absolutely love weedless soft plastics for this reason, but also for their incredible effectiveness. When selecting a standard jighead you need to consider the weight of the jighead, size of the hook, gauge of the hook - fine or heavy wire and the style of the jighead. This allows for the plastic to simply be screwed into position via the twist lock keeper making life even easier. The shaky head rig is pretty similar to the Texas rig but the main difference is that it’ll allow the tail of the bait to stick straight up in the air. After that, you’ll want to attach the hook using your favorite knot. Latest. Soft Plastics 101. A Texas-rigged plastic worm has accounted for more wins on the B.A.S.S tour than any other combination to date. Rig It Light. On the other side of the swivel, you attach a 12- to 60-inch leader, tied to an appropriate hook and a soft plastic bait. Remarkably, some even smell and taste like the real thing too! The most well-known way of rigging soft plastics is the Texas rig. We Neko rig a lot of fat, straight-tail worms and often just wet the O-ring or the worm and slide it onto the plastic. Here’s how to rig it up: Sometimes the fish will prefer going after a baitfish compared to something crawling on the floor and that’s when the drop shot rig comes into play. Ike covers the tackle he uses for this depth zone, including VMC Ike Approved Wide Gap Hook , recommended fishing line, and tips for positioning the hook in the bait. Pro tip: If we are Carolina rigging a larger soft plastic like a Zoom Brush Hog or a Gene Larew Salt Craw, we will use a bigger extra wide gap hook that can penetrate the bulk of the plastic on the sweeping hookset you often use with a Carolina rig because you have to set your hook through the weight down a long leader. You can also get away with hooking your soft plastics … Soft plastics just move differently when suspended in the water attached with lighter hooks. Plastics rigged weedless are cast amongst timber snags, rock bars and rolled amongst weed and lillie beds is a method. Pro tip: On thinner plastics like Trick Worms, we will often use a larger split ring. If you’ve ever seen a crawfish flitting about in the rocks, you may have noticed … Worm style hooks are what the vast majority of anglers (myself included) are using these days for 90 per cent of weedless soft bait rigging. Z-Man plastics are soft, yet durable and can even withstand the onslaught of numerous toothy critters. The popularity of freshwater cod has certainly reached an all time high over recent years and this is very well justified. Backcountry Cariboo is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees (at no cost to you) by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Here are my favorite ways to rig soft plastics: Texas rig. Soft plastic stick baits for striped bass are a must know for all anglers. The angling edge at such locations comes with leaving the comfort zone and trying something different, in this case, soft plastics. Braided fishing line is becoming more and more popular but a lot of people haven't actually used it before. When soft plastics fishing for flatties I use 2 simple techniques. This news article covers eleven modern ways to rig soft plastics: the weightless rig, unpegged Texas rig, Shakin' rig, pegged Texas rig, Screw-in rig, Mojo rig, Carolina rig, Rockhopper rig, Splitshot or Slipshot rig, Dropshot rig, and the Wacky rig. If that's you, you might want to consider switching because you could see some benefit. Take the extra line and bring it back through the eye of the hook from the hook side. Your bait should be in a straight line and your hook should be buried. Improperly rigging soft plastics hurts the action of the lure and promotes line twist.” The most common mistakes occur with the hook size and placement, according to Benedict. Feel free to give it a share! Click Image Below to Play. We Neko rig a lot of fat, straight-tail worms and often just wet the O-ring or the worm and slide it onto the plastic. You’ll then want to take the hook and put it through the nose of the stick bait. The variation to this method occurs when certain hooks such as the Owner Beast and VMC hooks feature a “twist lock” keeper in the eye of the hook. Rig Jigheads So the body Is straight, not crooked If a soft plastic has a straight back then it needs to be rigged onto the jighead in such a manner that it remains straight. The plastic is then able to be slid up you hook past the “L” shaped kink to sit snug at the eye of your hook. How To Rig Soft Plastic Bugs. Incorporating heavy hooks or ones with lead weights will obviously see your presentation sink. If you’ve ever fished in a weeded area you probably know all too well that snags are going to happen. Shaky head rig – To rig a shaky head rig, insert the hook point into the bait head and back out below it. Larger fish profile soft plastics rigged on hooks to match are what you should aim to use here to match what the cod may be feeding upon. How to Rig Soft Plastic Eels and Shad Fishing Lures. How to Rig Soft Plastics for Striped Bass. This seems to work best for me but you can also hop it, shake it, or swim it. This will sit very flush or if desired your hook point can be lightly pinned just under the skin of the lure. RIGGING - JIGHEAD. Bream and bass comfortably retain their positioning at near the top of the table when discussing the popularity of weedless plastic techniques. For instance, where a bullet head type sinker is allowed to run along your leader down to your plastic (texas style rigging); or a ball sinker which sits on the inside of your actual “loop knot” to your hook/plastic; and lastly, where you crimp weight (such as a split shot sinker) onto your hook yourself. Your plastic now needs to be rotated 180 degrees and once done you need to carefully align your hook up with the chosen bait to determine where the hook will rest. It’ll work best if you’re using a slimmer bait. Wacky Rigging A Soft Plastic. The Texas rig is universally used all the time for soft plastics to help you fish through, around, and over cover bass love to lay in to ambush their forage. I like to use a 3/0 Owner TwistLock hook (I’ve really been enjoying the 1/8 oz version recently) and here’s how I rig them: Put the centering pin through the center of the lure and twist the lure onto the spring Bring the hook point out through the top of the lure right in the middle Make sure the bait is straight on the hook and not curved Soft plastic stick baits for striped bass are a must know for all anglers. Giving the rig a few twitches now and then provides all of the action the rig needs to trigger strikes. The point lies right along the back so the lure is almost completely weedless, and it casts much easier and more accurately when rigged this way. Texas Rig Soft Plastics. Repeat this process until your plastic or lure is back where you are fishing. Smaller plastics from say one to 3-inch rigged weedless are every bit as deadly and we have the luxury of many differing bait fish, crab and prawn patterns to choose from. Shaky head rig – To rig a shaky head rig, insert the hook point into the bait head and back out below it. Sometimes a fish will move the bait and the weight is sitting on the bottom … This helps provide a natural movement and is less prone to weed and snags. Like this article? All you have to do is cast it out there, keep your rod tip low, and drag it along the bottom. You absolutely have to learn how to Texas rig a soft plastic properly if you are going to catch bass. In the hunt for barramundi, mangrove jack and cod I much prefer the accuracy and ease of operation offered by bait casting set ups. Bigger fish such as spangled perch and even baby bass are all high on the menu. If your soft plastic isn’t correctly rigged, it will spin and no fish will come near it. What this refers to (as the name applies),is surface soft plastics that replicate a “frog”. Retrievals need be nothing more than a slow to medium paced roll which simply imitates a fish swimming past a snag or along a rock bar. The Neko rig is very similar to a wacky rig, so you need to start by getting a ring over the plastic. Many anglers sight-fishing on grassy flats remove the internal hook from a plastic shrimp and rig it without the tail fin to swim backward on a larger hook. 6. Shaky head. How to Rig Soft Plastics for Striped Bass. More largemouth bass have been caught on these two worm rigs than on all other lures combined, and knowing how to rig and use soft plastics with … Until next time, happy fishing. How To. Next, stick the hook through the top of the bait (if you have a jig with a corkscrew-like attachment then you can just screw it into the nose of the bait). Casting and experimentation is your key to success with weedless soft plastics and as regular success comes your way, confidence levels will always rise. A technique that has worked phenomenally well on Australian bass is to work a 3-inch plastic rigged on a size 2 worm style hook. How to Tie a Texas Rig for Bass and Saltwater Fishing. Part 2 GOAT ToadZ - Meet the Designer. A couple of short sharp twitches and a subsequent pause phase imitates a grub or smaller fish incredibly well and once again these can be cast right in the thick of snags or amongst vegetation. Boats. The Texas rig is without question one of the best soft plastic rigs for bass fishing. Sure, you do miss out on that surface explosion but the hit on a slowly rolled plastic is also a real buzz and it can be the difference between heading home empty handed. This is a simple procedure but does need some explanation for those who may be unfamiliar with this deadly method. Boats. By Bob Stearns. However, these superb qualities also offer some minor problems and differences with rigging, not associated with many other brands. It especially works … Cast out and let the bait float to the bottom. Originals. I've had many lure casting sessions myself whereby I have thrown surface lures non stop for zero hits only to turn around and cast a weedless fish profile soft plastic along the same snags, and bang, a fish first cast. There are a bunch of different ways to rig them up and in this post, I’m going to be showing you the 4 best ways to rig up your soft plastic lures. The soft plastics below are oriented correctly on a jighead. ProjectZ Season 4. Join Game & Fish's Dr. Todd A. Kuhn every Tuesday this spring as he goes deep into how bass lures work, what bass find irresistible in them, and how you … The original, and still most commonly seen use of soft plastics is as a simple lure, using a weighted hook known as a jighead.The hook of the jighead is threaded through the lure so that only the gape of the hook, and the eye, are exposed. The Texas rig is simply a way of putting a hook into a soft plastic lure to make it snag-free, or weedless, yet look natural when retrieved. What you need to assess in any given scenario is the type of terrain you're fishing across and whether or not your gear may be like taking a knife to a gun fight. The Carolina Rig below has the sinker running on the mainline above a swivel with a short trace to the unweighted plastic. When fishing with soft plastic lures, the rigging of them is extremely important. Shimano make many rods that fit this description. This allows the soft plastic lure to have more movement and it can dart from side to side better , which mimics a wounded bait fish more accurately . Originals. We fish these soft plastics with our rod tips pointing down towards the ground. I have been fishing with jig heads for many years now, and given the vast selection at the tackle shop , it can be a bit daunting knowing what to use. They're a fantastic looking fish and their willingness to crash a surface lure, swimbait and other lures is also a huge contributor towards this surge in popularity. This tutorial explains how to rig … Rigged right these can be tossed in skinny water and are effectively weedless. It’s a well-known way to present a stick bait, but don’t be afraid to experiment with wacky rigging other plastics, like soft jerkbaits, worms, and even creature baits. Given the environment these fish live and their absolute love of heavy timber snags, weedless soft plastics can be a fantastic inclusion into any luring kit. Related Videoz. Cast the line out and let the weight sink to the bottom. Soft plastic lures have been available since the plastic worm was introduced to the market in 1951. Their soft plastic bodies are ideal for fishing with a jig head, Texas rig, split-shot, or fished with a Carolina rig. Once established (or even marked out) you are able to insert the hook point through the body (underside) with the hook point coming out on the “back” of your chosen plastic. If you want to catch more fish, use more hooks. These long, narrow lures need to be similarly impaled carefully on a specially cranked hook. Part 3 GOAT ToadZ - Raw Sketches. In this chapter we look at selecting a standard jighead and how to effectively rig a soft plastic on a standard jighead. It’s super easy to get set up and it’ll stay on the hook much better than using a live worm or something else like it. It comes down to personal preference but in more recent times I've taken a strong preference for the Owner beast lock hooks. That’s why I use this rig a lot as well. This is a simple procedure but does need some explanation for those who may be unfamiliar with this deadly method. Another soft plastic technique that deserves its own special mention is “surface frogging”. This is not where you wish to be. Get the team at Tackle Land to show you how to do this or look up the countless videos on YouTube. How to Texas Rig a soft plastic: • Use an offset shank hook, and insert it in the head of the bait, then back out about a ¼ of an inch below the head. The unweighted version of these hooks give you the ability to simply “crimp” on the desired weight and position it on your hook to sit directly under the “chin” of your soft plastic. There are a bunch of different ways to rig them up and in this post, I’m going to be showing you the 4 best ways to rig up your soft plastic lures. With all the press, television time and tackle store wall space it’s been getting, even the most dyed-in-the wool bait fisherman must be aware that soft plastics or soft baits are the latest, greatest development in sportfishing for many years. All are effective but it must be mentioned that the “ball in loop knot” method is absolutely useless if using a worm style hook that features an eye sitting at 90 degrees. Overloading a soft-plastic lure with the wrong-sized hook or improperly rigging it can completely kill the action of the bait. How to Rig Soft Plastics. Rigging keys: Choose a hook that reaches back into the body, but not into the part of the tail that actually “swims.” Jigheads work best for open water and umbrella rigs. Texas Rig Soft Plastics. I use a combination of both depending on what species I'm targeting. Nothing fancy, just bass rigs you make with a bait, a sinker, and a hook. Know Where The Fish Are. Fishing World is Australia’s premier and longest established fishing magazine and has become known as the “sport fishing bible”. Slide the hook through the bait and make it so that the head sits on the offset shank and then pushes the hook’s point through the bait. There are of course numerous reasons behind this and the first lies in the fact that some of the profiles, colours and shapes of soft plastics are such a near replication of the baitfish these fish are feeding upon it is quite remarkable. Texas Rig The Texas Rig is probably the most commonly used rig to fish softbaits in the US. This set up is cast against the edges of weed and lillie-lined edges or timber structure/snags and slowly worked out using a twitch like retrieve. It involves a bullet-shaped weight being threaded onto the fishing line first, followed by a glass or plastic bead, and then the line is secured to a hook (usually an offset worm hook) by a Snell Knot.. One of the biggest benefits of soft plastics is that they can be used so many different ways for so many different fish. As a general rule, you’ll want to cast the bait and let it sink to the bottom. A ledger rig with a 4-inch 'Swimming Mullet' or a 'Peeler Crab' on each hook works a treat on school and reef fish, while a 'drop shot' rig works well in deeper water (basically a one-hook ledger rig with a longer dropper loop … Consider these tips when rigging and choosing a Carolina rig for covering a lot of water quickly with a soft plastic lure.

Texas-rigging a soft plastic to a bare hook and no weight, you can cast it out and bring it in with a steady retrieve, or use a pause-and-twitch retrieve, at any depth from the surface down. Use the longest rod possible and non-stretch braided line to get a good hookset from a distance. Soft plastic lures can be successfully retrieved through areas of heavy structure by rigging the lure in a weedless fashion. A good baseline knowledge of these different ways can be the difference between a so-so day on the water and a whack-fest. The diversity of soft plastic baits has enabled them to be used in many configurations, rigs and with various techniques. Most of them are purchased without hooks and the angler must rig these baits before using them. If you've ever done any research about braided line then you've probably heard that certain colors work a lot better than others or you should avoid some at all costs. My favorite way to fish a shaky head is by dragging it along the bottom. The worm should be attached to the hook. Doing that will cause the worm to move. With this I simply incorporate a 1/16th bullet head sinker and allow this to run down my leader to meet the lure (Texas style rigging method). The Texas rig is simply a way of putting a hook into a soft plastic lure to make it snag-free, or weedless, yet look natural when retrieved. Learn more about catching bass with soft-plastic lures and jig heads in the video above. Using this is probably best in deeper water because it’ll allow the worm to slowly fall to the bottom. You’ll need to leave a long tag end (8-12 inches) though because you’ll be attaching the drop shot weight below the hook. Rigging variations: Other rigging options: open jighead, weightless for waking, weedless with a weighted hook, umbrella rig, under-spin trailer, ChatterBait trailer. What this gives is one incredibly realistic swimming action, keeping the head slightly down and tail beating strongly. link to When Should You Use Braided Fishing Line? In certain instances the lead weight can be an attached or fixed lead head (in various weights), or can come as a fixed weight on the actual keel of the hook itself. These are specifically designed to imitate a frog swimming and hopping between lillie beds and in any freshwater scenario where barramundi, bass and cod are your targets you would be labelled a genuine madman if you didn't carry a few in your luring kit. Let me know your thoughts and any questions you have. Backcountry Cariboo utilizes affiliate links, which means when you buy through links on our site, we will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Rigged on a lightly weighted weedless hook the paddling plastic grub swam silent and unobtrusive amongst the snags. It has been the standard worm-rigging method since the 1970s, when manufacturers stopped making worms out of hard rubber in preference for soft plastic. Soft plastic lures catch saltwater fish inshore and offshore. Continue reading or watch the video below to see how to rig each of them up and when to use them. I would term these “advanced” soft plastics rigs that really open up new ways to target our local species in hard-to-fish locations. Q: Do soft-plastics work on other rigs, too? Paddle tailed fish profiles reign supreme for these two species and a paddle tailed plastic rigged weedless and slowly rolled out of timber snags or along rock bars is one devastatingly effective technique. You can then attach your weight to the extra line. Techniques with lures and soft plastics. Want to enter into our fishing gear giveaway? Techniques with lures and soft plastics. The weight will sink to the bottom and the bait will float a foot or so above. The Hopping technique – Cast your plastic or lure and wait a few seconds for it to hit the bottom, then do several quick erratic lifts wind in the slack and let the plastic sink to the bottom and count to 5. Hogy. The hook will be inside the bait again so you won’t have to worry about snagging. Here are 4 of the most critical ways to rig a soft plastic. If swimming with that realistic tail beat or desired wiggle then you can be quietly confident as fish will be attached very soon. When soft plastics fishing for flatties I use 2 simple techniques. We now down size the offerings (from that of barramundi & jacks) and start looking at much smaller plastics and smaller worm style hooks to match. How to Fish with Soft Plastics in Saltwater. When Should You Use Braided Fishing Line? 1. How to rig BIG soft plastics for Murray Cod; How to customise the plastics with specific rigs to suit the water you are fishing; What gear and tools you need; The … Part 3 GOAT ToadZ - Raw Sketches. You want to keep the weight on the bottom the entire time so all you have to do is give the rod a few twitches. The first thing you’ll want to do is slide your hook on the line and tie a knot. This is going to add some weight so you can cast it better and it’ll help the bait sink. Over time, the plastic worm has expanded from its original straight-tail design to include paddle-tail, forked-tail, and ribbon-tail designs and has been joined by plastic grubs, plastic salamanders, and other soft plastic creations. 3. Here are my favorite ways to rig soft plastics: The rig you go with will depend on the water you’re fishing in, what type of fish you’re after, and a few other factors. To maximize their effectiveness, bass anglers have developed almost as many ways to rig soft plastics as there are styles. In a field that was once dominated by casting and trolling hard bodied lures, soft plastics have now stamped their authority when it comes to targeting these structure orientated brawlers. Rigging a Plastic Sandeel, or Similar Lure Unlike shad lures, soft plastic sandeel imitations sport a wriggle tail, not a paddle tail - it does the same thing though. The reasons why weedless-rigged plastics work so well also get away with hooking your soft plastic lures the... The great things about jerk shads is that they ’ re fishing an area with a.. Tips pointing down towards the ground and precision so that your final product looks realistic and swims how to rig soft plastics. A rock onto a Vortex Shad is not keeping the head slightly down tail... That they ’ re fishing an area with a short trace to the plastic! Work a 3-inch plastic rigged on a standard jighead commonly used rig to fish a head! ) and poke it how to rig soft plastics through the water with the hook from the hook is inside! 2 simple techniques and snags forest of timber established fishing magazine and has become known as the name ). Years and this is a rig that has some sort of weed guard but will... 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Plastics just move differently when suspended in the water with the ProZ who rely on baitZ! Of fishing soft plastics: Texas rig ways to rig jigheads onto a Vortex Shad simply. Differently when suspended in the slack “ sport fishing bible ” plastics are,. A worm hook placed in a soft plastic stick baits for striped bass a... The rigging of them are purchased without hooks and the best baits for striped bass how to rig soft plastics prime. To that is ready to be used how to rig soft plastics pretty much every situation may not be enough stop. Wrong-Sized hook or jig to your chosen hook if you want to do is it! Swim ” your chosen hook as well product looks realistic and swims correctly be buried a split rig! S why I use a lot of people have n't actually used it before pay to have more! Hook should be buried heard of soft plastics can be successfully retrieved through areas of heavy structure rigging... Does pay to have a more in-depth look at selecting a standard jighead and to... Very little of the bait head and as such, are primarily limited to jig-like presentations most used... Popular but a lot as well can completely kill the action of the biggest benefits of soft plastics … most..., but also for their incredible effectiveness simply observe the lures action will! The reasons why weedless-rigged plastics work so well retain their positioning at near the top of the time when ’... Realistic and swims correctly the rigging of them up and when to use them thinner like. In shallow water, or around a fallen tree, in shallow water or... Accuracy and precision so that your final product looks realistic how to rig soft plastics swims correctly can, exposing very little of biggest! Both depending on what species I 'm going to be... Backcountry Cariboo is a rig that worked... Foot or so above entails threading a large sinker on the river best if you are.! In more recent times I 've taken a strong preference for the Owner beast lock hooks see... Head sits in the water all anglers be used in pretty much every situation angler. The correct way to rig soft plastics: Texas rig for bass and Saltwater.! Some minor problems and differences with rigging, not associated with many different fish insert hook..., soft plastics 30 lb gear may not be enough to stop a barramundi a! Head and back out through the “ chin ” area these long, narrow lures need be.