Soft plastic

[rockylinx]

Why Soft plastic ??? I see people over and over trying to make there plastic softer and softer. I mostly fish salt water. What is the benefit of pouring soft plastic as apposed to hard durable plastic?? Other than the fact its a pain in the butt to pour hard plastic what are the other reasons ??

Pete

[nova]

Pete; the softer the plastic the more realistic the action will be. Also, some freshwater fish can be very picky at times; so the more action the bait has, the better reaction the fish will give.

Softer plastic also has a "hold factor" to it. Meaning, the softer the plastic the longer the fish will hang onto it.

Basically that's the theory.

Saltwater guys want a harder plastic because ; in my opinion; most of the big water fish have teeth and the need for a more durable bait is required.

I'm sure that there is a happy medium somewhere in the hard/soft scale, of plastic, that will allow more flexiblilty while only giving up some of the durability.

Personally I wouldn't care how many baits I went through as long as I was catching fish. So, I would not give up very much softness to the baits I would pour for saltwater.

Just my 2 cents.

www.novalures.com

[JDBaits]

Nova hit the nail right on the head as usual , Id take action over durability anyday. I think most other guys will agree, just look at the GY senko it normally last only 1 fish (if it dosent cast right off the hook) but still people are willing to pay 6 bucks for a pack of 10.

[Roger Linnell]

I don't buy the " hold factor " theory, I can't think of much in a fish's diet thats all that soft. Agree with the action part.

[nova]

I don't buy the " hold factor " theory, I can't think of much in a fish's diet thats all that soft. Agree with the action part.

Ever pick up a frog?(freshwater) Or a baitfish. Oh yea; what about a real worm or an eel. Pretty soft, eh?

I don't mean to be snarky, all I'm saying is that fish don't always eat hard things. (If you're fishing for shell crackers then that's a different story)

www.novalures.com

[King Bait Co.]

The bass guys on the west coast like their soft plastic extra soft. Maybe they can tell you why. I think nova covered it pretty well the first time. I think the hold factor has to do with the scent not the softness. The softness is more for a life like feel and action. Someone told me when the water is hot the fish are soft and mushy. Then when its cold they are harder and tighter feeling.

Edited July 6, 2008 by King Bait Co.

[Zbass]

I think it is a personal preference thing. Some guys like the ultra soft and others like the heavy duty. With heavy cover, I like a durable bait that stays on the hook when you pull it through. In more open water, I like a baits that is as soft as I can get for the feel and action. Just boils down to preference and confidence.

Zbass

[BIGDADDY814]

Soft Plastic Also Helps Out With You Hook Set. Sometimes When You Fish A Sweet Beaver Or Mega Craw , Which Are Big Baits, The Hook Has A Harder Time Coming Through The Plastic. Even Though You Pass The Hook All The Way Through And Just Skin Hook The Bait , The Harder Plastic Is Tougher To Set The Hook. Just Another Opinion.

[King Bait Co.]

BIGDADDY814 and Zbass are on the money also!

[alsworms]

Oh my.......the neverending soft plastic debate.

The softer, the better. Next question?

Seriously, we have done numerous tests out here on the west coast and every one of those tests prove that fish WILL hold on to a soft bait longer. I know that bass eat frogs, worms, etc., but they also eat crawdads. Doesn't get any harder than that! However, there must be something in their tiny brains that tells them this is not a real craw, frog, worm, etc......and they spit it. A softer bait allows for a longer brain "trigger time", giving the fisherman that extra second or two before the fish decides to spit the bait. As we all know, a second or two can make a HUGE difference when weighing that sack at the end of the day.

Having said that, that wasn't the main reason I preferred a soft bait. I think BIGDADDY nailed it when he mentioned the hook set. When fishing soft plastics, my main rigging choices were either split or dropshotting. The barb of the hook would set smack dab in the middle of the bait. You really need to drive that barb through the bait, into the fish' mouth, and hopefully somewhere through the jaw..........all in a fraction of a second.

In the end, softer es mas bueno! ........and I didn't even get into action. That would be a 10-page novel.

Speaking of novels, sorry for this one fellas. When the topic of "soft" plastic is brought up, I guess something is triggered in my "tiny brain" as well.

[outdooradvantage]

I will agree softer is better, I dont know what eveyone's recipe is, however I am currently using 2 cap full's of Dell's softner for 4oz of plastic, and a customer of mine say's his kid's are catching Bass on my stick's using a bobber. From some of the recipe's I have read some are using a lot more softner than I. Don't know if this mean's anything, just thought I would share.......... Jeff...........

[Bass-Boys]

This is a good thread. Glad to hear the replys. I have a few customers that feel my Phat-eez are to soft.. And I like & want to hear the comments of my customers, good or bad. The feed back is a good thing. But I need to decide to keep um this soft or make um firmer..I think that no matter how any bait is.. there will be people that like it and people that do not..I like the soft stuff my self..

Jeff

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[GB GONE]

I personally am like Chris and others, the softer, the better AND the more fish I catch. A tiny twitch of the rod makes a super soft bait go CRAZY!!! Tougher baits require more effort to make the bait look real.

All that being said, if I made a customer a batch of frogs out of super soft plastic, they would want their hard earned $$$ back because the baits would tear on the cast.

It is difficult to pour for all conditions across the country as some that fish a lot of open water can use baits that are softer. When we flip down in FL in the slop, a soft bait would tear trying to get through the vegitation (sometimes a 1 3/8oz weight is required to get through!!).

I started to customize my baits by bait type and what the angler is going to be using them for to decide if teh bait will be super soft or not. Still is very hard and touchy to get things right. Example is, my larger worms are getting a touch of "regular" plastic in the super soft to help them stay on the hook better. Finesse baits are always super soft. Frogs are regular with a touch of saltwater plastic.

Still can't please everyone but I am getting closer to a happy medium by getting feedback from the customers AND, most importantly, THE FISH!!!!

Jim

[Roger Linnell]

I use softer plastic in baits that I don't fish with an exposed hook. Just about everything else is medium Calhoun right out of the bucket. I don't fish much finese. My point is, I don't believe a fish will spit a bait quicker because it's a wee bit firmer than the last one it chewed on.

[Bass-Boys]

Jim,

I am with ya .

Jeff

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Edited July 8, 2008 by Bass-Boys

[maki]

I have been keeping fishing journals for about 25 years, and keeping them to nauseam for about 9 and here is what I have found to be true for the most part. I won

[Bass-Boys]

Maki,

awsome info..

Jeff

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[Roger Linnell]

I agree with the scent, taste thing, I add Upper Hand scent to my tournament baits. Prefishing for tournaments, it's common to have fish swim around with my baits for 20 or 30 seconds. If I need more time than that to figure out I got a bite, I'll take up golf. By the way, the fish liked my not so super soft baits enough that finished first in points in Anglers Choice North Lake Powell cuirut after 8 tournaments.