We still have many tips, tricks, photos and video tutorials to upload. Please bear with us as we make these changes. Do we need to add another bait or have a tip to add? Let us know by sending an e-mail to tips@howtobass.com Enjoy the current tips and tricks below for soft plastic baits! Remember many of these tips are interchangeable inbetween eachother.
Worms 
Worms are a year-round bait for sure. There are numberous ways to rig a soft plastic worm. For more information on setting up these different rigs, check out our rig section under how-to. Here are some helpful hints to help you with your fishing adventures.
- How to rig a worm on a hook. 
- How to rig a floating rubber worm two ways.
- Keep worms seperated in your tackle box. Colors will bleed from one worm to another.
- Not getting any bites? Change the color before changing the size.
- Bedding bass often short strike a worm. Cut part of your worm off to help in this situation.
- Typically the bigger the worm you use, the bigger the bass. (We've caught small ones too).
- Spray scent on unscented baits for an extra edge.
- Fish worms slowly and during colder months even slower.
- Use small jerks on the pole for a retreival technique.
- Pay attention to your pole movement. If you move it 3 feet the worm is doing the same.
- When casting allow the line to remain "slack" until it reaches the bottom.
- Watch closely for line movement. Often you will not feel the bass bite the worm.
- Think you have a bass on the line? Tighten the line slowly to feel and see if there is.
- When fishing with a weightless worm, pay close attention to your line. You will more often than not see
your line moving before you feel the bass.
- When setting the hook lower the rod tip, reel in the slack, then jerk the rod upward quickly to set it.
- Add a tip! Send it in to tips@howtobass.com
Tubes
Tubes can be a great alternative to worms and are also fished a lot in heavy cover. There are many ways to fish a tube and below we have some tips and tricks to help you out while fishing a tube.
- How to rig a tube two ways.
- Swimming a tube is a great technique. Reel slowly with an occasional jerk.
- Tubes can also be fished like jigs. A slight jump of the tube and then rest works great.
- Tubes often have an exposed hook when rigged. Place a hook with a wire gaurd to keep snaggs to a
minimum.
- Insert scent, and rattles into the body of a tube bait for an extra attraction.
- Inserting the scent inside will allow the scent to stay with the bait longer.
- Again like the worm, let the tube fall with slack line.
- Hop a tube bait with an occasional pause, and then shake it to imitate a spring crawfish.
- The thicker the cover your fishing, the heavier it needs to weigh to penetrate cover.
- Add a tip! Send it in to tips@howtobass.com
lizards
Lizards! Everybody loves em'! Enjoy the tips & tricks.
- How to rig a lizard.
- Soft plastic lizards give you a better casting distance weightless because of weight.
- Soft plastic lizards are great to use in any condition.
- Use them on bass beds! They resemble the salamander which eat bass eggs. (If salamanders reside
nearby that's an even more plus to use it).
- Match the hatch. Use more subtle colors rather than bright colors.
- Dye the legs on just one side to give it a nice color variation.
- If using scent, try to find a ribbed worm. They hold scent better than smooth lizards.
- Add a tip! Send it in to tips@howtobass.com
Creatures / Craws
Creatures and craws are other softbait options. Help us add more tips!
- How to rig a creature bait.
- Creature baits. If you don't have them, your missing out!
- Many anglers use creature baits as an alternative to jigs.
- Creature baits and great for flipin' and pitchin'.
- Like other soft plastic baits leave slack in the line while the bait falls.
- Most often they are rigged texas style.
- Cut a leg or arm shorter than the other, bass will observe it as an injured creature.
- Add a tip! Send it in to tips@howtobass.com
Swim Baits
Swimbaits or swim baits are one of our favorite soft plastics. Here a few tips to help you out.
- Fish at a constant retreive and experiment with jerks and speed.
- Slide the bait back and add some superglue to the jig head and slide back over. This holds it in place.
- Swimbaits are great to be used as a search bait.
- The deeper you want to fish it, the bigger swimbait you should switch to.
- Tired of catching lots of small bass? Switch the a larger swimbait.
- Swimbait coming apart? Boil water and place bait in pot for approx. 30 seconds, remove, then let cool.
- Add a tip! Send it in to tips@howtobass.com
Flukes / Soft Jerkbaits
Want an erratic action? The fluke and/or soft jerkbait is just what you are in need of.
- How to rig a fluke.
- Fish it slow or fast to include jerks for an erratic action.
- When you are getting short strikes on the fluke, add a trebble hook to your
hook placing a spinnerbait
trailer hook keeper that will keep the trebble hook in place.
- This bait is most successful from 0-8 feet.
- This is a great bait to fish in clear waters.
- Great alternative for a hard plastic jerk bait with trebble hooks because it's weedless.
- When the fish school in the fall, the double fluke rig will excell!
- Remember your retrieve speed for the next bass. If one bass ate it, another one will too.
- Add a tip! Send it in to tips@howtobass.com
Frogs
Want some heavy top water action? Slap one of these on your line and you could be in for a wild day.
- How to rig a frog.
- If your fishing toward the shore don't be scared to cast onto the bank, wait and then hop it into the water.
- If fishing lilly pads or heavy vegitation, pause before going across and open area. Bass know it's there
and will often attack once it crosses the open water.
- Again it's a top water bait, wait for the tug or line movement before setting the hook!
- Walk the dog with it, pop it or reel away. Experimentation is the key.
- This bait is best during late spring and summer months.
- Modify your bait by adding rattles. This can also affect the way it swims too.
- If fishing in heavy vegitation, up your line strength to braid.
- Use a sinking frog like a suspending jerkbait. (Jerk then pause) It works great!
- It's not just for weedy areas. Try your luck on open water as well.
- Add a tip! Send it in to tips@howtobass.com
Trailers
Trailers add an extra edge for many baits. Check out these tips and tricks.
- Add trailers to jigs, and even crankbaits!
- Modify your trailers too! If your getting short strikes, cut down the back end of the trailer.
- Sounds crazy, but try fishing with just a trailer! It's worked for us.
- Add a tip! Send it in to tips@howtobass.com
Grubs
Small guys that still work!
- Use a weedless jig head in those weedy situations.
- Used mostly for vertical fishing like off a bridge or straight off the boat.
- Grab a big saltwater grub and rig it weightless. It has great water snake like action, and it can be used just
like a worm.
- Use a jig head with a small spinner for an extra flash.
- Add a tip! Send it in to tips@howtobass.com
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