Soft Plastics or Crankbaits?

[Domi Fish]

I know everyone has their preference. Personally I like to stick with crankbaits. Just seem to have more luck with them...The Cotton Cordell Big O is my crankbait of choice.(Silver & Crayfish pattern)

 

What are your thoughts?..And also what baits in particular do you feel work best for Small & Largemouth Bass?

 

Lets hear it.

Edited August 1, 2007 by Domi Fish

[OhioFisherman]

There is a time and place for everything, some days the crankbait bite can be red hot, others a soft plastic or other lure will out produce them. Never get locked onto one bait because you like to fish it, let the fish dictate the hot "lure of the day".

 

I like the old Storm Wee Warts or Wee Steelie Warts, hard to come by now. Bandit crankbaits have worked for me plus a lot of others. I prefer bait fish colors, chrome and black, chrome and blue, gold and black. A confidence thing but I will switch to other colors.

 

I like to work various depths in an area with a variety of lures, I will run a crankbait over a weed flat and if that isn`t the ticket probe it with a soft plastic, slow rolled spinnerbait or jig and pig.

 

Most of my bass lures have seen action for other species, just a question of location and depth. What lure will go where I need it to be, and trigger a strike.

[Raf]

great answer Paul, nothing really more to add to this thread! LOL

[Domi Fish]

I understand there is a time and place for everything. The point I was trying to get across is, if you had to choose one, Soft Plastics or Crankbaits, what do you go for.. What is the better all around bait for Bass in general.

Edited August 1, 2007 by Domi Fish

[Pigeontroller]

I'm curious if you're a Tie Domi fan, or the man himself?

[OhioFisherman]

I have caught far and away more fish on soft plastics, just my opinion they are a more adaptable lure, LOL and generally cheaper, snags don`t cost you as much. The first thing I usually throw for L/M is a worm or lizard, daylight or dark. For smallies depending on the water a tube, hair jig and pig, dropshot a small soft plastic.

 

Not much easier than casting a crankbait until your arm wants to fall off, just had days when it wasn`t the lure or way to go about it. I can do more with a soft plastic lure, fish it top to bottom and not worry much about junk in the water. 1 hook vs a pair of trebles most of the time, one hook is usually all I need.

 

I do carry a lot of crankbaits, tools, the bags are full of them.

[BFSC Kevin]

for LM, i'd stick with spinnerbait, they work all the time for me. second choice would be plastics, then hard baits. I don't know.. i usually don't get too many hits on them.

[Domi Fish]

I'm curious if you're a Tie Domi fan, or the man himself?

Just a fan..

[lookinforwalleye]

Personally I would choose plastics I can count on one hand the number of LM I have caught on cranks and have a couple of fingers left over and that`s probably because most of the time when I fish LM it`s on Scugog and you can`t get a crank bait through the jungle,Scugog is 80% weed and 20% water.

[misfish]

Im a plastic guy.Crank baits I got a few,but maybe 1% of the time I use them.Jerk baits on the other hand,I always got 1 or 2 tyed up and ready to go.

 

My plastic wizzles ,senkos some here like to call them ,I use wieghtless majority of the time,but will add a small/very small clip on bullet wieght.

[2kj]

For me it would depend on the structure. For Largemouth, its a spinnerbait everytime. If I can drag it through cover or over cover without getting hung up, its my go to, white double willow or chartruese burning it as fast as I can without popping it out of the water. For smallmouth its a tube or a 3 to 4 inch plastic jerkbait. Second choice for Largies would be a worm.

[redfin]

I do use the crank quite often for bassing. But I think the weedless plastic presentations in these eutrophic waters in southern ontario maximize my fishing day.

[Rich]

I try to keep the soft plastics off my line as much as possible. Sort of a "last resort". I just have the (probably false) belief stuck in my head that hardbaits catch bigger fish.

[Mike Pike]

I enjoy fishing with crankbaits waaaaaaaay more than fishing with plastics. I love the way they look, the way they feel on the retreave and I sure love the way it feels when bass slam 'em and you set the hook.

 

Having said that, I find myself casting plastics more often. I feel plastics are more versatile because you can fish 'em when fish are active or neutral. Whereas I think crankbaits are most effective when fish are active.

 

IMHO

[bucketmouthjohnny]

If i had to choose between a crank and a plastic for bass ? plastic all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!all i need is a tube as well, you can rig it so many different ways and it always catches fish, not sure why you keep them off your hook Rich? Last resort? you sure you aren't suffering from insomnia from the new born Cranks obviously catch fish but have limitations, especially in da slop!

[Rich]

I just dont see many situations where I NEED soft plastic baits. In the shallow slop I'll toss a jig & pig or scum frog before anything else. Open water, well thats crankbait and spinnerbait time. Submerged weeds - gimme my spinnerbaits & topwaters.

 

Don't get me wrong, I have tons of soft plastics and they do get used.. but I don't rely on them.

[bucketmouthjohnny]

Oh, i hear you Rich, i think domi fish was asking if you had to choose between only using cranks or soft plastics, which would you opt for.

btw, how is the little one? sleeping through the night yet?

Edited August 2, 2007 by bucketmouthjohnny

[Rich]

Oh, i hear you Rich, i think domi fish was asking if you had to choose between only using cranks or soft plastics, which would you opt for.

btw, how is the little one? sleeping through the night yet?

 

He is doing well, he's healthy.. as for sleeping through the night. Ha. Depends on the night I guess! He usually sleeps about 3-4 hours on a good night at a time, wakes up for a feeding/changing and goes back to sleep.

[bucketmouthjohnny]

Hang in there, it gets better, than worse than better than worse, but its all good!!!