6 Soft Plastic Baits Every Largemouth Bass Angler Should Own

Soft plastic baits are the workhorse lure when it comes to catching largemouth bass. Find out why you should stock up on worms, craws, creature baits, swimbaits, stickbaits and toads in order to tackle any bass fishing situation you encounter.

Stock your tackle bag with these six soft plastic baits to cover all of your bases when targeting largemouth bass. | Justin Hoffman

Must-Have Soft Plastic Baits for Largemouth Bass

Tackle store shelves are overburdened with every style and shape of soft plastic bait imaginable. And although all undoubtedly catch largemouth bass to some extent, they also can do a great job at hooking eager yet overwhelmed customers.

The following list highlights the top six styles of soft plastic baits that are a mandatory addition to a largemouth bass anglers arsenal. Each lure has a time and place but the common theme is that they all excel at fooling fish into biting.

1. Worms Are the Original Soft Plastic Bait for Targeting Largemouth Bass

Invented in 1949 by Nick Creme, the Wiggle Worm and Scoundrel were the first soft plastic worms designed to catch bass. Over 75 years later, and with hundreds if not thousands of variations since those two plastic pioneers, the worm continues to produce largemouth bass with an unstoppable force.

Berkley PowerBait Power Worm | Berkley-fishing.com

The soft plastic worm comes in a compact shape with an alluring action that largemouth bass have a hard time passing up. Available in a variety of sizes, with a six or eight inch version being the standard, the plastic worm can be tossed literally anywhere a bass might swim.

Rig it Texas-style to ensure a weedless presentation and work it with a lift and drop technique through pads, alongside laydowns and docks, weedlines or clumps, or down deep on ledges and humps. A true champion when it comes to catching largemouth bass, the soft plastic worm should be a permanent fixture in every anglers bag of tricks.

Soft plastic worms, like this Berkley PowerBait Power Worm, excel in almost any fishing situation when targeting largemouth bass. | Justin Hoffman

Top Choices for a Soft Plastic Worm

• Berkley PowerBait Power Worm
• Culprit 7.5" Original Worm
• Zoom 8" Dead Ringer

2. Soft Plastic Craws Replicate Real Food for Largemouth Bass

The craw is one of my favorite soft plastic baits to throw for largemouth bass. Designed to mimic our freshwater crustaceans to a T, this life-like lure offers up undulating claws and a compact body that's a snack-size bite for any hungry bass.

NetBait Paca Craw. | Americanbaitworks.com

Choose a four or five inch craw and rig it Texas-style to overcome any snags. A perfect bait to pitch for largemouth bass that relate to rock or sand, it's also equally adept at attracting the attention of fish hiding under docks, laydowns, undercut banks, or in expansive slop mats. Let the bait do the work for you - as all that is often needed is slow lifts of the rod to get those claws flapping enticingly on each successive drop.

Soft plastic craws are an excellent choice for largemouth bass when fishing rock and sand areas, or lakes that bass key in on these crustaceans. The author caught this chunky bass by pitching a craw to an undercut cane bed. | Justin Hoffman

Top Choices for a Soft Plastic Craw

• NetBait Paca Craw
• Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Crud Craw
• CrushCity Cleanup Craw

3. Don't Be Afraid to Throw Soft Plastic Creature Baits to Largemouth Bass

Similar in appearance to craws, the soft plastic creature bait provides a chunkier profile due to a larger body shape and style. Much more popular a decade ago, creature baits seemed to be put on the back burner to make way for the influx of finesse plastics that are now saturating the market. Bad news in my eyes as creature baits work as well today as they did back then.

NetBait BaitFuel B Bug. | Americanbaitworks.com

There are times when a big-bodied plastic bait is preferred. For myself, that is when I am working muddy or stained water, when a heat wave has bass riled up, or when I am in search of quality fish over quantity. But even that last point is a bit mute, as small fish will suck in a big creature bait with ease. As with most of the baits mentioned here, rig them Texas-style and start pitching. I especially like to toss these plastic baits to undercuts, docks, and cabbage clumps.

Insider Tip: Soft plastic creature baits are a killer come fall time for largemouth bass. But keep that secret to yourself.

The author loves to pitch creature baits, Texas-rigged, to undercut cane beds when targeting largemouth bass. | Justin Hoffman

Top Choices for a Soft Plastic Creature Bait

• NetBait BaitFuel B Bug
• Reactions Innovation Double Wide Beaver
• Strike King Rodent

4. Soft Plastic Swimbaits Cover Water Effectively to Help Locate Largemouth Bass

The previous three soft plastic baits are all of the vertical variety. This means they excel at adequately working precise structure spots but aren't the best when it comes to covering large tracts of water. This is where the soft plastic swimbait shines.

Lunkerhunt HIVE Seeker Swimbait | Lunkerhunt.com

Soft plastic swimbaits work best when paired with a weighted swimbait hook. Variations abound on tackle store shelves, but almost all are designed with a keel weight and wide gap hook. Let water depth determine the weight you choose. Half ounce is a good starting point.

Swimbaits are an excellent choice to cover flats quickly and efficiently. A no-fail bait when it comes to working one, a simple 'cast and reel it in' is all that's required. As long as you can feel the tail of the bait thumping you know its performing up to snuff. Mimicking baitfish such as shad, this can be a terrific lure to toss during early spring or fall when the prey of largemouth bass are on the move.

Top Choices for a Soft Plastic Swimbait

• Lunkerhunt HIVE Seeker Swimbait
• CrushCity The Mayor
• YUM Money Minnow

5. Subtle Action In an Easy Snack Shape: Make the Soft Plastic Stickbait a Top Lure for Largemouth Bass

The soft plastic stickbait is a 'nothing looking' lure that has a knack for always catching largemouth bass. With a seductive shimmying action on the fall, and an easy slender target to slurp up, stickbaits make bass take notice - even the most finicky of fish.

Berkley PowerBait MaxScent 'The General' | Berkley-fishing.com

I recently wrote about six methods to rig a soft plastic stickbait, including Texas-rigged (weightless and weighted), wacky, Ned, Neko, and shaky. Read that informative how-to article HERE.

Top Choices for a Soft Plastic Stickbait

• Berkley PowerBait MaxScent 'The General'
• Yamamoto Senko
• Lunkerhunt Lunker Stick

6. Toads Give Largemouth Bass a Topside Temptation in a Soft Plastic Bait

There's nothing more exciting when bass fishing than to see your topwater bait get crushed. And its that reason why the soft plastic toad made it on this list. (It also helps that they are an incredible bait!)
Soft plastic toads can be thrown literally anywhere but truly excel when worked in and around pads, over grass mats, and across shallow flats.

Strike King Rage Toad. | Strikeking.com

With a beefy body and legs that buzz and spurt water, all that is needed when rigging these baits up is a 5/0 or 6/0 wide gap worm hook. With the hook point riding up, toads are virtually weedless - and ready to trounce over any and all vegetation that gets in their way. A straight and simple retrieve often works best but don't be afraid to pause these baits if you think a fish is following.

Soft plastic toads are perfect for walking over pads or across open water when targeting largemouth bass. | Justin Hoffman

Insider Tip: If a fish blows up on your toad but misses, toss a wacky rigged soft plastic stickbait to follow up the strike. Most times that hot and heavy bass will smoke this dead-sticked second offering.

Top Choices for a Soft Plastic Toad

• Strike King Rage Toad
• NetBait BaitFuel Toad
• Zoom Horny Toad

Stock Your Tackle Box With These Six Styles of Soft Plastic Baits to Cover All of Your Bassin' Bases

These six styles of soft plastic baits are guaranteed to catch largemouth bass. Each bring their own strengths to the table, offering up slight nuances that trigger largemouth bass into biting no matter their mood or where they're hunkered down.

Be sure to give each of these soft plastic baits a try this bass season - they definitely cover all of your bassin' bases and will have you tackling fish like a seasoned pro.