Zipper Worms
The zipper-style worm—a modern descendent of the ring worm—is another trendy soft plastic design, and for good reason. Unlike the trick worm, which is of eastern origin, the zipper is a western style that has fooled bass wherever it’s been tried.
Out West, bass anglers use split-shot and drop-shot rigging to entice finesse bites from hard-fished, clear western waters. East of the Rockies, anglers are Texas-rigging the compact lures and skipping them under rocks, pitching them into grass beds, and flipping them into fallen trees.
Keys to the zipper’s effectiveness are its oversized ribs that create water resistance to slow the lure’s fall and to create considerable water movement. Additionally, when bass mouth the zipper, the ribs fold and offer a lifelike feel, likely encouraging a bass to hold it. Finally, its short tail allows the lure to pass through heavy cover easily, making it ideal for flipping brush or lily pads. The zipper concept has worked so well that companies are offering grubs, craws, and lizards with a similar ribbed design.
Soft Plastic Jerkbaits
This lure category simply refuses to become passé. The traditional Texas-rigged, weightless presentation is standard, but recently guides and tournament pros have found that the soft jerkbait can be equally productive when fished deep. Moreover, a generation of new shapes have added wiggles and glides to the genre that originated with the Lunker City Slug-Go.
Yamamoto’s Senko is formed of dense, salted plastic, and its tapered body wiggles as it falls. Black Mamba has created a new family of soft jerkbaits with superb action in deep or shallow cover.
Tie a member of this soft plastic family on the business end of a Carolina rig. When dragged along the bottom and stopped, the jerkbait glides forward and then hovers before starting a slow free-fall.
On Texas impoundments, known for trophy-size bass, guides have been fishing pot-bellied versions like the Bass Assassin Shad, on leadheads. Cast the bait, allow it to fall to a specific depth, then rip or swim it through the strike zone. Fish it where clouds of shad gather along creek channels or off main-lake points. And a weightless version is well-nigh unbeatable for unseen bass in shallow bays in spring.
Porklike Plastic Trailers
Plastic jig trailers that resemble classic pork rinds are another hot category. Uncle Josh, long a leader in pork trailers, hasn’t abandoned these meaty chunks, but now offers a plastic version for the millions of anglers who have crossed over. Plastic trailers have been particularly popular in the South where hot sun is hard on hog hide.
Supple, scented, and salt-injected versions of the plastic trailers remain pliable in cold water. Try ‘em, too, as a trailer on a spinnerbait.
Grubs
Grubs have a new twist as well. Once a finesse bait, big grubs are hot, even up to the 10-inch Yamamoto model. Admittedly, 4- to 5-inch grubs are most popular, however.
As with many trendy plastics, anglers primarily use large grubs for flipping and pitching. Mega grubs offer the best of two baits. Like a ribbontail worm, the grub’s tail displaces lots of water and produces action. Yet the compact body of even a large grub appeals to reluctant fish.
