soft plastic hybrids and modifications

Mods do work and even the usual unmodified lures have their place when using various techniques and retrieves.

I post about the Gary Y Kut Tail worm basically using a light jighead and proper hook size to exit the lure in the right place. The exposed hook (not T-rigged) can catch fish of all kinds from the surface to any depth below it. But here is one I discovered by accident after a pickerel bit off the tail of a twister tail grub using only the body.

The action using a combination of rod tip twitch and slight reel handle turns makes the lure dart/ glide/ and drop slowly.

I fashioned a few from the front part of other soft plastics i took from molds.

Chartreuse and black is another:

BTW, I do believe some colors do well in most waters – perch colors especially: chartreuse/black and orange. Don’t know why but have more confidence in soft plastics using that color combo.

They caught everything in 4 different lakes including some decent bass, pickerel and a load of panfish.

If you got some curl tail grubs lying around, remove the tail and rig on 1/24 or 1/16 oz ball heads and see how they move using the above retrieve. Even a child can fish on it even using a float.

Who knew a do-nothing lure with no tail would be able to catch fish with a unique action such as this?!

BTW, color choice is one I adhere to for different lures – including soft plastics. As you’ve noticed from the examples, yellow perch colors is one of my confidence colors: chartreuse/black and orange. (Dye use to color those above.)

Kinda like a ned rig. If they are not too chewed up a needle and some hair and ya got a red neck fuzz e grub. I pour grubs just to make those.

Cw wrote:

Kinda like a ned rig. If they are not too chewed up a needle and some hair and ya got a red neck fuzz e grub. I pour grubs just to make those.

Yep, Ned Rig. Good use of otherwise trash though.

robby wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Cw wrote:</div>
Kinda like a ned rig. If they are not too chewed up a needle and some hair and ya got a red neck fuzz e grub. I pour grubs just to make those.

Yep, Ned Rig. Good use of otherwise trash though.

Perfect way to recycle senkos ha.

Been long time since I used a Senko. Still have about 10 bags hanging around somewhere….

Bet the swimbaits I pour would catch a wally or two.

Attachments:

1. 

   swimbaits-and-hook_wt-sizes.jpg
   

The great thing about using lures is that there are so many that catch fish and many that catch most freshwater species. Looking at my list of must-have-in-the-boat, these categories have proven themselves fish-catchers. Store bought lures also have a place but most of those are for larger fish species such as bass, pickerel and walleye. But even then, many of those lures can be made keeping in mind variations that make them unique.
example: there are many silicone skirt colors for bass jigs and spinnerbaits
example: spinnerbait blade sizes and shapes decide what the lure does and how it is used
example: spinnerbaits have different wire lengths: short or long arm
example: there are many trailers that can be used for bass jigs and spinnerbaits
example: large swimbaits target larger fish species

When it comes to soft plastics, the sky’s the limit! I recently gave some soft plastic lures rigged on jigs to the father of a little girl that he helps her fish live bait from their dock. I showed him how to work the lure and in fact caught a sunnie at the same time. The next time when I went past their dock, the little girl came out waving her arms for me to get closer. Her father and she told me how well those lures caught fish – not only sunnies but a bass. That made my day and always has after showing even experienced anglers new lures and presentations while on the water, catching fish with each.

Attachments:

1. 

   new2.jpg
   

2. 

   new.jpg
   

The NED rig: a light jig head used with a no-action-tail soft plastic such as the tail end of a Senko or 2-3″ slim sticks. Jig types used with the NED is large, but the original jig used by Ned Kehde was the mushroom jig.

Size matters – right? It’s especially true when it comes to soft plastics. I hadn’t even heard of the NED rig this summer until someone commented on in-depth that the lure I pictured reminded him of the Ned, the difference being that the lure was a 1.5″ long grub body that a fish had bit the tail off. Turned out the tail-less grub caught more fish this summer than any other. (The white body with curl tail gone was the first fish caught on it). Note also the wacky-rig, chartreuse grub body made by melting together two grub bodies.

I came up with variations in shape and size, but the action was the same for each: a waddle or dart using rod tip twitches with pauses. Again, lure size is small and the jigs I use are 1/16 oz or lighter. I’ve caught many species of fish and fish weighing 2lbs or more. They’ve caught fish in 15 FOW as well as along weed edges and in weed pockets in water 3-5′. Haven’t tried it under a float nose-hooked but wouldn’t be surprised if it got bit.

TRD lures are fines but I’m getting cheaper with age, plus I got a ton of plastic and soft plastic molds collecting dust begging to be used.
Min-crankbaits are fine, but not nearly as versatile as the NED or mini-Ned soft plastic rig. Even the range of lure speeds beats most lures sold from bottom jigging to fast twitching horizontal to the bottom.

Attachments:

1. 

   9zvC6mZ.jpg
   

2. 

   2-bodies.jpg
   

3. 

   2uHQfii.jpg
   

4. 

   black-grub-body.jpg
   

5. 

   chart-boby-to-body.jpg
   

6. 

   011.jpg
   

7. 

   grub-body.jpg
   

8. 

   AKwomrm.jpg
   

Generally, a Ned needs to stand up and stay vertical as its being bounced across the bottom. Some Neds are very heavy, 1/4oz is about the smallest I use because I fish rivers. I fish tubes as neds sometimes with a 1/2 ounce football head jig. Little tube fingers sticking up in the air with enough weight that I can roll the jig back and forth with the bait waving vertical above it. That yellow butt looks like a good ned choice.