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Weightless vs. weighted soft plastics?
Posted on 4/9/14 at 10:54 am
Posted on 4/9/14 at 10:54 am
I have always fished soft plastics weightless (senko, fluke, craw, lizard, etc).
My question is - when do you add weight aside from using a punching technique?
I have a few different sized bullet weights, but I never use them.
Is it that weight is needed for more control in windy conditions, get the bait to the bottom faster, keep it on the bottom?
My question is - when do you add weight aside from using a punching technique?
I have a few different sized bullet weights, but I never use them.
Is it that weight is needed for more control in windy conditions, get the bait to the bottom faster, keep it on the bottom?
7
Posted on 4/9/14 at 10:58 am to Polar Pop
I like weightless when there's clear/stained water and no wind. With wind and current, I like weight. I also use weight whenever I'm throwing at cover...like a blowdown or something. I feel like the weight helps the plastic get through the cover better.
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:02 am to Polar Pop
I think you answered yourself, but if you are searching, its windy, and you need to fish fast, or just trying to get a reaction strike, go with weight. Fish have a mood, and sometimes a fast decent makes their brainstem kick in, and they instintive bite, other times they want to watch it fall really slow, and take their time to insure its food. Usually fast in summer, slow when its colder, but that can be totally wrong on the water. Just have to figure them out on the water.
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:05 am to Polar Pop
quote:
soft plastics weightless
quote:
craw
You're the only person I know who fishes a weightless soft plastic crawfish.
To answer your question, when I want it on the bottom I fish it weighted, when I want it up in the water column I fish it weightless. If I want it in between, I weight it and fish it faster.
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:06 am to The Last Coco
quote:
You're the only person I know who fishes a weightless soft plastic crawfish.
A weightless craw is one of my top 5 most productive baits during the spawn.
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:07 am to Polar Pop
I use a weight anytime I can get away with it, like 95% of the time. I'll fish weightless if I have to, but it's like watching paint dry to me. I like to cover water. I probably use a 1/4 oz. 70% of the time, a 3/8 oz. 25%, and all others combined 5% of the time (excluding punching).
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:07 am to CamdenTiger
I am bad about second guessing myself out on the water, and one of the main things is weight.
If Im throwing the book at them and not getting bites, I always wonder if a weight will work, yet I never try it and just change plastics.
I love to fish fast (usually not to my advantage) and like the reaction strikes, so it looks like I will give the weighted plastics a shot next time out.
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:10 am to bluemoons
quote:
A weightless craw is one of my top 5 most productive baits during the spawn.
Mine too. A weightless rage craw
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:10 am to Polar Pop
definitely for hard structure, i like weighted because i can cover the entire structure without having to wait for a weightless soft plastic to fall 6' through the water column. i think i have much better feel with it as well. and crawfish definitely have a more natural crawfish motion with a weight than without.
i'm a die-hard tx rig fisherman though. i rarely fish with unweighted soft plastics.
i'm a die-hard tx rig fisherman though. i rarely fish with unweighted soft plastics.
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:11 am to The Last Coco
That weightless rage craw has been the only bait I have caught fish on this year. Although last time was on a "rage rig" belly weighted/screw lock hook. 
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:12 am to Polar Pop
quote:
"rage rig" belly weighted/screw lock hook.
I use this a lot. I just wasn't sure if this is what people considered weightless.
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:15 am to Tigerfan29
I bought some of these not too long ago and I like them a lot. I use them for trailers on jigs when I rarely fish jigs too.
LINK
You drag a weightless craw through a bed and give it a couple twitches...bass can't handle it. They'll strike even if they don't want to eat just because it pisses them off so much.
LINK
You drag a weightless craw through a bed and give it a couple twitches...bass can't handle it. They'll strike even if they don't want to eat just because it pisses them off so much.
This post was edited on 4/9/14 at 11:16 am
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:18 am to bluemoons
To be honest, the rage craw is my favorite bait year around. I just seem to have a lot of luck with it.
I can't catch a fish on a jig to save my life.
I can't catch a fish on a jig to save my life.
This post was edited on 4/9/14 at 11:19 am
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:18 am to Palo Gaucho
quote:
I'll fish weightless if I have to, but it's like watching paint dry to me.
When you say "if I have to", when is that time? Is it just when you know the fish are near the top of the column?
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:24 am to Polar Pop
quote:
That weightless rage craw has been the only bait I have caught fish on this year. Although last time was on a "rage rig" belly weighted/screw lock hook.
i need some fishing lessons apparently. i have no confidence fishing weightless plastics.
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:25 am to Polar Pop
quote:
if I have to
my "if i have to" time is when i'm fishing over thick grass beds that are a couple feet under water, and i want the worm suspended just above the grass.
ETA: that or if i can literally see the fish and they won't bite a weighted worm.
This post was edited on 4/9/14 at 11:26 am
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:25 am to Polar Pop
i fish with a weight 9 times out of 10
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:28 am to gorillacoco
quote:
i need some fishing lessons apparently. i have no confidence fishing weightless plastics.
99% of my fishing last year was high fence. Weightless all day, pulling in fish nearly every cast.
Now that I am out in the real world, it is not working out as I am used to.
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:44 am to Polar Pop
quote:
Now that I am out in the real world, it is not working out as I am used to.
i'm not the worst fisherman in the world, but i have a long way to go too. i have a lot of good trips, but definitely have my fair share of times i go and only catch 1 or 2. i'm only on my 3rd year of fishing public waters though, so i'm okay with having some unsucessful trips in order to figure out new areas/techniques. gotta learn somehow.
This post was edited on 4/9/14 at 11:45 am
Posted on 4/9/14 at 11:44 am to Polar Pop
I never weight my soft plastics but I will drop shot when I need to get it down deep.
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