Soft plastic shapes and models

By Robert Thornton

One of the nice things about soft plastics is their versatility, and with so many different soft plastics models, brands and shapes, it seems there is a soft plastic for any angling conundrum. Perhaps because of this, the world of soft plastics might look very complicated for those starting out or progressing from bait. In reality, most of the world’s soft plastics are based on a few generic shapes and given their own unique (and often very creative) modifications.

The truth is that soft plastics can be understood quite simply, and in this blog we’ll be breaking down five soft plastics shapes. With a bit of info about these shapes (and Daiwa’s wonderful answers to them) hopefully you’ll be able to discern what you’re looking at in the tackle shop.

FABULOUS FIVE

Virtually all soft plastics available on the market can be broken up into five main categories; paddle-tails, curly-tails, jerk shads, creature baits and topwater. As someone who works in a tackle shop, I can tell you quite comfortably that around 90-95% of softies you see in the shop or online are one or a hybrid of these any one of these five basic shapes. Let’s now take a look at them in depth.

Paddle-tail

The paddle-tail, also known as a shad, soft swimbait, minnow, and a bunch of other names around the world, is probably the most widely-used softy, at least in Australia. Its key features include a fish-shaped body and a single tail, with the tail being more-or-less boot-shaped.

This design is conducive to a constant retrieve, which serves to get that boot tail thumping and creating some vibration. Fish-eating predators like bass, flathead, mulloway, mangrove jacks, barramundi and many, many more are very partial to a paddle-tail, rigged either standard or weedless.

The Minnow range of Bait Junkie soft plastics are Daiwa’s contribution to this creative space, and the versatility they offer is why they’re one of my go-to presentations in new water. Like any plastic they can be fished at any depth, with their desired action coming from a straight retrieve to get them swimming. This swimming action is often enough to get a hungry fish to bite. With their tendency to be worked relatively fast, Bait Junkie Minnows are a great searching bait.

The 2.5 and 3.2 models excellent for searching in the streams, dams and estuaries for things like bass, yellowbelly, trout, bream and estuary perch, while the 4.2 and 6.2 are at their best rolling past structure for barramundi, Murray cod, mulloway, big flathead, various reef fish and plenty more.

Curly-tail

Known to most Aussie anglers as the ‘grub’, these guys are characterised by their curly tail, which is designed to gently shimmer on even the slowest retrieve. Grubs are probably equal first or marginal second place for Australia’s most-used soft plastics shape. They get their very Australian name from their often-cylindrical bodies and wiggly tails, resembling anything from a worm, insect larvae, a leech, fish fry, or indeed a grub!

While they are often used in much the same way as a paddle-tail, their key difference is that the tail gives off its desired action at much slower speeds, making them excellent for slower retrieves. Fish that are shut down, living in very clear water, or even in very cold water that doesn’t reward large bursts of energy, are great places to deploy a grub. Small twitches and shakes give off a very enticing action as well.

Bait Junkie’s Grub range very much matches the description of a grub plastic, coming in sizes 2.5 and 4.0 inches. The Wave Minnow on the other hand are more of a hybrid between a paddle-tail and curly-tail, but definitely what I would consider a grub, and come in 3.0 and 5.5 inch sizes.

Bait Junkie Grubs and Wave Minnows are a great offerings for all the species mentioned above and are a great first lure change if a hardbody or paddle-tail doesn’t yield results. 

Jerk Shad

In America, jerk shads are usually called ‘flukes’ or sometimes (and rather confusingly) ‘jerk baits’. Most jerk shads consist of a long body, a relatively straight shape, with a small, forked (or fluked) tail.

These plastics can be fished reasonably effective at all speeds, but are at their best when worked with short, sharp movements, or with, as their name suggests, jerks. When jerked, jerk shads tend to dart in a certain direction. A few jerks in rapid succession can often see the jerk shads darting side-to-side.

Another way jerk shads are used is with a technique known as ‘strolling’, which involves rigging them on light jigheads and working them with a slow retrieve and/or small taps of the rod.

For smaller presentations, the Bait Junkie Flick (coming in sizes 2.95 and 3.95) is an awesome little Daiwa creation that is fine-tuned for extra appeal to bream, trout, redfin, whiting, estuary perch and even skittish pelagics. The fish-like eye adds the finishing touch to this excellent small bait fish imitation. Fished with either lightweight standard jigheads or any of Daiwa’s Covert series, these guys are deadly when conditions are tough.

On the bigger side of things, jerk shads are a staple for anyone chasing big snapper and other reefies, giant pelagics, and even monster barramundi in the dams! The 5 and 7” Jerkshad are ideal for any of these species and more, while the 6.5 and 10” Gar offer an extra layer of realism preferable to offshore pelagics like kingfish, tuna, GTs and others.

Topwater       

As you may have guessed, topwater refers to any soft plastics that is designed for surface applications. While some have been developed specifically to imitate surface-skimming prey, it’s also possible to work other types of plastics along or just under the surface.

The classic shape most anglers think about in the topwater category are frogs, and Daiwa has two different frog series in their range. The Bait Junkie Kikker Curly (coming in both standard and Big sizes) are perfect for tempting bass, mangrove jacks, barramundi, Murray cod and other aggressive predators out from snaggy country. Rigged with a weedless hook, the Kikker Curlies will skim across even the thickest cover with ease and their two legs will come to life, kicking away for added attraction.

In situations where a fast or constant retrieve isn’t quite what the fish are after, the same locations mentioned above can be effectively fished with the Kikker Curly’s sister, the Kikker Walker. Coming in only one size at the moment, this variation on a Bait Junkie classic is better for those times when a slower approach is required to get the bite. The Walker has the ability to be ‘walked’ at slow speeds, with gentle twitches of the rod tip all that’s needed for this action.

Over the past decade or so, soft plastic frogs have become very popular in Australia, despite existing for many decades in the US before that.

Creature bait

Much of what is left, and what some may call ‘miscellaneous’, comes under what I like to call ‘creature baits’. While the other soft plastic shapes tend to mostly represent fish and occasionally other things, creature baits tend to account for everything else. Creature baits may represent yabbies, prawns, frogs, aquatic insects, larvae, crabs, squid or larvae, and usually have varying number of tendrils, legs, tentacles or other bits-and-pieces dangling off them.

Their potential uses are countless, however most anglers will tend to use them to imitate prey items other than small fish. While not a super widely-used soft plastic type, creature baits have many applications. Their uses start with trout, bream, yellowbelly and redfin, where the angler has the option to trim the Risky Critterup at the tail end to better resemble an aquatic insect or small crab. Leaving the bait whole is the ticket if you’re trying to imitate a yabby. Bigger creature baits are tremendously effective for a vast array of large predators. Big barramundi, Murray cod, giant offshore snapper and other reefies, as well as a variety of XOS estuary fish, are perfect species for the 7” Prawn, with all these species (and more) often willing to smash a prawn when other things aren’t working.

KNOW YOUR PLASTICS

With an understanding of these five types of soft plastics shapes and a basic breakdown of their intended uses, hopefully the giant soft plastic walls in the tackle shop make a bit more sense to you now.

The soft plastic craze started in Australia about 25 years ago, but it feels like the craze has never died down, and every year we see more weird and wonderful creations coming into the marketplace.

Soft plastics are a proven performer, getting use from from beginners and occasional lure-chuckers and all the way up to the lifestyle anglers who spend a number of hours on the water each week.

If you’ve never used soft plastics before, do yourself a favour and give it a go. You might be surprised how effective they are!