Rigging soft plastics, like NLBN lures and Storm Swim Shad, the right way is critical not just to lure action, but to hookup rates as well as to prevent unnecessary line twist. A soft plastic that isn’t rigged “right” also will decrease your sensitivity.
This short post will break down some of the reasons doing so is important – as well as what can happen if you rig a soft bait “wrong.”
The Importance of a Natural Presentation
There is more than one way to rig a soft plastic properly, and just as many ways to do it wrong.
For instance, many NLBN lures and saltwater swimbaits are designed to be fished on a jighead. The hook should pass through the body of the lure and come out near the tail in such a way that when it’s rigged, it sits squarely on the jighead, with the plastic body of the lure pressed right up against the weight of the jighead.
Other soft plastics, like flukes, can be rigged on a jighead, hooked through the nose to give a very natural presentation, or even rigged with the hook point embedded in the body of the lure, as they do in freshwater. This technique is uncommon in saltwater but where it is used, it does help prevent the lure from snagging on any structure in the water. It also helps prevent the lure from accumulating weeds.
Some jigheads, such as those designed for NLBN lures, are made with a special sort of retainer that grabs and holds onto the plastic, helping to prevent it from twisting or being pulled off of the jig. If the jig or hook you’re using has one of these features, use it.
Regardless of how you rig your plastics, the lure should sit squarely on the jig and shouldn’t be twisted one way or the other. It also shouldn’t be kinked so that there is an unnatural bend in the lure.
A kink in the lure, or a lure that doesn’t ride properly on the hook or jighead, is not going to look natural to a fish. Under some circumstances, it won’t matter, and aggressive fish will hit it anyway, but when fish are skittish or finicky, an unnatural presentation may cost you a strike.
If you rig a soft plastic so that it is bunched up on the hook or kinked on the jighead, that will also compromise your sensitivity. Most flukes and slim plastic patterns ride through the water with minimal resistance, and even paddletails and swimbaits usually throw at most a subtle thump that you can easily feel through.
But, soft plastics that are fouled will spin and wobble, making it harder to detect light and short strikes. A lure that is not properly seated on the hook or jighead will also potentially make it harder to set the hook, costing you even more fish.
And, if all this weren’t enough, lures that are not rigged properly on the hook are more likely to foul (get wrapped up in the line or leader). Worse yet, improperly rigged soft baits will spin when worked through the water, which will twist your line, increasing the incidence of knotted and tangled line that will need to be cut away.
All in all, rigging a soft bait properly takes all of a few seconds and is critical to lure presentation, enticing a strike, setting the hook, and preventing unnecessary line twist.
Simply put, doing it right is worth the effort.
Where to Get NLBN Lures and Other Saltwater Plastics
Here to stock up on saltwater-grade soft plastics like NLBN lures? Get them online at Johnny Jigs so you’re ready for your next trip on the water.
While you’re there, stock up on casting jigs, slow pitch jigs, and a variety of saltwater-grade plugs, such as Yo-Zuri and Rapala diving plugs and poppers. Bookmark their page so you can restock as needed and get in touch with them if you have any questions.
