Soft plastic baits have a very short lived life on the end of a hook, so please don’t cheap out when using them ! What I mean by this is lots of manufacturers have made great products that are soooooooo life like, when they get torn it is time to toss them aside and put a new one on.
In my younger years when I was still learning I did not think this was a big deal, well it is a big deal, WHY because when a bait is torn up are the hook and does not sit right using it will only make it not look the way it is supposed to, hence causing no fish strikes at all.
Always observe your soft plastic baits especially after you have caught a fish, if it looks a little chewed up that is ok, BUT it there are major tear areas or holes in it please disregard it as it will not produce fish.
On a different not if you soft plastic is in good shape but is missing a class or tentacle, still try it for a while longer, WHY because it now looks different and sometimes that change is what it takes to trigger strikes !
Also don’t be afraid to makes modifications to it, tear a claw slightly open for example, possibly remove a few of the many legs on the bait, anything these small changes are all experimental and do at times work in producing fish !
Yes will products work right out of the package, for sure BUT I have noticed that when fish stop hitting a bait they were hitting for a while on an outing these small changes to the bait can now trigger new strikes, WHY well it could now be falling at a slower or faster rate, more movement of the limbs of the bait, anything really that starts to look a little different can really result in some extra fish action you may have missed out on by not trying this.
Changes to soft plastic baits in the end is nothing more then a tip I am passing along, so don’t be afraid to try it sometime you will start to see that in the end when you stop using a badly torn bait and start replacing it your fish catch ratio will increase and when you get used to altering the bait with small changes it will also help in certain situations.
The AMFish guy…