Gill-type flat baits

A wide, flat, deep-bodied bluegill profile with almost no tail: the body itself rocks and glides on the fall, and it swims with a wide roll on a jighead.

Soft plastics are the biggest family in bass fishing: 36 shapes, each designed for a rig, a depth and a mood.

  • Shape = design purpose: fish, worm, craw, creature, tube, frog
  • Finesse tier vs power tier: the same shape at 3.5 in and 7 in is two different techniques
  • Tail type decides the action; body decides the fall
  • Rig it the way it was designed to be rigged
  1. What it is — A soft bait shaped like a bluegill / sunfish seen from the side: deep and flat, a short tail or none, often with a keeled belly and a thin rear fin. Sizes run from 3 in…
  2. Why the shape works — The flat, wide body catches water on the fall: on a free rig, Texas rig or light jighead it rocks side to side and glides sideways instead of dropping straight, which…
  3. Rigging — Free rig : 3/0-5/0 offset worm or EWG hook, 5-10 g sliding sinker. The signature presentation: the sinker hits bottom first and the bait glides down free. Texas rig…
  4. Designed for — Bass that live on bluegill: bedding flats in late spring, dock edges and pad fields in summer, riprap in fall. Largemouth first, smallmouth on shield lakes where…
  5. Trade-offs — Wind resistance on the cast and a slow sink rate; it is a shallow-to-mid-depth bait. Thin fins tear on the first fish on some models, so carry spares.