Creature baits

Baits that imitate nothing in particular — bodies with wings, legs and flappers that displace water — for reaction bites in cover.

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

A creature bait is a bulk-and-appendage machine: the more that flaps, the more water it moves and the more a bass in cover reacts to it on the fall. They are Texas-rigged and Carolina-rigged, pitched and flipped. Size and appendage count set the tier: a 3-4 in compact creature is the flipping standard, a 5-6 in full creature is a summer power bait, and a lizard is the pre-spawn special.