Lizard

A salamander with four legs and a curl tail — the pre-spawn and spawn bait, because bass attack nest raiders, dragged on a Carolina rig across flats.

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 4-8 in lizard body with a ribbon or curl tail and four legs that swim on the drag.
2. Designed for — Spring largemouth: Carolina-rigged across spawning flats and points, Texas-rigged on beds. Big fish hit it out of aggression as much as hunger.
3. Trade-offs — A spring bait; the appeal fades after the spawn.