Soft plastic lures are versatile for catching bass, partly because of the variety of ways you can rig them.

Proper rigging style depends on the presentation you desire. That often depends on the type of cover or structure you are fishing.

There are many different types of soft plastic lures, but they fall into a few simple categories. The most traditional and most popular type is the plastic worm.

There are also so-called "creature" baits, which generally represent crawdads, lizards and other things that bass eat.

Finally, there are specialty baits that don't look like anything natural. Bass bite them because bass will eat just about anything. These specialty lures are often effective on highly pressured waters where bass see a lot of the same lures repetitively. Many anglers believe that bass that are caught and released numerous times become conditioned to ignore certain lures. They believe that bass might be more inclined to bite a design that they don't associate with a negative experience.

Here are some of the most popular methods for rigging soft plastic lures:

The Texas rig is the most popular method for fishing soft plastic lures. It is especially useful for fishing in heavy cover because it resists snagging.

A Texas-rigged lure is tied directly to the main line, without leaders, swivels or any other line interruptions.

To Texas-rig a plastic worm, first place a bullet style sinker onto your line. Then, tie a worm hook to the line below the sinker. Tournament anglers use all kinds of knots, but a regular fisherman's knot works well.

Pierce the nose of the lure with the tip of the hook. Bend the worm sharply and push the barb out the bottom of the worm. Thread the body of the worm up the hook shank and push the nose of the worm over the hook eyelet so that it and the knot are buried inside the worm's nose.

The hook's point is exposed. Grip the curve of the hook and bury it inside the worm's body. The lure body should be straight and not bent.

If you are not fishing heavy cover, you can run the hook through the top of the body so that the point rests flush against the worm's back. This will allow you to set the hook easier.

The sinker is a potential downside to the Texas rig. If allowed to slide freely on the line, it can separate from the lure and snag in cover. Many anglers avert this issue by pegging the weight to the lure with a small bit of a toothpick.

This versatile rig differs from that of the Texas rig because there is no weight attached directly to the lure. This allows the lure to hover off the bottom, and it also allows it to hop and flutter when you move your rod tip. These attributes make a Carolina rig shine in thick vegetation because it keeps the lure above the grass. It's also great for fishing pea gravel flats.

A conventional Carolina rig contains two leader components. The first component is a short leader with swivels on both ends. I prefer ball bearing swivels. Tie a swivel on one end. Slip a barrel style weight on the leader and tie a swivel on the open end. The swivels limit the sinker to moving only on its leader.

Next, tie the sinker leader to the terminal end of the main line.

Now, tie a second leader to the bottom swivel of the first leader, which contains the weight. Your terminal leader is typically 18-36 inches long, depending on how high you need the lure to suspend. Anglers that fish thick, tall grass on the bottom might use a 5- to 6-foot leader. This is very difficult to cast.

Tie a hook to the leader and attach the lure as you would to a Texas rig. I prefer to keep my hook tip exposed on a Carolina rig because you often do not feel a strike. A fish often just picks up or inhales the lure and swims off with it. Because of the off-weight balance, you don't use a powerful, jolting hookset with a Carolina rig. Instead, you reel in the slack and sweep your arms forward as you twist your hips. This allows the fish to hook itself.

Aside from it being awkward to cast, many anglers don't like the Carolina rig because it takes time to assemble. There are some shortcuts and alternatives. One is a plastic disc called the Carolina keeper. Pinch it with pliers to open the pre-cut slit in the middle and slide it onto your main line. When you remove the pliers, the slit will close and pinch your line. Put another Carolina Keeper on the bottom and then tie on a swivel. This eliminates the need for the first leader and its twin swivels. I use Carolina Keepers a lot, and they work very well.

Another shortcut is to simply modify a Texas rig. Peg the sinker the desired distance up the main line to keep it stationary. This eliminates both leaders. It works and eliminates two potential breaking points inherent to a properly assembled Carolina rig.

This popular and relatively new presentation is really just a unique style of jig head coupled with a specially designed lure.

The jig is a symmetrical cylinder. The lure is a thick, dense, nondescript cylinder without the usual accoutrements of more traditional soft plastic lures. It just sits on the bottom with the body sticking straight up. It's plain and unexciting, but it catches a lot of bass.

Over time, manufacturers have developed soft plastic lures that give the Ned rig more personality, including some that have pincers. The stationary vertical presentation remains consistent.

There are other ways to present a soft plastic lure, but the Texas rig, Carolina rig and Ned rig will catch fish in any situation you encounter.

Print Headline: Best rigs for catching Arkansas bass

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