Most days, many soft plastics work for many fish species

[Spoonminnow]

There is a public lake around the corner from where I live and since late Dec. 2015 to the present, I've been exploring different lure design and color combinations. December and March have been crazy weatherwise and very cooperative for fishing, so why wait until spring when fish bite almost anything cast.

Here are a few that were stored after each caught at least 5 fish each. (Species caught: crappie, perch, bass, sunfish, roach) As you can see, different colors and shapes got hit equally and in different parts of the lake and at different depth. A recent discovery last Dec. was the rounded rear end of the grub, making it look like a bullet. I ordered some super soft plastic and poured the design in different colors and sizes. It hasn't failed me yet.

The only things that weren't optional were the use of 1/32 and 1/16 oz jig heads and a retrieve that had to be slow with pauses, with rod tip twitches to get and keep a fish's attention just long enough to provoke it to hit.

[Crestliner08]

Looks like you are on to something for sure.

[Spoonminnow]

Thanks.
When I started using soft plastics right out of the package many years ago, a few things never occurred to me:
1. that a lure minus an action tail did not mean no lure action possible. (Should have remembered using the Zara Spook.)

2. the importance of jig weight and hook size: proper lure speed is crucial most times; a jig hook should be sized to grub length - not only for proper gap, but for exit point near the middle or more toward the front. Now that I'm using super soft plastic, at least 1/2 the body needs the freedom to quiver on the slowest retrieve. Can't do that when the hook exits 3/4 of the way back.

3. The higher the nervous energy (springtime and school fish), the less need for finesse when it comes to lure action and presentation. But after cold fronts and the spawn, many fish suspend and need something extra to provoke a bite. Lures that exhibit action at the slowest retrieve, get bit more often on par.

4. that color may complement lure shape and action. Some baits may do okay in black, emerald green or grape (my least chosen color choices), but having tried a few colors I prefer in the above design examples and caught many fish, proves to me that at least they don't repel fish. From that, I'm able to downsize the color spectrum to certain colors (IE chartreuse plastic with gold and black flake, clear plastic with silver or gold hologram flake, pearl, translucent green pumpkin with black and gold flake, just to name a few.) But as always, given the physics of color underwater, the usual considerations come down to dark, light or somewhere in between and flash.

5. line size can make or break the action of a light jig & plastic lure especially when using 1/32 or 1/16 oz jig heads. I always carry some 4 and 6# test spools for leaders. 1/8 oz and 8# test may be all I need once the water warms to over 60 degrees.

These are just a few observations that have become important to my style of fishing regardless the lake. Soon I will start using some of my 20 year old manufactured lures that I used successfully for decades as a change-up to using my own creations, but I have a feeling they won't work as consistently.

A nice article about fish senses supports my ideas about lure design and presentation:
Making Sense of Crappie Behavior - In-Fisherman

The only thing about the article I strongly disagree with is it's stress on taste and smell - neither of much importance when it comes to lure use in water over 40 degrees, the use of fluorocarbon line for line-shy fish and the use of bait fish colors. Fish want it - they bite it - period!
(Almost forgot: note the jig head - never painted, never want a lead barb bait-holder and always attach the coated wire to the base of the jig's line tie to keep the lure from sliding back.)

[river scum]

throw in there some observation on vertical and horizontal. at times they seem to like it one way or the other. they also seem more aggressive when the bite is horizontal. most of my crappie fishing is vertical jigging in brush. some days they want it swimming around at the same depth, and others they like it up and down and all around. my thinking is the fishes mood.

agree with your line size/speed observation too. many times my 15# line and 1/16 head, 2"curlys, out fished a lighter line rig. im sure the slower fall rate is key. i like to let the jig fall on a semi tight line and watch for the flick. sometimes the slower the better and sometime you need to bounce it off their noses. even then i have bumped them, while watching on camera, just to see them swim off a bit and again motionless. that proves that some days they really wont bite, slow, fast, big, small, nothing at all. lol

color to me has been more of a light/bright, dark/dull deal. never got hung up on shades as much. there seem to be a lot of two tone lures in my sack. lol i do have favorites though so there must be some lesson i have learned over the years, eh. green, orange, black, brown, white, purple, pink, silver and gold flake and endless combos in two tones.

sound is huge for attraction too(imo) for all fish. tiny rattle heads can be deadly in low visibility waters! i also thump the line and or bump bottom or cover to draw attention. sound will draw them from the farthest away.imo (unless your talking scent in current) vibration is in with this too. in the 80s, we started playing with blades and later rattles, on our tip-up lines(ice fishing rigs for you rebels lol) and seen a noticeable rise in flags/bites. but again still not magic and can be a turn off. i think that has something to do with mood and barometric pressure.

while im on it, scent too can close the deal with them sometimes. have seen them set a look at a jig before hitting it. but slather it up and the smell seems to be too much to resist, and snap it up. but again not magic. they will swim off from some good scent bumped into them too at times. i always try to have a bit of something dipped, smeared, or spayed on. if nothing else it gives me the CONFIDENCE TO CONCENTRATE.

crappie fishing is complex at times. its a good thing they cant reason, or we would be screwed. lmao