How to Rig Soft Plastic Baits and Lures for Fishing

Learn how to rig soft plastic baits and fishing lures for a variety of situations. From Weedless Texas rig style to lead head jigs, soft plastics can be used fo fishing in both fresh and salt water. Capt. Chris Myers shows how he rigs soft plastic DOA lures using both weighted and unweighted hooks.
Capt. Chris offers light tackle and fly fishing charters in the Mosquito Lagoon for redfish, seatrout, and drum. This is the closest saltwater flats fishing to Orlando and Disney. www.flatsfishingtrips.com .

[@JeffBlaine]

How the hell could 16 people give this a thumbs-down? It's a crystal clear video with articulate presentation.

[@thepandareviewshow6215]

Caise the dislike are from smart ass i am a fisherman since i was 5 and make mistake either way i still make a lot of mistake

[@Jiraiyashouse666]

THANK YOU!!! Subscribed! Soooooooooooooooooooo damned refreshing to see some real and useful information detailing so many different ways to rig soft baits without all the bias hype from pros trying to push a new lure and setup...or worse having to listen to 10 minutes of their fishing stories and opinions to get one second of valid info. I've fished for 40 years and I learned many new things from your video.... Thanks again!

[@Larry77777]

Best rigging video I've seen so far. Can't believe it took me five years to find it. I'll be using your tips tomorrow for sure. (on freshwater smallmouth bass in Canada). I read practically all the comments. You have clearly made many people happy.

[@CaptChrisMyers]

Thanks. Good luck.

[@alanankris100]

This is the best video out there in the world to teach someone how to put on a plastic lure which is awesome I always put it on but never flipped it and was to slow i guess to now what i was doing wrong thanks for the vids and subed !!!

[@brorjcjr2]

I just started fishing with soft plastics. This video has helped me big time. Thanks

[@IamLegend484]

I've learned so much from your videos, just wanted to take a moment to tell you how much I appreciate them. Thanks for sharing and helping people like me become more knowledgeable in fishing.

[@BeboGama]

Perfect explanation. That's what I was looking for, thank you Cap.

[@vash347]

That was a great video, I love the explanation you gave and how perfectly you demonstrated what you were doing step by step! Thank you this is really going to help me out!

[@vincentbucy4000]

Best rigging video I've ever seen!

[@paulwright2834]

Great video Chris. Thanks for posting

[@guglegulag]

Very helpful! Thanks for taking the time to post this vid!!

[@ramart06]

Very good video Chris, I learned so much from your presentation. Thanks

[@brynflower3769]

thank you im 11 years old and im learnibg to fish this helped me so much

[@PowerSourceTutorials]

Your video is great, that's what got me to try this bait.

[@johnnyphan5433]

thanks for the video captain, it was simple and straight to the point

[@TheArsonist22]

Thanks for the tips Mr.Myers!!!!!

[@jakeweaver7621]

Hi Chris, Thanks a ton for the information!! I just started fishing again after a 10 plus year hiatus. I've never been much on bait fishing and your recommendations have really helped my technique.

[@isoplus3513]

Thanks for the very informative video! I'm a noob on lures and your video tought me alot... thanks!

[@tailslapexplore6887]

Excellent tutorial and recommendation cheers chris.

[@justinguerrero3444]

Man this tutorial helped me out a lot thanks man for making this video now my plastic lures are working perfectly thanks

[@blurose7]

Outstanding and very easy to follow! Thank you!

[@kyatt1]

Thanks for the great video, Catbme asked the same question I was going to, really good demo's and easy to understand even to us Aussies, cheers mate

[@jasonguthrie187]

Awesome video. Very helpful

[@bawdhed7]

Thank you for the "show and tell" video really nice of ya to show that. Yeah Fluoro is the way to go when usin' Leaders. Love braid line for my main. Saltwater fishin' is my favorite and love to fish in the inlets but haven't caught a Red Drum yet. But Bass fishin' is really fun to.

[@tyrionlannister1628]

Thanks for the Video Chris! Really helpful, I've been rigging my Gulp bait with just plain Jigheads, Definetiley going to try these new ways out, Especially the Weedless style with the Hotheads! Thanks man!

[@PowerSourceTutorials]

Very cool video, I fish the Banna river, most of the time with live bait. I will be using some plastic's this weekend. Thanks

[@abtoog]

Thank you! This video is extremely helpful.

[@johnbolan7094]

Seriously thanks for making these videos.

[@pspcfl]

Thank you for your video. Very helpful!

[@johnlafontaine4003]

very well done video - thanks for posting

[@maydanlex]

Great explanation for a dyslexic guy like me. Thanks.

[@lenae8885]

This video helped a lot, thanks.

[@bastage1972]

Thanks so much for putting up this video -- very helpful!

[@yasko10]

Excellent job! Thank you so much... Nice and simple.

[@fishingherald]

I added it to the site. Thanks again!

[@jameshaggas3886]

very well explained, thank you.

[@MarkPummell133]

just great video; crystal clear...

[@dlinares66]

Thank you ... you made it very easy and I feel alot better about rigging now :-)

[@philiphorsmon3803]

GREAT explanation. Thanks

[@mnsmallie]

great video to help a new plastics userr

[@Unplugged704]

Very helpful. Thanks for sharing!

[@sweetfordfx4]

Thanks, your video was very helpful.

[@icrazycamel3513]

Thanks that's so helpful now I can jig👊🏿

[@rromero1318]

Thank you for uploading this video.

[@77Ditty]

great video and advice - thanks!

[@edgy386]

This is a great video I also fish in mosquito lagoon and i was just wondering were you get all of your DOA supplys

[@CaptChrisMyers]

have rigged up more 5.5 baits with the 5/0 hook than I could count and have not had a problem. The long neck hook was designed to work with the chughead so you could get more of a bite in the head of the bait but you can use it without. If you want the hook eye flush against the head of the bait, the point will exit at the very end or just outside the slot but the point will still be in the slot. I just went out and did one to be sure. You can use the 3.5 in the big bait too.

[@OLPClan]

thanks for the vid mate it helped heaps

[@CaptChrisMyers]

It is a Mustad Power Lock Plus with a 1/8 ounce weight. I use a 4/0 for the 5.5" worm and a 2/0 for the 3 and 4" baits

[@PowerSourceTutorials]

I used the paddle tail this weekend and after almost every cast I would pull in half of my plastic bait. I used a the whole bag of doa paddle tails and no fish. I was shore fishing the banana river hoping to catch a trout or two. I used an exposed hook with a weighted head 1/8 oz because of the wind, also used a 1/4 oz with a longer hook but no fish. Any help would be great.

[@edgy386]

thank you i also love fishing mosquito lagoon but im on the side of haulover cannal

[@brandonrodriguez3453]

great video

[@catbme]

Thanks I appreciate the basics and step by step walk through.I have never had any luck with artificals .Maybe because I have not had anyone to show me..Okay I will ask a silly question can you use a swivel to attach it or are you suppose to tie it dirrectly to the artifical hook? I enjoyed your video

[@FishingChanneltv]

nice video Cheers from Portugal

[@jeansandmyshirt]

thank you! i'll try this!

[@musicriverbih]

awesome thanks!

[@-JahBlaze-]

Great vid. Thanks

[@CaptChrisMyers]

I One tip is to cut the bait with a knife from bottom to top almost all the way through right above the bend of the hook. That way, when the fish bites, the bait bends easier and the hook can be set with less pressure. If you don't like that technique, use the Owner twistlock or Mustlad powerlock plus in 4/0 for big baits and 2/0 for small.

[@NuttinSpeciaI]

thank you for a great video. i always fished natural bait. trying to learn this artificial stuff now.

[@qhickman]

Thanks for the Video.

[@N3rveD4mage]

Hey chris great vid on rigging soft platic lures, what ought hook are you using 3/0??

[@gomertube]

I wonder why the slot in the 5.5 is so short though? Just a couple of more millimeters in length would fully accommodate the 5/0 hook. Thanks for the tip.

[@matthewmackenzie7108]

thanks for the info. I've been fishing the flats alot from my kayak. been quite successful with rat l trap and mr17. but the grass is everywhere now. been told using a weedless soft plastic is the way to go. Haven't had much luck so I usually put it down quickly. going out today with nothing but soft plastics. I'm going to force myself to learn it

[@CaptChrisMyers]

Once you catch a couple and gain some confidence you will probably never switch back to hard baits.

[@matthewmackenzie7108]

Lol, I hope so.

[@matthewmackenzie7108]

+Matthew Mackenzie no luck this morning. tried 5 different soft plastics, giving each 20min of water time with no luck. moon was big and bright all night, so fish may have fed all night and not been hungry.

[@aristomenis-iliopoulos]

Bravo!!....THANK YOU!!!

[@SmoothTalkWithChevy]

Nice video

[@stratag778]

chris i hope this isnt to much of a dumb question, from UK and plan to fish my local chalk reefs and peir for bass this summer. you mentioned somthing about a higher hook up rate with the exposed hook, im going to need to fish weedless due to my marks being a tackle grave yard, is ther much diffrence between weedless and exposed in hook up rate?

[@CaptChrisMyers]

If I do fish weedless, I like the 4 and 5.5" CAL baits 'casue they have a groove in the top where the hook lies. I do not like to have to bury the hook point back into the plastic. There is a much lower hookup ratio with that method.

[@jaaashiga]

have any recommendations for line strength and leader setup when fishing for reds and trout on a soft plastic?

[@CaptChrisMyers]

I think the fact that you are adding eyes and contrast are more important than the color of the head itself.

[@Eyesofthasouth]

Great video, with newer innovative ideas for rigging. Appreciate the heads up... one thing, why especially in the winter, on the 3” paddletails and jigheads? Is there a better way for spring and summer?

[@CaptChrisMyers]

Used to be the fish primarily targeted smaller baits in the winter here. With the loss of much of our grass, I use the 3" on a jighead 99% of the time. There is no longer much need for the weedless lures here. If there was, it is easier to keep grass off the 4 and 5.5" jerkbaits when rigged weedless.

[@Eyesofthasouth]

Ahh, I see. Bummer on the grass. I’ve lived in south Louisiana for 40 years and never redfished. We have plenty of grass here. Just doing my research, Chris. You’re channel has some of best information. Appreciate what you do brother! I’ve fished my whole life, mostly for panfish and bass though. Think I’m going to start out with some 4” weedless swimbaits on weighted hooks for shallow fishing and daterheads for a little deeper inshore. The other thing I’m clueless on is how the tide effects the fish and when’s it most productive. Any videos on this? Thanks again man. Blaine

[@N3rveD4mage]

I got me some 10# braid with 15# pLine CXX as my leader, what you think about that setup for shallow flats for reds, snook and sea trout?

[@nukinfuts1000]

do you think it matters what color hothead you use? And i've found that a Gamakatsu 3 offset worm hook works fine for these baits, although it's a little short for the hotheads.

[@CaptChrisMyers]

Which one? The hooks I use with a weight on them are either a Mustad Power Lock Plus or Owner Twistlock.

[@CaptChrisMyers]

In the baits I was showing, the hook point lies parallel to the top of the bait.

[@fishingherald]

Thanks for the great info! We love using lures, makes it more of a challenge. As a guide, do you have clients use lures or live bait more often?

[@CaptChrisMyers]

I try to avoid bait fishing unless I have a small kid on board. No need for it.

[@proplay51]

thank you - very informative!

[@speckleddaddy]

Do you have any tips for wading, I've been wading and I haven't had any success

[@CollinWillard]

Who makes the weedless hook you use in this vid that has the pin you push into the head and then you can move the weight on the gap of the hook? And what are they called? would help a lot if you replied!

[@rickanator65]

Wow this whole time I was hooking my bait wrong.. thank you :d

[@PinapplePanda966]

for bass I use 15 pound braid and sometimes with a 10 pound leader.I like to use jerk baits to fish around islands.

[@sexyme377]

hello i would like to know what is the name of the first lure weedless that are you showing in this video and where did you buy them ,if you can please tell me i will appreciated i been looking DOA but not find them thank you.

[@kipperwhite2976]

Fish when I can fm Pier @ Atlantic Bch, NC 4 trout&cobia,blues mackeral what ever is running that day. So distance casting is important! use mono line & throw gotcha jigs & croc spoons usually. G/kids LuV it only git thier 2 times a yr since Wifes illnesses use R money up quikly. TY 4 ur videos very inspiring ;)!!

[@rslim5]

Great video thank you

[@crankr1756]

Thank you so much...

[@xoxvidmasterxox]

i got some berkley powerbait 5" mullets for inshore, ive rigged em with 1/64 oz to 1/16 oz weedless hooks but no matter what they just akwardly spin around in the water doesn't matter how slow i'm reeling, gimme some help? thanks

[@gomertube]

I noticed something surprising today as I was rigging up a 5.5" CAL jerkbait. The DOA 5/0 long-neck hook is actually too long for this bait. Specifically, the long neck of the 5/0 hook forces the hook point out of the aft end of the top groove where the barb has trouble moving freely. In other words the barb doesn't lay correctly. The inelegant solution is to pull the point out shorter in the neck but it looks stupid. By comparison, the top groove of the 4" bait is nice and long. Weird. Ideas?

[@CaptChrisMyers]

The first bait I held up was a DOA CAL 5.5". Just about any tackle or sporting store in Florida sells them as well as a variety of websites including doalures.com

[@TheRAMBO9191]

Awesomesauce!

[@mixingreen]

Love the video> Im new to fishing and I moved to a home on a small shallow canal in Coral Springs florida. Im wondering what fish and in the canal and if your not sure what type of bait would you suggest?

[@CaptChrisMyers]

Depends on if it is a saltwater or freshwater canal. A 3" shad tail on a jighead catches just about everything from bass to tarpon to peacocks and more.

[@M9442]

Hi Cap'n, Love your video tutorial! You make it look so easy to rig the soft plastics.. but I have a lot of trouble bending them enough to get the hook to come through at the right spot on its back... and as a result the hook ends up deeply buried in the soft plastic. Don't know if that makes sense to you... but do you have any tips to help? Thanks :)

[@CaptChrisMyers]

If I had to guess, you are probably not putting the hook far enough back. You definitely ned to bend them so this does not happen

[@vivianpatterson676]

Thanks Cap! What type of jig would you recommend to make a 4" minnow weedless. We fish in an area with a lot of underwater structure and lily pads. Any suggestions?

[@CaptChrisMyers]

You can rig them with a worm style hook as well. Go to 2:45 of the video. You can rig all kind of soft plastics in this manner.

[@rascal211]

I never seem to be able to get it rigged directly in the center.

[@CaptChrisMyers]

I use 4/0 hooks for the 5.5" lure and a 2/0 for the 3 and 4 inch.

[@huntingdaffyduck]

how do you fish your weedless do you let them sink and pop or what

[@CaptChrisMyers]

Use the 3.5 for the 3 and 4" baits and the 5/0 for the 5.5"

[@masonakeo5360]

what size hooks should i use for a three inch jerk bait

[@pompeii6628]

pls advise me which color plastic lures can I use for Tailor king fish n Jew fish tnks

[@Hovva91]

What is the name and model of the hook with a pin and weight on the shank? Thanks! Loved the video!

[@CaptChrisMyers]

Mustad power lock plus. i have found that the Owner twistlock hooks work even better. They have a pin to get it started and then you screw it on the rest of the way.

[@CaptChrisMyers]

15 is a bit light for snook, IMO. I like 30 or 40 for them depending on their size. 15 should be OK for the trout and reds.

[@gipsie70]

Thanks Chris. Now I can rig some of these jerk baits properly.