Split-Shotting Soft Plastic Baits
By John Holda


With all the soft plastics out in the market today, bass anglers
can find themselves easily confused as to what soft plastic
selections they should make. On top of that, soft plastics can be
fished in a variety of ways and it is often difficult to know what
technique will work best. This article will provide anglers insight
on fishing soft plastics using a specific technique referred to as
"split-shotting".

Walk into any tackle store and chances are good you will see a
large variety of soft plastics on display. Some of the baits you
will see are flukes, slugs and creature-type baits. These baits
come in all shapes, colors and sizes. There is really no wrong way
to fish these baits but one truly effective way to fish them is by
split-shotting them. In my experiences, this technique will put fish
in the boat come spring and summer on almost any given day
regardless of conditions.

Split-shotting is a very simple technique where an angler places a
small split-shot 8-12" above their soft plastic bait. The split-shot
is used to weight the soft plastic and enable it to sink slowly to
the bottom. The controlled yet steady fall of your bait allows fish
extra time to decide whether your bait is dinner or not. Other soft
plastic techniques generally call for ¼ ounce and up bullet-style
weights and in my opinion fish get accustomed to seeing the usual
sink rate of these baits. Essentially, split-shotting allows you to
present a bait that will stay in the fishes "strike zone" longer.

In order to effectively "split-shot" soft plastics, it is essential
that you fish with the proper gear. This technique calls for light
line, a light action spinning rod and a small spinning reel. I
recommend a 6ft 6" medium-action graphite spinning rod. A medium rod
will allow you to cast these light, soft, plastic baits with ease.
Some excellent rod choices are from St Croix, All Star and Gloomis.
Reel wise, you want to use a light spinning reel that will accept no
more than 10lb test. A Daiwa SS 1300 or Shimano Stradic 2000
spinning reel fits the bill perfectly. Line wise, 6lb/8lb test in
green seems to be the best selection. The light line will allow
maximum casting distance as well as maximum lure action underwater.
Now that you have the proper gear lets select some soft plastics and
start split-shotting.

My first choice of a soft plastic bait to split-shot is a 3 " or 4 "
Lunker City sluggo. Texas Rig your sluggo with a light wire size 1
offset hook. A light wire hook will penetrate through the soft
plastic and into the fish's mouth better than any other will. Roughly
10" above your hook, secure a size 3/0 split-shot to your line. When
fishing this rig I fish it two different ways - deadsticking it or
working it back to the boat with a series of twitches and pauses. I
target wood, lilly pads and weedbeds with this rig. I have caught
hundreds of bass just casting this rig out and simply letting it sit
on the bottom. You need to watch your line using this technique as
the fish seem to pick up the sluggo and run with it. I split-shotted
a 4" red shad sluggo utilizing this dead sticking technique in a
tournament recently and put a 5-fish limit weighing 16.75 lbs in the
boat. It really works -try it out.

Another soft plastic bait that you can split-shot is what is known
as a "fluke". Flukes are soft textured minnow type baits that you
can fish anywhere and seem to produce good numbers of above average
size bass. I generally start with a 5" fluke usually in a white color
and use a 3/0 sized split-shot 10" above the hook. Hook wise, I will
increase my hook to a size Gamakatsu EWG 5/0. Fishing this bait I
like to twitch it several times near cover and then just stop it.
The split-shot will control the fall of the bait perfectly and will
allow fish to get just enough of a look at it. I let it fall to the
bottom and then slowly drag it. Fish seem to eye the fluke while it
sits on the bottom and as soon as you start to crawl it they attack
it. This technique is particularly effective when fishing boat docks
or lilly pads.

Creature baits are another type of soft plastic that can be
effectively fished using a split-shot. Creature baits generally look
like a worm and have several appendages attached to them. Zoom,
Strike King and Manns Bait Company have excellent creature baits
out on the market. My favorite is the ZOOM Baby Brush hog in the 4"
size. This bait is best fished with a size 2/0 EWG Gamakatsu hook.
When using this bait I target either shallow wood or rocky
shorelines and slowly crawl the bait with an occasional hop. I often
utilize a creature bait with a split-shot when fishing behind other
boats and numerous times I have put decent fish in the boat. A super
color to try here is watermelon with red flake. Once again, watch
your line as the bass seem to pick the light bait up and slowly take
off with it.

At this point, you should have a basic understanding of the
equipment, soft plastic baits to use, and split-shotting techniques
I outlined above. I am confident that you can take these suggestions
in this article and apply the split-shotting technique at your local
body of water and have a considerable degree of success.

Until next time, keep your bait in the water and a Tightlines!

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