Another way to add light weight for shallow-water applications is to insert a finishing nail into the nose of the soft-plastic lure. Depending upon the size nail and how far you push it into the body of the bait, you can adjust the sink rate and the orientation of the bait as it falls. If you want to fish high in the water column, don’t add weight.

A soft-plastic jerkbait is designed to slither through cover in shallow water when rigged Texas-style, as shown in these steps.

Soft-plastic lures tend to be aerodynamic and cast quite well, even without weight other than the hook. By using the lightest line possible you’ll make fairly long casts with your spinning tackle. However, pay special attention to hook selection. The larger the hook, the harder it is to set on the strike. You will really have to rear back to drive a large hook home, and that, in turn, means breakoffs unless you have heavier line. In open water, I prefer 8-pound-test line to achieve longer casts and will step down the size of my hooks—to a 1/0 or 3/0 for example—in order to accommodate the lighter line. If I intend to fish in grass or around mangroves, I may opt for something in the neighborhood of 12-pound and perhaps a 3/0 or 5/0 hook. Match hook size to the diameter of the jerkbait so you have clearance to set the hook.

To rig a snag-fee soft-plastic, I use an offset worm hook and the tried-and-proven Texas rig. Insert the hook into the nose of the bait for about a quarter of an inch (the length of the offset at the eye of the hook). Bring the hook out of the bait, rotate it 180 degrees and then pull the hook through the bait until the offset part of the shank is buried in the bait. Now insert the hook into the bait, bringing it through and out the opposite side. I then “skin hook” the barb of the hook by pulling the soft-plastic slightly away from the hook at the point the barb will make contact, insert the barb into the body, and finally, I let the plastic fall back onto the barb, burying it and making the rig weedless. The force of a hookset allows the barb to easily penetrate the plastic for a good hookup.

Retrieves

I have seen anglers fish side-by-side with identical tackle and similarly rigged soft-plastic baits, yet one consistently catches more fish than the other. The retrieve can make a world of difference.

I believe the first rule of thumb is that after making a good cast, don’t bring your lure racing back to where you are standing. Fish it thoroughly. When rigged weedless, you can make aggressive casts to put your soft-plastic lure under docks, in the middle of flooded grass, over subsurface oyster shell, or under overhanging mangroves. When retrieving, employ your rodtip; give the lure some action by twitching the rod slightly. Reel in the slack after each subtle movement. This causes a soft-plastic jerkbait to move back and forth, from one side to the other, as if it were swimming. I do this with one-second pauses for sighted fish in shallow water. Practice in a swimming pool until you can impart lifelike action to your lure.