The Best Soft Plastic Baits For Trout

Soft plastic baits are generally thought of as bass fishing baits and with good reason; they are an amazingly effective bait for all species of bass. I'm primarily a trout fisherman, and about 10 years ago I was introduced to the idea of using soft plastic baits for trout and quickly learned just how effective these baits can be when used when trout fishing.

Below I will outline a few of the best soft plastic baits for trout, so that you can begin to utilize these incredibly effective baits the next time that you head out in search of trout. As you can imagine, the techniques that are used are very different than when a person is bass fishing with soft plastics, but the point is that soft plastic baits are also very effective when is comes to fishing for trout.

1. Mini Jigs - Every fisherman knows what a curly tail jig is, but the soft plastic mini jigs that are effective for trout are much smaller than you are probably used to. 1/64, 1/32, and 1/16 ounce are the best jig head sizes to use for trout with a curly or straight tail soft plastic body threaded onto the jig hook. These mini jigs are normally fished under a lightweight Styrofoam float and are effective in both lake and river trout fishing scenarios. Gold, bubblegum, pink and black skirts are all effective mini jig colors when it comes to trout fishing.


2. Floating Power Worms - Berkley Power floating trout worms aren't a traditional bait, but feel and look as if they are. When rigged on a small jig head or on a set of #10 gang hooks floating Power worms are one of the most effective baits for trout that you will ever come across. Colors such as natural, bubblegum, and pumpkin seed are all proven trout catchers (especially when "drift fished" in the flowing water of a river or stream).


3. 2" & 4" Skippy-fish - This versatile scent infused plastic bait is very effective when used for trout. They can be used with a small jig head, weightless as a of "jerk bait", or as a top water bait that mimics a wounded bait fish perfectly. Green pumpkin seed, bubblegum, rainbow trout, and Mud bug are all effective trout catching colors.

Although this type of bait isn't often thought of when it comes to trout fishing, the fact of the matter is that they should be. The next time that you head out in search of trout, make sure that you have at least one of the aforementioned soft plastic baits in your fishing vest.