The Optimum Bait brands include some of the heavy hitters in the bass world, such as ima, Optimum, Deps, and others. The brands are primarily known for certain things, Optimum for soft swimbaits, ima for their hard baits, and Deps for their hard swimbaits, crankbaits, and topwaters. But, they also make standard soft plastics that cover many different situations.
Here's a quick guide to some soft plastics that you may not have seen yet, but it will give the fish a different look and help you catch more bass.
Baitfish Imitators
For soft plastics that imitate baitfish, there are several options to choose from. One is the Sakamata Shad, which looks like many other soft plastic jerkbaits but has some key differences.
One major difference is the option for a "heavyweight" bait. They are densely packed with salt, which helps the bait get down to deeper water and stay there when working the bait.
The Deps Sakamata Shad is also offered in a standard version without the added weight, available in 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-inch sizes. The heavyweights are available in traditional sizes like the 5-inch version, but there are also jumbo 7- and 8-inch versions.
The Deps Frilled Shad is another unique one. It looks like a standard split-tailed soft plastic jerkbait but has a collar on the front of the bait that is pointed upwards. This gives the lure an excellent wobbling action during the retrieve as it rolls side-to-side. It can be fished weightless or on a small jighead to show the fish a little something different and it excels for schooling fish and bass keyed on eating baitfish near the surface.
Optimum also makes a soft plastic jerkbait, the Victory Tail. What makes this bait different is the slimmer profile and elongated forked tail. The smallest version is 3-inches long and a killer on a drop-shot rig, but there are larger sizes. The 5-inch is a good all-around size for fishing weightless or on a weighted extra-wide gap hook and the 8-inch version is excellent for matching large baitfish.
Texas-Rigged Plastics
The Deps baits are all pretty unique as they don't look like the run-of-the-mill baits many American lure manufacturers produce. The Bullfllat is one that truly looks like nothing else. It's a flat-sided bluegill imitator and a bulky piece of soft plastic.
It also floats, making it a unique option for a Texas or Carolina Rig or the emerging "free rig" technique. It's soft yet strong and has a unique profile. They are available in three different sizes and can also be added to the back of a vibrating jig and rigged with the bait vertically to round out the perfect bluegill-imitating package.
The Clap Craw is a slim crawfish imitator with small arched craws with great action. The body also has thin legs on the side for even more movement. The thin profile of the bait allows it to slide in and out of cover easily. This makes it a great candidate for punching grass, but the 4-inch bait can also be a finesse bait. You can rig it weightless, wacky-rigged, on a drop-shot, or the back of a jig.
Finesse and Drop-Shot Baits
For the finesse fan, Deps has some options for you, including the Deathadder. It's a 3-inch bait with a thin tail attached to the main body section. When fished on a nose hook, the tail section quivers and perfectly imitates a small baitfish.
The Cover Scat is one of the hottest soft plastics in America right now after having tons of success in Japan. The bait looks like it sounds like a small piece of feces, but they work. The key is the body shape and subtle action.
They can be fished weightless like a soft-plastic stick bait for a slow falling approach or under the surface with a "walk-the-dog" action, something that's pretty unique for a soft plastic bait. The Cover Scat casts very well because of the heavy salt content and comes in three sizes: 2.5-, 3.5-, and 4-inches long.
The Lil Rabbit is a versatile little bait that is part grub and part crawfish imitator. It has a solid body section and tail section that can be left in one piece for vibration or split for a craw look. The bait is 4-inches long, compact, and perfect for Texas or Carolina rigs or on the back of a jig or ChatterBait.
While much focus is on big swimbaits, Deps makes just about everything. Their soft plastics are very unique for the U.S. market and that's part of what makes them so good. They're highly technical with technical designs and something that bass here don't see as often.
Advertising