Soft Plastic Fluke Baits
Soft Plastic Fluke Baits are built for aggressive strikes, suspended fish, and covering water fast. From bass on shallow flats to pike chasing larger profiles, this category helps you control fall rate, dial in profile, and fish flukes with intention—not guesswork.
Start with fall rate and depth control, then match size, profile, and color.
What is a Soft Plastic Fluke Bait? +
A Soft Plastic Fluke Bait is a minnow-shaped, fork-tailed soft bait designed to dart, glide, and fall with a subtle shimmy. It imitates injured baitfish and shines when fish are suspended, roaming, or keyed in on shad, minnows, or small forage.
Unlike paddle tails, flukes create action from rod movement—not built-in tail vibration. That means you control cadence and fall rate directly.
Fall rate & depth control (first lever) +
With Soft Plastic Fluke Baits, fall rate determines everything: how long the bait stays in the strike zone and how natural it looks.
- Weightless: Slow, horizontal glide for shallow flats and pressured bass.
- Light belly weight: Controlled sink for 3–8 feet.
- Weighted swimbait hook or jig head: Faster drop for wind, current, or deeper fish.
Change weight before changing color. Depth control beats color selection almost every time.
Size & profile (match the Length filter) +
Length drives profile presence. Use 1-inch increments to simplify decisions:
- 4″–5″: Standard bass size for most situations.
- 5″–6″: Larger forage lakes, wind, or pike.
- Compact profiles: Clear water or pressured fish.
Minnow-style flukes excel when fish are eating open-water baitfish.
Color (visibility control) +
Color is visibility control, not magic. Let water clarity decide.
- Clear water: Natural shad, translucent, smoke.
- Stained: Pearl, white, chartreuse highlights.
- Low light: Solid white or darker silhouette.
Where Soft Plastic Fluke Baits shine +
- Boat fishing without electronics: cover water and watch surface activity.
- River current seams and eddies.
- Bank fishing around shallow grass or points.
- Docks where fish suspend under shade.
Soft Plastic Fluke Baits are NOT +
- Not a bottom-dragging craw imitation.
- Not a heavy-cover flipping bait.
- Not a high-vibration paddle tail swimbait.
