Stick Baits

Start here
What is a Stick Bait?

Stick baits (stick worms) are soft-plastic cylinders—typically 3"–10"—that catch fish with a natural shimmy on the fall and a subtle quiver on slack-line twitches. They “match nothing” yet suggest fry, worms, leeches, and minnows. Performance hinges on fall rate, salt/density, diameter, and buoyancy.

  • Length & diameter: 5" is the all-arounder; 3–4" for cold fronts/ultra-clear; 6–7" when you want presence; 8–10" for power-finesse, night fishing, or big-fish culling.
  • Salt & density: heavy-salt PVC sinks fast with pronounced side-to-side shimmy; buoyant/elastomer sticks excel when you want slow fall or upright “stand-up” posture on Ned/shaky heads.
  • Shape/texture: smooth = faster fall; flats/ribs = more drag/micro-vibration; tapered tips improve wacky/Neko hookup.

Order of operations: tune fall rate first (salt/weight/diameter), then size, then color.

Where Stick Baits Shine (Rigs & Situations)
  • Wacky / Weightless: targets, docks, shade lines, brim beds—dead-fall + two twitches → pause. Post-spawn killers.
  • Texas (light): grass edges and wood. Add 1/32–1/8 oz for distance/current; skip under cover with 5–7" or even 8–10" when seeking a bigger bite.
  • Neko: nail weight in the head for bottom “pecking” feedback—reads rock/sand transitions on points and breaks.
  • Ned: 3–4" buoyant sticks; cut-down 5" also works. Drag, shake, soak in clear/pressured water.
  • Dropshot / Hover: nose-hooked small sticks for smallmouth/suspended fish. Keep horizontal with light-wire hooks.
  • Carolina / Split-shot: mid-depth roaming fish; sticks track straight without spinning leaders.

Tackle: ML–M spinning (6’10–7’3) + 6–10 lb fluoro or braid-to-fluoro for wacky/Neko/dropshot. M–MH casting + 12–17 lb fluoro for Texas around cover.

Colors & Materials
  • Clarity mapping: Clear → green pumpkin, watermelon, smoke, translucent laminates; Stain → black/blue, junebug, darker cores; Muddy → solid black/black-red for silhouette.
  • Seasonal accents: pre-spawn reds/orange flake (craw window); fall shad tints (pearl/white backs); bluegill laminates near beds.
  • Material care: store buoyant TPE/elastomer separate from salted PVC; keep colors grouped to avoid dye bleed.

If followers won’t commit, adjust fall rate before changing color—often it’s speed, not tint.

Best Colors & Sizes for Stick Baits
  • Clear water: natural tones—green pumpkin, watermelon, baby bass, smoke, translucent laminates.
  • Stained/murky: high-contrast—junebug, black/blue, black with chartreuse tail accents.
  • Low light / night: dark solids (black, purple) for a strong silhouette.
  • Sizes: 4–5" for finesse/smaller fish; 6–10" for presence, warmer water, night, or a bigger-bite program.
Why Stick Baits Are So Effective

Balanced bodies and soft materials create a subtle side-to-side shimmy on the fall and a natural quiver on slack-line twitches—enough to trigger both feeding and reaction strikes, even on pressured or lethargic fish.

They’re also modally versatile: weightless for shallow cover, lightly weighted for wind/current, nail-weighted (Neko) for bottom feedback, or trimmed for Ned/dropshot. That adaptability makes them a reliable option virtually year-round.

When & Where to Use Stick Baits
  • Spring: weightless/wacky pitched to beds, shade, and cover; Neko along first breaks.
  • Summer: Texas/Carolina along ledges, grass lines, and deeper edges; upsize to 6–10" at night.
  • Fall: shad-leaning colors along riprap, wind lanes, and flats where bass chase bait.
  • Winter: 3–4" on Ned/dropshot with long pauses and minimal movement near deeper structure.

They shine in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and ponds—especially in clear or heavily pressured water.