Venom offers a variety of tubes—some bulky, some thin. I like their laminates, because river smallies so often show a preference for counter-shaded versions of baitfish like shad and baby bass. Counter-shaded tubes seem less numerous than about 15 years ago, but still work wonders for me.

NetBait’s Paca Craw makes an excellent tool for walking the bottom with football-head jigs. The wide, thin claws flap alternately as the jig makes contact, waving the bass in. This action is unique among craw-style plastics, already generating an array of competitive versions. The YUM Craw Papi produces a similar flapping action while putting out a heavy thump that helps bass locate it in cloudy water. The smaller 3-inch versions of these baits make excellent jig trailers, while the larger versions produce best as stand-alone baits on football heads, Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, and other presentations in waters with good numbers of big bass.

Selecting all other plastics is based on those same principles. A 3-inch plastic is generally for tough bites, while a 5-inch plastic produces better under most circumstances. And try the smaller 4- and 5-inch versions of largemouth plastics—things like lizards, for instance. A 4-inch lizard is just right, in most cases, and an action-tail lizard on a jighead can be extremely effective where grubs are the most popular plastics among local anglers. The ISG Mud Puppy is a natural on a jig, the flattened belly and added surface area allowing it to glide or slow a swimming presentation to a crawl.

Confidence Factor

Develop confidence in a wide range of baits. For instance, smallmouths bite plastic grubs in every environment I’ve fished, from Lake Michigan to Lake Oahe to the Canadian Shield to reservoirs in Alabama. A 4- to 5-inch augertail grub is a universal, go-to soft plastic for smallies. Naturally, a 7- to 8-foot medium-power fast-action spinning rod, a fine reel, and the right 6-pound line all have a lot to do with how well the system works, but we’re talking about selecting plastics. Anglers who lack confidence in softbaits for smallmouths could do far worse than to start with grubs.

Swimming a grub on a 3/32- to 1/4-ounce head covers water, not as fast as a crankbait, but far faster than a tube. And a grub is almost as versatile as a tube. Grubs can be the best choice for drop-shotting in rivers, the tail constantly working in the current. Grubs excel on Texas rigs and football heads and can be the best trailers for skirted jigs when you’re targeting big fish. But the same techniques work with action-tailed worms and small lizards, so it becomes critical to branch off into those styles at some point during a hot bite.

An encyclopedia could scarcely encompass all the softbaits available today, but remember that slow and steady wins the race. Taking things one step at a time eventually tames that wild assortment. But be careful out there. Little changes in size, color, and detail can be so important with smallmouths that stored plastics might push your truck right out of the garage, or turn you into a bargain-bin zombie. Been there. Years of rehab later, I’m deep into smoke signals, looking for reasons to rip up plastics (so I can get the truck back into the garage).