Best Soft Plastics for Catching Trout

Soft plastics like worms, grubs, and minnow imitations are great lures for catching trout. Soft plastics imitate baitfish, insects and other forage that trout often feed on.

Soft plastics are often fished on a jig head, and can be fished on streams, rivers, ponds and lakes – basically anywhere there’s trout.

Below we’ll go over some of the best soft plastic lures for trout and how to fish with them.

Trout Magnet

The Trout Magnet is a great small soft plastic lure that has a split tail, giving it great action in the water. It’s a very lightweight lure, sitting on a tiny 1/64 oz jig head and is great for catching stocked trout, but can also catch larger trout as well.

The white Trout Magnet seems to be the best producing color of this lure, but they come in a wide variety of other great colors like chartreuse, gold, pink, red, black, green, etc.

Trout magnets have a 1/64 oz shad dart head that makes the lure fall horizontally, giving it a more natural lifelike appearance, which better imitates minnows, worms, or insects.

Trout Magnets are great jigs that can be used year round in rivers, lakes, as well as during ice fishing.

To read more about Trout Magnets, here’s an article we wrote going over the best colors of Trout Magnets and how to fish with them.

Tube Jig

Tube Jigs are a common and highly effective lure for catching trout – both big and small. Use small 1-1.5 inch tubes for smaller trout and 2-4 inches for bigger trout. Tube jigs work best in cold water. Fall through early spring is a great time to use tube jigs to catch trout.

Use a size 1/8 oz to 1/4 oz jig head for tube sizes in the 1-3 inch range. The size of jig head you use will effect how fast the tube falls, so keep that in mind when deciding on size. Unless the trout are aggressively feeding, keeping your jig head on the lighter side is generally a good idea, as that will result in a slower fall rate.

If using tubes bigger than 3 inches, consider a 1/4 oz jig head and up. The size of these larger tubes requires a heavier weight in order to make it sink at a decent rate. Heavier jig heads are also ideal for fishing in deep water.

Common tube colors that tend to work well include: white, glow, chartreuse, and green.

For a greater chance of success, tip your tube jig with a small piece of bait such as worms, powerbait, shrimp, or baitfish like sucker, carp, chub, or cisco.

To catch trout on a tube jig, you can jig them vertically, or cast them out and jig them back in. There are a couple of different ways to rig them up for casting.

Method one: simply tie the tube jig on the end of your line. Cast it out and fish it the same way you would a marabou jig. Let it sink for 5-10 seconds depending on how deep the water is and where the fish are holding. Once it’s at your determined depth, jig it in by twitching your rod up and reeling the slack in as your jig falls. Make sure to watch your line, as it will alert you to when a fish has taken your jigs.

Method two: tie your tube jig 1-3 feet below a slip bobber. Slowly reel it in using the occasional twitch. When fishing in colder water, you’ll want to go slower as the trout will be more lethargic. Play around with speed and rate of twitching until you find what’s working.

Swimbait

Swimbaits are great soft plastics to use for catching trout. Because they are made of soft plastic, they have great action and their “paddle tail” that moves back and forth in the water imitates baitfish in a very realistic way.

There are many types of swimbaits available, but for trout, you will want to use a smaller size and one that resembles the fish they naturally feed on, such as minnows or small baitfish.

You will need a light or ultralight spinning rod, a spinning reel with a good drag system, and a fluorocarbon leader. We recommend monofilament as your main line, which is much cheaper. To learn more about fishing line, read our post on choosing the best line for trout.

Look for areas where trout are likely to be, such as deep pools, riffles, and undercut banks. Cast your swimbait upstream and allow it to drift naturally with the current. You can also retrieve it slowly with a steady retrieve.

Trout are not aggressive predators, so a slow retrieve is often more effective. You can also vary your retrieve by adding pauses and twitches to make the bait look more realistic.

Trout can be finicky and may take some time to bite. Keep trying different techniques until you find what works.

Worms

Using artificial worms, also known as “trout worms,” is another great technique for catching trout. These worms are typically made from soft plastic and are designed to mimic the appearance and movement of live worms.

When fishing with artificial worms, it is important to select the right size and color to match the natural worms found in the area where you will be fishing. Berkely Gulp nightcrawlers are an all around excellent choice, as nightcrawlers tend to work well in almost all bodies of water.

You’ll need a fishing rod and reel that’s appropriate for the size of trout you’re targeting. Generally, a 6-7 foot light to medium action rod paired with a spinning reel and 4-8 pound test with a fluorocarbon leader should suffice.

There are many different types of artificial worms available, but for trout, it’s best to choose one that’s small and has a natural color, such as brown or green. Soft plastic worms that are scented can also be effective as the scent will attract the trout.

Thread the worm onto a small hook, such as a size 8-12 hook, making sure to cover the hook entirely so that only the point is exposed. You can also use a small weight, such as a split shot, to help the worm sink.

Look for areas where trout are likely to be found, such as near rocks, deep pools or under overhanging trees. Trout prefer cool, oxygenated water, so look for areas with good water flow and depth.

Once you’ve found a good location, cast your line out and let the worm sink to the bottom. Use a slow, steady retrieve, keeping the worm close to the bottom where the trout are likely to be.

Leeches

A less common soft plastic, leeches can be a great way to catch trout, especially in waters where leeches are present.

Select a soft plastic leech that is of the appropriate size and color for the water conditions and the type of trout you are targeting. Lighter colors such as white or light green can be effective in clear water while darker colors such as black or brown can work well in murkier water.

The most common way to rig a leech is to thread it onto a jig head or a hook with a weighted offset shank. Use a hook size that is appropriate for the size of the soft plastic leech.

Make a cast to a likely spot in the stream or river such as near rocks, undercut banks, or riffles. Allow the soft plastic leech to sink to the bottom and retrieve it slowly with a twitching motion. Trout often prefer a slower presentation, so be patient and let the soft plastic leech do the work.

Keep a close eye on your line and be ready for a strike. Trout often take bait on the fall or as it hits the bottom. When you feel a tap or a tug, or notice your line move unnaturally, set the hook quickly and firmly.

Minnows

Minnows make an excellent bait for trout considering trout are piscivorous, meaning they feed on other fish. Consider using minnows when going after larger trout, as the big trout are often feeding on other fish.

There are many different types of artificial minnows available, so it’s important to choose one that is appropriate for the conditions and the type of trout you’re targeting. For example, a small, lightweight minnow might be more effective in shallow streams, while a larger, heavier minnow might be better for deeper lakes.

You’ll want to use a light to medium spinning rod with a sensitive tip that can detect the slightest bite. 4-6lb test line is recommended with a fluorocarbon leader.

Tie a hook or jig head onto the end of your leader. The size of the hook will depend on the size of your minnow.

Insert the hook through the back of the minnow so that the hook point is facing up. Make sure the hook is buried in the minnow’s body, leaving only the eye or jig head and the bend of the hook exposed.

Cast your artificial minnow upstream and allow it to drift with the current. As the minnow moves downstream, retrieve it slowly and steadily with short twitches to mimic the motion of a real fish. Vary the speed and depth of your retrieve until you find what works best for the trout in your location. Also give downstream casting a shot, as that can work as well.

Summary

Soft plastics work great for trout period. We recommend always having a variety of types, colors, and sizes on hand so you don’t get skunked. Any of the soft plastic mentioned above are great choices.