The Best Soft Plastics To Use For Inshore Salt Success

When you’re fishing areas of inshore saltwater, soft plastics can be an incredibly effective strategy for a number of species. Here’s why:

In late summer, water temperatures are high. This is great as predators like redfish, trout, and snook are more aggressive and especially willing to hit soft plastics.

The main kinds of baitfish these fish target like mullet and shrimp are found in the inshore areas, and the predators are going to be with them. Soft plastics allow you to mimic these kinds of baitfish and catch some of these aggressive fish.

When it comes to what kind of soft plastic you should tie on, there are a few different options that will work well. In general, you should try to match the type of baitfish in the area, but here are some of the most common types you should keep in your tackle box:

Paddletails and swim tails are great at mimicking baitfish like mullet, menhaden, and pilchards. These are all key types of bait that inshore fish are going to be chasing. 

These are also versatile soft plastics, as they can be rigged on jigheads for open water, or weedless for grass flats and other kinds of structure you may find. You can fish these with a steady retrieve to let the natural design of the bait do the work for you, or you can mix in some drop techniques to imitate a wounded baitfish.

Curly tails are great at mimicking a variety of baitfish as well. Their design also creates a larger, more noticeable action than other soft plastics. This can be helpful if you’re fishing in some stained water. These pair well with jig heads. The weight will depend on how deep of water you’re fishing in. 

Shallower areas work best for light jig heads, while deeper water requires a heavier jig. The best way to fish a curly tail is going to be a slow retrieve, mixing in some drops along the bottom to help trigger strikes.

Soft plastic shrimp are a great option when you know the fish are feeding on shrimp and other crustaceans. This works especially well around grass beds and docks. You can use these shrimp in a weedless rig or on a standard jig, depending on the area and structure that you’re fishing. 

There are lots of pre-rigged options to choose from with shrimp as well. When fishing shrimp, try mixing in some subtle twitches on the retrieve, or even a slow drag along the bottom to best mimic the natural movement of a real shrimp.