One such intriguing addition to the arsenal is the “poop bait.”
Despite its comical name, these soft plastic lures have garnered attention for their effectiveness in enticing bass strikes.
In this guide, we’ll delve into the art of rigging poop baits.
Whether you’re a seasoned angler looking to expand your repertoire or a novice eager to try something new, mastering these rigging methods could significantly enhance your success on the water.
There are really only two poop bait rigging techniques that I use.
The weightless Texas rig which is really the only common way to rig these.
And a Tokyo rig which I haven’t used much, but is quite intriguing.
This is pretty much the standard rigging method for these baits.
Of course, you can experiment and test out other rigging techniques, but these soft plastics were really designed to be rigged with as a weightless Texas rig.
You rig them just like you would a weedless Senko. For the most part, poop baits are fished the same as Senkos and even fluke style soft plastics.
The weghtless Texas rig allows you to fish these baits in, around, and through brush piles, lily pads, and grass.
While most anglers are flipping jigs and creature baits into cover, you can come through with a subtle, do nothing bait like these and pursuade them to bite.
When rigging up a poop bait on a weightless Texas rig, I like to use two retrieval methods.
First is the typical Senko retrieve.
Let the bait sink to the bottom and twitch and drag it along slowly. Keep it within 10 inches of the bottom.
Second, I use more of a jerkbait or fluke style retrieve.
This is where I twitch and jerk the poop bait along the middle of the water column rather quickly.
This keeps it right in front of suspended bass and allows you to cover lots of water.
Like I said, I rarely rig up poop baits on a Tokyo rig, but I have found success with it in certain situations.
First, when I am fishing water that is deeper than 10 feet.
The Tokyo rig allows you to keep get the poop bait down to the bottom quickly while still maintaining it’s action because of the free swinging design.
The Tokyo rig is also great for punching into matted vegetation. I actually don’t usually punch at all, but lately I have been testing it out more.
The Tokyo rig punctures right through the mats and the slender profile of the poop bait darts right through behind it.
The Tokyo rig great for a slower retrieve while maintaining bottom contact. Twitch or drag the poop bait along.
It will say and dart back and forth while remaining exactly the same distance off of the bottom.
This is a fantastic crawfish imitation and has worked super well for me during the pre-spawn and winter months.
Because of the short length of these baits, you need the right hooks size to makes sure you get proper hook sets while not over shooting the tail of the bait.
For the smallest, 2.5 inch size baits, I like a 5/0 EWG hook. I actually prefer screw lock hooks for the smaller size poop baits, but that is just personal preference.
A 6/0 EWG hook is great for the 3.5 inch. These hooks reach just passed half way behind the poop bait, leading to very high hook up ratios.
The 4 inch size is a bit trickier to hook up. It can be hard to find hooks bigger than a 6/0. But if you can get them, one size up is ideal. If not, the 6/0 will still work very well.
The name is obviously a bit goofy, but it is also a pretty accurate description of the body style.
Poop baits are a soft plastic bait that was originally design and created in Japan.
Over the past few decades, Japan has become the forefront of bass fishing innovation and is regularly creating new, effective bass lures and techniques.
Poop baits are kind of like a very short, thick Senko style worm. And we all know how effective Senkos are.
Fishing poop baits might sound weird, but trust me, it produces big bites.
Also Read: 5 Best Poop Baits
