The soft-stickbait is one of the best lures ever made. The most popular of this style of soft-plastics is the Yamamoto Senko, but just about every brand makes one, and they all catch fish. The beauty of these baits is they work when the fishing is tough and also when the fishing is good.

Here are five of the many ways that you can rig these lures.

Weightless Texas-Rig

The weightless Texas-rig is what the lures were initially designed for, and this method remains one of the most effective ways to catch a bass. Rig one on your favorite hook, cast it out and let it sink. The lure does most of the work as it shimmies side-to-side and slowly falls to the bottom.

Many of the bites will happen on this first fall, so if it falls to the bottom without a strike, reel it quickly for a few seconds and let it drop again. This will allow the lure to recreate the effective do-nothing action as it is falling.

Weighted Texas-Rig

Adding a sliding bullet weight allows the bait to have a different action than it does when rigged weightless. The added weight forces the bait to fall more vertically, but it still maintains some of the shimmying action. This is commonly used when cover is thick and you need to get the lure to penetrate cover. 

Depending on the weight size you use, anglers can reach greater depths in a shorter period compared to the weightless rig. From small 1/8 ounce to large 1-ounce sinkers, this rig works.

Wacky-Rig

This rig is deadly for shallow bass. It is a simple way to rig a soft plastic that requires the angler to insert their hook in the center of the bait. As it falls, each end of the bait has its movement as it slowly falls.

One tip to extend the life of your baits is to use a rubber band or O-Ring as it helps prevent the bait from tearing after repeated casts and when catching multiple fish.

Neko Rig

Quite possibly the hottest technique in bass fishing now, the Neko Rig is essentially a wacky-rig. The difference between the two is that a weight is inserted into one of the soft stickbait. This allows the bait to drop straight down vertically and then lets the angler hop it along the bottom with some action.

The weights used can be anything from small (but pricey) tungsten weights designed especially for the technique to lead versions or even regular nails or screws you can purchase from any hardware store.

Carolina-Rig

This technique involves rigging a weight, bead, and swivel before attaching a leader. The leader length varies based on angler preference and the situation, but the general idea remains the same. Attached to this leader are a hook and soft-plastic bait.

Just about any soft plastic lure can be used here, but the soft stickbait can be one of the best. The simple action of the lure coupled with the dragging of the Carolina-Rig can be an excellent approach.

There is no wrong way to fish a soft stickbait, and these continue to catch both trophy size bass and numbers of fish.