San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

Last week I caught 120 fish in one day and my son and I caught 80 fish on different soft plastic shapes. Yesterday, on a different lake, I caught 60 fish on different soft plastics. The key was using light jigs 1/32 - 1/16 oz, depending on depth: the shallower the fish, the lighter the lure.

I tinker with soft plastics I own, cutting a part from one and melting it on to another using a candle flame. Other modification examples include:
shortening a lure by cutting off the front part and making a lure slimmer (i.e. cutting of the belly of a Sassy Shad)
I do categorize tail shapes: cone or carrot, spike, thin flat tail, pill shape, thin stick and tube tail skirt. Most times, only a few are not as guaranteed to work as the others; those in bold are sure fish catchers! Some lures don't need to be altered, though at times I will use parts of them to build other lures.

Why? It's fun finding new shapes fish slam!

Now, I'm not a believer in matching a lure to prey fish feed on, whether insect, worm, grub, fish or other animal. Fish also don't strike because of hunger or the need to eat a lure. Every lure ever made that catches fish consistently is because of its action, shape and size - in combination and how it is retrieved. Fish may need to become slowly irritated by watching a lure or might chase a steadily retrieved lure like a crankbait or in-line spinner. As for myself, I chose a slow-twitch & pause retrieve for soft plastics and surface lures.
Some shapes that do well:

What are these shapes?

Gotfish? wrote: Wed May 13, 2026 3:43 pm What are these shapes?

Glad you asked.
Tapered stick added to a tube front: Flat tail added to a Spring Grub body: tube skirt added to grub body" pill shape made by joining two tube bodies: Mini Mo Magic flat tail grub from a mold: (Note: small lures do catch big fish.)

Other than soft plastic, fur or feathers added to jigs has great action.
A marabou skirt on a micro-spin after it caught over 20 fish can still catch more.

When I use a candle on soft plastic baits, I get a lot of soot on the baits. How do you avoid this?

I don't know that the fish care, it is more a matter of aesthetics.

I'm also a big fan of aesthetics. If the plastic parts aren't joined just right, I do over.
I hold the end over the flame briefly until it starts to flame and then immediately blow it out, followed quickly by melting the end of the other part.
Join together. There should be no burned plastic if done fast.

Micro spin with marabou skirt yellow perch: Crappie Magnet double straight tail and Runcl swimbait on either side of the pill are two of the best action shapes!: Also shown are two micro Mo Magic grubs (top left), a mini-stick, a marabou micro spin and on the right, a Runcl body/reversed on a 1/32 oz jig head
I've also added the Runcl tail (1" only) to a small grub body that drives fish nuts!

Infinite possibilies and fun when fish attack like no tomorrow.

(BTW SDfish.org has been one of my favorite forums due to design and member feedback.)

Two body parts I forgot to mention:
French Fry (i.e.Zoom) - four flat textured sides and
Ring Fry (Lake Fork) - round ribbed Texured bodies + flat tail combos are some of the best for all species!

I have three sizes of a flat-tail grub labeled Mo Magic: Flat tails can be added to any worm or grub body.
(A mini-mo magic grub (in shape collection photo) is one of my top lures for finicky fish.)

I add one to a segment of the French Fry stick and fish go berserk hitting it! Many parts of different lures can be added to either Fry segments such as a claw: con'd in reply

French Fry and curl tail: