Soft plastics, plugs, jigs, spoons and spinners

Choose how a lure behaves before choosing its color.

By Louisiana Deep Sea Fishing · 3 min read · Updated October 16, 2026

Start by asking where the presentation should travel: near the surface, through the water column, along cover or close to the bottom. Then consider how it gets there and how you will work it. A lure’s weight, buoyancy, shape and rigging are more useful starting information than its packaging’s catch promise.

Surface and diving presentations

A topwater lure works at the surface; a diving plug is designed to travel below it under the appropriate retrieve or trolling conditions. Learn the actual product’s working behavior and hook layout. Keep exposed hooks protected around other people and follow the captain’s casting instructions.

Weight and soft bodies

A jig combines a weighted head and hook, often with a soft body or bait. A soft plastic can be rigged several ways, changing depth, movement and how exposed the hook is. Treat the complete rig’s mass as the casting weight, not just the package weight of one component.

Flash and movement

Spoons and blade-equipped lures add their own action or flash as they move. Work one in clear, controlled water where appropriate to understand its behavior before assuming a faster retrieve is better. Depth, vegetation and current affect the task; color is only one part of it.

A useful first selection

Choose a small number of presentations that cover the actual method, then learn them. Replace torn soft bodies and inspect hooks/connections. On a guided trip, ask which lures are supplied rather than buying a full category set. See matching the setup.

Soft plastics

Soft plastics can imitate shrimp, minnows, worms, or other forage. Their flexibility produces movement from current, rod action, and retrieve.

Rig them on appropriate jig heads, offset hooks, or weighted swimbait hooks. Choose tail type and weight to control vibration and depth.

A crooked rig can spin and twist the line. Replace torn bodies instead of relying on an uneven presentation.

Jigs

A jig’s weighted head and hook make weight part of the lure system. Add the body and any other components when checking the complete casting mass. The same broad family can be cast, worked near the bottom or used vertically; learn the intended movement rather than assuming all jigging is identical.

Topwater

Topwaters work at the surface and can produce visible strikes. Different designs walk, pop, buzz, or slide across vegetation.

Work a surface lure when predators are willing to rise. Pauses can be as important as movement; use enough line slack for a walking action but maintain control for a hook set.

Do not strike instantly at the sight of a splash if the fish has not taken the lure. Keep hooks away from people when landing fish.

Spoons

Spoons are curved metal lures whose flash and wobble imitate a wounded baitfish or fleeing prey.

Control retrieve speed so the spoon wobbles rather than spins continuously. Weedless models can work over marsh grass, while heavier versions cast well into wind.

Spinning can twist line; check the lure’s balance and use a suitable connector when needed.

Spinnerbaits

Spinnerbaits combine rotating blades with a weighted head and skirt. Blade rotation adds flash and vibration that can help fish locate a moving target.

They work around vegetation and stained water, often with steady retrieves, pauses, or contact with cover. Change blade size and weight to adjust lift and speed.

A bent wire frame or fouled blade changes action. Inspect blades after strikes and cover contact.

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