Depth Guide for Rigging Soft Plastics By Depth Range [Cheat Sheet PDF]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
Soft plastic lures are becoming more and more popular for inshore saltwater fishermen who are targeting redfish, seatrout, snook, flounder, and a variety of other species.
This growth in popularity has been due to the fact they can work exceptionally well in a wide variety of situations.
The key to success is to be able to match the right rigging hook or jighead to the proper depth for getting strikes with a hook size/type that enables good hooksets even when rigged weedless.
This step is a big struggle for many fishermen, so we put together this lure rigging cheat sheet to take the guesswork out of it.
Rigging Soft Plastic Lures Guide
Download Depth ChartFor each of the lures in the chart, the green section indicates the optimal scenario for using that lure. And yellow indicates that it still works but is not used best in that particular scenario.
This rigging guide allows you to cut down the time it takes to figure out which type of weight and hook to choose for a soft plastic lure based on if you need to be weedless or non-weedless.
Weedless Jigs & Weighted Hooks
- Best for fishing tight to structure (rocks, oysters, seagrass, pilings, etc.)
- Will save you a ton of time and hassle due to low risk of getting snagged on the bottom
- Allows you to fish very close to structure where most of the feeding takes place
Non-Weedless (Traditional) Rigging Options
- Best for fishing areas without snags since it has a higher hook-up ratio
- Often used for covering open water situations
Get the full Depth Chart Cheat Sheet here!
Conclusion
This depth chart cheat sheet allows you to clearly see which hook and soft plastic pairing will work best given the depth or environment you are fishing
Traditional jig heads are best for open water of lower depths to cover more ground and explore the bottom of the water column.
Weedless and weighted jig heads are ideal for fishing near any type of structure, but they have a lower hookup ratio.
If you know of any other lures or jig heads that are not listed here and you want to know more information about them, let me know down in the comments!
Get the full Depth Chart Cheat Sheet here
Related Articles:
- HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST LURE (PDF CHEAT SHEETS INCLUDED)
- THE ULTIMATE INSHORE SLAM CHEAT SHEET (FREE PDF DOWNLOAD)
- 4 MUST-KNOW REDFISH TIPS (PLUS FREE PDF CHEAT SHEET)
Finding The Fish Help
In order to help make sure that you are targeting the right areas based on the latest feeding trends and upcoming weather forecasts, make sure to use the following 3 resources because they will save you a ton of time.
1. Weekend Game Plans (updated weekly)
These regional game plans will show you exactly what types of spots to target in under 10 minutes… just click the video to start, and you’ll be informed on what to do on your next trip.
2. Smart Fishing Spots Platform (updated every 15 minutes)
This exclusive software literally shows you where the most fish are likely to be feeding based on exactly when you’ll be fishing. It factors in the tides, wind, and weather to help you quickly see which areas to target throughout the day.
3. Community Reports (live feed)
The Insider Community platform is what you can use to see what is biting near you, and you can get to know other members who fish in your area. Plus, you can use it to keep a log of your catches so you can use past trips to help predict future catches.
Related categories:
STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Excellent Info. Ansers a lot of questions.
Definitely needed this resource to add to the Salt Strong toolbox to plan for the next trip.
Great for reference
Great depth info had a problem getting tide and spots on new tablet called left message young lady called and walked me right through great customer service thanks
Great video.
Anyway to provide a storage bin for the jigs and then add this chart to the bottom side of a storage lid. Kind of like the nuts and bolts storage at a hardware store. Then add in storage offerings for the plastics left in the bags like ones offered by Z-Man.
That’s a great idea about the jighead storage container having the rigging details in it… I’ll try to find a way to make this happen.
As for the soft plastics storage, we’re working on finding a soft plastics storage box to help make them organized and easily accessible. In the meantime, I just put them all in a gallon ziplock so they stay together in my tackle bag.
Luke, I am always impressed with Salt Strong’s mindset for continuous improvement. I would be interested in the soft plastics storage boxes when they are available. Great work as always! Take care.
Great idea. I just got done hand-writing on tape identifying information in my tackle box. I would be very interested if that is possible.
Norton security comes on each time I try to view anything that you post for me to view and state “ We recommend that you do not view this site “ …. !!! What the hell is up with this … I am getting tired of this ….. I am a club member and I truly enjoy everything about it including the post and things all things you post …. Let’s get this straightened out ASAP please ……………….. !!!!!!!
This is a secure site so I’m not sure why your norton software is flagging it. Can you please send me a screenshot of what it says where I can see the exact URL that you’re on and the message it shows? Please send to Luke@saltstrong.com.
Yes Luke I definatly noticed a significant difference in weight differences from this chart versus the old for example the hoss helix weedless football jighead in the quarter ounce size changed from the old depth of about 6 to 12ft now from 5 to 10ft a few feet decrease and the half once went from 8 to 20ft in the old guide now to 10 to 25ft so an increase in depth of 5 ft I imagine these are just estimates because I remember Tony doing a report on fishing deep by docks and ledges a few weeks ago and he was using the quarter ounce weedless football jighead in 20 ft of water?! I asked him and his answer was because the tide and current never runs very strong in the Indian lagoon that smaller weights work fine and that would make sence but in my waters here in jax fl where the tide and current are alot stronger I imagine your new chart is probably more accurate because obviously the more ride and current strength the more weight is needed to keep a lure or bait on the bottom anyways the only real question I have is I noticed a lure in the guide called a PC tweeker? Is this a typo and were you really ment to say the new saltstrong twich lure? Just saying what I read thanks for the updated guide and all you do😀👍
This new one shows ranges that are most accurate, so I recommend using these ranges when making your selections. But please know that these ranges are of course just the recommendations for low/moderate current flow, so you may need to go a bit heavier in some cases if you’ll be fishing zones with very strong current.
As for Tony’s use of the 1/4 oz jighead in 15+ ft of water, he had to give the lure a lot of time to get to the bottom. He would have been able to bounce along the bottom more effectively had he used a 1/2 oz jighead, but the 1/4 oz still caught some giant redfish for him that trip.
Thanks Luke!
A scented, weedless crab lure for sheepshead would be a nice addition to the Salt Strong lineup.
We’ll be sure to add that to the list.