Every year the world of fishing has a big event called ICAST that showcases the newest products being brought to the fishing market.
Most ICAST events are held each year in the month of July but the products aren't always ready to be sold until later in the year.
With most products now on the market, we've highlighted some notable soft plastics to be made aware of for this year in case you're in the mood to try something different.
Please note, this is not a complete list of all the new soft plastics showcased at the most recently held ICAST event.
On to some of our favorites...
Storm Largo Shad (3.5")
The Largo Shad now comes in a 3.5" inch size to act as a middle-man to the 3" and 4" Largo Shads already in production.
The top of the Largo shad also includes a hook groove for easier rigging to help keep your setup weedless.
This size pairs well with just about all soft plastic paddle tail setups (jig heads, skirted swim jigs, and even Alabama rigs) and makes for an easy meal to bass of all sizes.
Strike King Filler Worm (6")
This is a great sinking alternative to the Roboworm.
This worm has a hefty amount of salt throughout the entire length of the worm which gives the worm a nice, horizontal sinking action and great scent profile.
Great for multiple rig types (Neko, dropshot, shaky head, wacky).
Strike King Rage Menace Worm (6")
This soft plastic has an awesome design that provides a well-rounded bait profile and the ribbed body will displace more water to help trigger the lateral line of a bass.
Also, the overall length of the soft plastic in combination with the split tail pincher design allows this lure to imitate a worm, baitfish and crawfish all-in-one.
Strike King Rage Scounbug (3.5")
This is a play on the Rage Craw but with a skinnier profile.
Where the Rage Craw has wide pincher flaps that extend out, the Scounbug keeps things tight and more in line with your hook.
Great for Texas rigs and jig trailers when wanting a less intimidating look with slightly less vibration.
Another stated improvement for this soft plastic compared to others is the stronger fill ingredients which hopefully leads to less tears and longer use of the soft plastic.
Strike King Rattlin Rage Craw (4")
Basically a Rage Craw except with a built in rattle.
When you want to add a little bit more noise to your overall presentation this may be a good choice for you.
It's nice to see companies placing the rattle in the bait instead of an angler needing to rely on skirted jig rattles which more times then not just seem to get in the way.
Strike King Zeus Worm (9.5")
Thin bodied ribbon tail worms can be hard to come by these days.
The Strike King Zeus Worm helps to solve that problem.
At almost 10 inches it's still a long worm but it should allow anglers to have improved hookups thanks to the slim body allowing for easier hook penetration.
Great for Texas and Carolina rig applications.
Daiwa Yamamoto Neko Crawler (5")
This worm has all the action of other finesse worms but at just 5 inches in length it makes for an easier meal to most bass.
This worm has a lot of features of the already reliable Zoom Trick Worm however, it has "Yamamoto" in the name which typically means good things when it comes to catching more fish.
NetBait BaitFuel Lollipop (3.5")
This is a finesse soft plastic that closely mimics other dropshot minnows such as the Z-Man Trick Shotz.
This soft plastic is a little bit smaller in profile compared to similar baits which can help with targeting super finicky fish or the small 12 incher needed to fill a limit.
Z-Man SMH Wormz (6.5")
Similar to other shaky head worms but Z-Man places emphasis on the unmatched action of the tail compared to others in its class.
For those who are fans of the stretchy Elaztech that Z-Man baits are made with, the SMH Wormz are also made of the same material.
Z-Man also sells SMH jig heads designed to match up great with these worms for easy maneuverability through grass and brush cover.
Yamamoto Ned Senko (3")
Take a Yamamoto Senko and trim it down to a Ned rig size soft plastic and you've got the Yamamoto Ned Senko.
To save you some cash, an angler can just about get the same look and feel by cutting a 6" or 7" Senko in half (two for the price of one).
However, these specific soft plastics do float so if you want that nice vertical presentation that floating Ned baits provide, and backed with one of the most popular names in bass fishing (Yamamoto), then this is a great option for you.
Yamamoto Slinko (5.5")
A ribbed Senko that floats - that's what you get.
Is it even in the same ball park as the original Yamamoto Senko..?
That's yet to be determined.
The Slinko includes a tapered end and a flat end so don't expect this soft plastic to have the same, subtle flutter that the original Senko has.
Where it may lack the same fluttering motion of the original Senko, it will make up for it by being able to displace more water thanks to the ribbed body.
Expect this bait to work great on multiple rigs including; Carolina, Neko, weighted wacky, and shaky heads.
YUM Forward Facing Sonar Minnow (3")
It's just something about a slender bodied minnow imitation that catches bass.
This minnow is a great addition for anglers that love dropshot fishing or enjoy hopping a small minnow through the water column on a jig head.
Similar to the Berkley Gulp Minnow, this little guy will do some serious work on some smallmouth bass.
Googan Baits Love Grub (3.5")
This is pretty much Googan Squad's take on the twin-tailed grub.
Very similar to the super effective Zoom Fat Albert twin-tailed grub, this is a way for Googan Squad to continue bringing great soft plastics to the market with their own unique design profile.
Perfect on jig heads as well as adding bulk to a buzzbait or skirted jig.
Don't Forget...
If it ain't broke don't fix it.
It's really hard for us fishing folks to not spend a fortune on tackle but if you have a collection of soft plastics that continues to catch fish day in and day out keep throwing those lures.
Newer tackle typically comes with a higher price tag so if you're in need of some soft plastics but are also trying to save a few bucks its always good practice to compare new baits with older style baits of similar profile before buying.
This is one of the main reasons we try and provide reasonable alternatives to many of the above lures.
On the flip side of that, newer tackle can be a confidence builder for an angler who is in a bit of a rut and ready to switch things up.
Ultimately, it's your decision as the angler.
Time to go catch em'!
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