Who Says You Need a Broom Stick to Fish Soft Plastics?

I know several people who wouldn't think of using anything but a heavy- or medium-heavy-action rod to fish soft plastics, regardless of their texture. If I hadn't lived through the '70s, when the late-Charlie Brewer, Sr. (pictured right) introduced Slider fishing, I also might be one of those proponents. As that light-line angling technique taught us, though, you don't need heavy tackle to catch bass with soft plastics.

According to Charlie Brewer, Jr., his dad took a lot of razzing about using "toy tackle" (usually 4- and 6-pound-test monofilament line) and a light-action spinning rod, initially made from a fly-rod tip. But time after time, he demonstrated that bass could be caught on light tackle with a sweeping hookset and by slowly playing the fish, rather than crossing its eyes and horsing it into the boat. He helped teach anglers how to catch suspended bass, for which Slider fishing was geared.

It didn't matter to Charlie Brewer, Sr. what brand name was on the rod. He only was concerned what type of rod it was--in other words, the action and power. He insisted on a flexible tip and strong butt section, referring to it as light action, rather than ultralight. He also preferred a rod that only was 4 or 5 feet long. Because such a rod wasn't readily available in the '70s, his company eventually started marketing custom-made Slider rods.

All this information got me to thinking here recently about what kind of tackle I really need to get the job done and to be able to fish "comfortably"--this latter a reference to the arthritis and other age-related pains I experience in my hands and arms. Increasingly, I had been noticing that some of the rods I was using were causing a lot of discomfort. The only two rods proving to be an exception were my two 6' 6" St. Croix Premier crankbait rods (see photo at left) in medium action and medium power. As I learned in a few trial runs, I could use these two rods all day long with nearly pain-free results. When I added the four other rods back into the mix, the pain started all over again.

I knew these crankbait rods easily would handle all the different weights of lures that I throw, and after some Internet research, I learned that quite a few people use crankbait rods for many different applications, e.g., spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and topwaters. I didn't find but a handful who use them for soft plastics. It was then, though, that I remembered my Slider-fishing days. I figured if I was able to set the hook on fish with a light-action rod and 4- and 6-pound-test mono without breaking the line, I certainly ought to be able to do the same thing with a medium-action rod and 40- and 50-pound-test braid.

Convinced that my plan was sound, I ordered four more St. Croix rods like the two I already had and matched them all up with different models of Lew's baitcasters. I already had proved these rigs could handle spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and topwaters, as well as crankbaits--I did that with the original two rods. It wasn't until this week, though, that I completed the "acid test" for using this tackle with soft plastics--specifically flukes, swimming Senkos, and Texas-rigged curl-tail worms.

I'm a believer that getting older doesn't necessarily mean you have to give up things; rather, you sometimes just have to alter the way you do them. For example, I had to buy a lighter bowling ball a few years ago. Now I'm using some lighter fishing gear. And, yes, I know there will be more changes down the road. The challenge is to keep smiling while all this happens, but in reality, we really should because at least we're still on the "green side" and not the "brown side."

Tight lines!