20 Best Plastic Bait For Speckled Trout (2023 Updated)

I fish for winter trout in a public stocked city lake, which has muck and filamentous algae (green slime) on the bottom; this bait floats well on a light hook, very visible no mess or bad smell. I used a split shot on 4# line to keep it floating about a foot off the bottom out of the ‘slime’.

If it doesn’t float add a little more bait or use a lighter Aberdeen hook. I still use crawlers, as they seem to catch slightly bigger fish, but for action you can’t beat this. Stores easily, eliminates the need for marsh mellows, cheese, corn, liver and other stuff that goes bad and stinks.

This bait doesn’t smell as strong as other Berkley products I’ve used, worms, minnows and shrimp. I’ve actually re-used if from fish I’ve cleaned and still caught fish, LOL!.

Bought this after seeing people using it online with good luck. I dont know if I was given a bottle that has been in the warehouse for a long time or what, but no matter how I work it, it will not stay on the hook after going into the water.

I have not caught a thing on this. I’m contemplating buying a bottle from Walmart and seeing if I have the same issues or not.

I’ve used this for so long I can’t remember when I started. I’ve caught trout up to 8 or so pounds. I always use Rainbow at the beginning and it always produces fish. Over the years I’ve caught more than 1000 trout on this bait.

Most recently a 2 pound and a 3 pound 10 ounce Rainbow on Rainbow Power Bait.

In June, I used the chartreuse and silver Catch 2000 on the flats in Apalachee Bay south of St. Marks, FL. The water was tea-colored but clear, and there was a lot of lose floating grass in the water.

After the fifth or sixth cast, something hit the lure so hard that it about yanked my shoulders out of their sockets. A second later, my line snapped and the beast (probably a cobia) and my Mirrolure was gone.

These baits are a great choice when you want to make long casts to cover a lot of water, or if you are using heavier than average inshore rods that won’t cast a smaller jerk bait easily. They come in good colors and catch a huge variety of inshore species.

The only downside is that they have to be twitched more aggressively than a Mirrodine for the best darting action, which can get a little tiring during a long day of fishing. That’s the only reason I didn’t rate it 5 stars.

When I first started fishing inshore saltwater, I went to a local tackle store and asked what I needed to get started. They definitely hooked me up when they said that this was a great lure. I have caught more large fish on this lure then on any other.

I have used this bait several times in the Chesapeake bay and have caught several keeper rockfish on this bait casting toward a rocky shore line. Outstanding bait I will be buying more for sure

Well made underspin jig. Strong enough to land large fish. I use them to cast along shorelines and shallows.

Mirrolures all have such a great finish that not only fools fish but holds up to hard bites from toothy fish. This one is a great color and looks realistic. I always but Mirrolures when I find them on sale.

its a great bait but three trebles is unnecessary. just going to hurt the fish if not yourself

This lure catches everything. Can be used to twitch or steady retrieve. Works best for me when trolling.

Tried and true, durable soft plastic with great action. Stays on jigheads and holds up to toothy trout while still supple enough to have great tail action. Perfect size to match the bait size in summer/fall.

Very affordable too.

Good swim bait for attaching to jigs. Large enough to appear to be a saltwater bait fish. Plenty of color variety to match the appearance of bait fish in your area. Great price also!

Have been using these for a few years now, on both the Texas and Florida Gulf coasts, for trout, reds, snook. They work, and are more durable than many other soft plastics. Like the price, also. Limebone is my go-to color most of the time.

These Egret Vudu shrimp really catch the fish. I’m not sure what it is about these lures but they draw a lot of bites. These are hands down the best artificial shrimp I’ve ever fished. I purchased several different colors and have caught fish on all of them.

The Flounder love them and I do almost as well catching Reds. The Vudu shrimp have been very durable as well. All in all I would say that this is a bait everyone should have available for use.

I’ve found the rootbeer color is great for clear inshore waters. these things catch trout, reds, snook, tarpon and even consistently catch mangrove snapper on them. truly the best shrimp artificial.

These are great shrimp imitations and catch fish almost as well as the real thing. They are tough, but like any plastic eventually wear out. They last a heck of a lot longer than live shrimp, though.

They work good but one bite from a pen fish or a puffer fish and the tail is gone. Kind of expensive for something you may only be able to throw out one time. They need to try to make it with some other kind of material to hold it together a little better even a regular plastic bait it’s tougher than these are but they do work really good as long as you don’t have 10 fish or smaller fish biting tails off.

Exactly what said it was and great quality for cheaper than at Academy. Not only that but when I opened the package there was a hand written post-it note that said Good Luck and signed. That alone made me so happy that I will be a lifetime customer now.

Try getting that from a big box store.

Any one that fishes for spec’s or reds, simply must have these in their tackle box. The best overall lure for searching for fish and just about anything will hit them. Larger in the summer and smaller in the winter.

They work better with some scent on them however.

This is a very popular bait in south Louisiana and I understand why. I threw this bait exclusively my last two fishing trips and caught a total of 10 slot reds. These are excellent baits for red fish, trout, and flounder.

I tend to pair them with an 1/8 oz jig head and often an inline or jig spinner. Many people fish them under a popping cork with success as well. My favorite colors are Green Hornet and Midnight Mullet.

I used these moodring and caught 3 little trout back to back on a bad fishing day. I wasn’t even trying very hard, just playing around, as we hadn’t had much luck all day. I will be using these next time we go fishing for trout, and I bet they will be amazing when the conditions are more ideal.

They are very pretty to look at too, which is always nice. I didn’t even have any pro-cure on them when I caught the fish. They would have been keepers in Louisiana, but we were in MS, so we had to put them back.

Still a lot of fun on an otherwise uneventful day.

These are incredible, extremely durable, fish catching baits! I typically use these under a Bomber Paradise Popper extreme here in North Carolina! A true, fish catching, go to bait! I always have a rod rigged up this way.

I have caught so many Trout, Redfish, and flounder with these baits.

Fishing inshore here in North Carolina one can go through a lot of plastic baits with pinfish and others pulling off the tails of the bait. But this Z-man plastic is really tough and saves me time and money.

Love their colors! Great product!.

I’m a huge fan of top water lures. My Rapala skitter pop used to be my favorite lure until I got this. I purchased the bluegill one. I’m a big fan of lures that rattle and this one has a nice loud rattle.

Bass just can’t resist the rattle and the top water action this lure creates. It casts a long ways out too! The way I like to fish it is walk the dog, and then give it a couple hard pops and then let it sit for a few seconds.

With those actions combined I caught some really nice bass the first time out! This lure is a must have in your tackle box!.

This is my go to top water plug for trout and redfish. It casts a long way and has great action that entices strikes. A bit pricey compared to other top water baits that I also use but well worth it.

Highly recommended.

First impression is that this is just a ton of fun to use- regardless of whether or not it catches fish! My only problem is that you will get a ton of strikes but getting them to actually get the hooks their mouth is another thing.

Before using this bait, I had never really used a lot of walking baits. I figured it out in just minutes with this- it walks very easily. the major downside to this is they make it in only one size that I’ve seen, and it’s too small.

I would prefer a bigger topwater, at least 4″. This year, I will probably keep fishing it fast and erratically, trying to locate fish even if they don’t hook up. Then I can come back through with a jerkbait or tube to catch those fish.

When it comes to stocked trout, nothing catches more fish than PowerBait. PowerBait is to “synthetic dough bait”, as Google is to “internet search”. All these different variations will catch you fish, the fish does have a preference from day to day.

My go to flavor during the spring in the North East is the corn flavor.

This Powerbait is so good that it might should be outlawed. I’m a firm believer in “catch and release,” so I catch trout with this bait, clean them, and then release them (after sprinkling them with salt, pepper, and corn meal) into 350 degree peanut oil.

These are mostly “stocked” trout, meaning that the majority of American fisherpersons pay for their (the trout) via fishing license/trout stamp fees. I ran into a flyfisherperson a few months ago at a nearby restaurant (he was wearing hip waders) and asked him how many trout he had caught that morning.

He got all upset and nastily replied that he was a strictly “catch and release” type. I replied, “I didn’t ask how many trout you kept, I just wanted to know how many you caught and released. ” This bait is really good stuff.

I promise you!.

Never review products, but this was wayyyyy too good to not give 5/5. Have caught salmon, steelhead, trout, bass, and panfish on these. If you’re fishing in a hole for 10 minutes and not getting anything, there’s probably nothing here.

If you can dead drift them properly (let them drift in the current naturally), you’re going to get a ton of fish if they’re there. I just wacky rig them and don’t use a bobber with one split shot about a foot up from the hook.

Might just be my personal experience, but found that the rainbow trout were more aggressive for the bait than brown trout, can catch 4″ rainbows with them but not that size browns. Doesn’t matter what size fish they are, again, caught a 5 lb coho with one and lost a 4 pound steelhead.

Sooooo good so if you’re not catching anything with them, you might not be using them properly or there’s no fish there. If going for trout. sometimes you have to drift them right to the edge of the log even though there’s a risk you could lose your rig, but it’s worth it.

They’ll dart out, take it, and dart back under. Definitely worth the price.

My friends near me on the same stream fished a different artificial worm and were crushing the trout. I couldn’t catch a cold. I know it’s not always the bait – there are lots of factors like where on the stream you’re fishing, weight, pool depth, conditions, etc.

but for me, they didn’t work like I hoped.

I have no idea what it is about this shape that makes it so desirable. I fish for trout and redfish, almost exclusively, and when drifting the flats, this bait seems to catch more fish than any other.

I love the durability of all of the Z-Man baits and am amazed at how many more casts I get than friends that spend time replacing less durable baits. After my wife saw how many packs of Trout Tricks I have neatly organized in my boat, I can no longer talk about her shoe collection.

1st time out. I caught 35-40 trout on 1 soft plastic bait. Lost count on the fish.No damage at all to the bait. When I was done put bait back in package. Will use the same bait later

Thus bait always has action. Slow reel, action. Fast, action. Lifting rod tip up, action. Rod tip down; falling bait, ACTION. If it’s in the water, it’s working. Depending on wind, I’ve used it on Zman Trout Eye 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4oz with incredible success.

No lie, more often than not, I’ve got it on a simple Eagle Claw ball head jig 3/16oz and it’s become my favorite set up. — word of advice, if you do put it on a Trout Eye, make sure you get it right the first time, those bait keepers aren’t playing and will cut it apart if you miss.

With that said, if you get it right, you can fish all day as long as the tail survives.

I use to fish bass tournaments in Ga. I no longer do but I like to catch fish. Everything eats this bait!!! I use it with 2-3lb. Line and 1/16th once jig. I catch fish when most people don’t. Occasionally I hook a large fish and the fun begins.

Buying more soon.

Accidentally bought a pack of these without paying attention, thinking they were paddle tails. Ran out of other soft plastics and decided to tie one on just to see what happened. Let me tell you, they catch fish.

I’m in Bermuda where the water is crystal clear, so everything that hits these can see that it’s not an actual fish. Doesn’t matter. I’ve caught barracuda, snapper, squirrelfish, lizard fish, jacks, rock hinds- anything and everything eats these.

Ended up buying a few more packs because they earned the nickname “old faithful” with my buddy and me. Only color I’ve bought and thrown so far is opening night. If it aint broke, don’t fix it.

These soft baits have been a go to for most of this years inshore trout fishing. They hold the hook very well and will stay usable for 10+ fish. I use them with a 1/4 oz or a long shank hook under a popping cork to find and catch some really nice Louisiana trout.

I started using these baits a year ago in the lower Pamlico River and Sound. I find them effective and tough. The wide variety of colors can be used to address the varied water conditions we experience.

I think the embedded sparkles make a big difference. The baits are tough which is important as they hold up to needlefish and pinfish which are prevalent. A great value for inshore fishing.