Except for the grub, most plastic baits are hooked the same way, the objective is to make the bait weedless. This includes plastic worms, lizards, and salt craws. Using the plastic worm as an example, the illustration shows how to rig a plastic bait. Using the hook of your choice:

1. Push the point of the hook into the front of the bait about a 1/4 inch. This may vary depending on the size of the hook and bait used.

2. Push the point of the hook out the bottom and pull the rest of the hook through until the eye buries just into the front.

3. Turn the hook so that the point is facing the bait.

4. Stretch the bait a bit and push the hook point into the body of the bait, burying the barb. Be careful not to push the hook point all the way through, this will keep the bait weedless.

Setting the hook will pull the hook point through the bait and into the fish’s mouth. After a fish has been caught, just pull the hook point back down into the plastic body. The plastic bait can be used until it won't hold the hook any longer.

Plastic baits encompass a large number of lures that come in unlimited shapes and sizes. The most popular baits are plastic worms, lizards, salt craws, and grubs, and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.

Plastic baits rigged in one of two ways, Texas style or Carolina style. It depends on how you want to present the bait. As illustrated, with the Texas style rig, a bullet weight or slip sinker is threaded on the line with direct contact with the bait. This is an excellent rig for fishing the bait directly on the bottom or through weeds and tree limbs. To keep the bullet weight in contact with the bait at all times, a toothpick can be used to secure the weight to the line. This prevents the bait and weight from hanging on either side of tree limbs, rocks, or weeds.

The other method of rigging is the Carolina style rig. With this rig, a swivel is tied to the line 12 to 24 inches above the bait. The other end of the swivel is tied to the main line with a bullet or barrel weight attached. This rig works great for keeping the bait off of the bottom. Also, when a fish takes the bait, it is less likely to feel the pull of the weight. The Carolina rig is not new, but is becoming more popular. Fishing this rig also takes a little practice since the feel is different than that of the Texas rig.

Another excellent bait that is again gaining popularity is the grub. Just a bulky body with a curly tail, the grub seems to imitate almost anything. The grub can be hooked using the Texas or Carolina rig, but is usually used with a lead headed hook. If fishing heavy vegetation or thick trees, try using a weedless head to prevent snags.

As with other plastic baits, the grub can be fished on the bottom with a dragging or hopping motion, or just use a do nothing approach and swim the bait back letting the curly tail provide the action.