They look like something from outer space with all sorts of tentacles and flappers that make all the right moves to entice bass into biting. Creature baits come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes that make you wonder if these lures are a genetic mutation of a plastic worm or crawfish or the hybrid offspring of a tube bait and plastic grub. The versatility of these soft plastic baits allows you to fish the lures a variety of ways. Here are three techniques you can employ to catch bass with creature baits.

1) Creature Baits On The T-Rig

Texas rigging a creature bait lets you flip the lure to targets such as docks or thick bushes. Impale the lure on a 4/0 or 5/0 hook and match it with a 1/4- or 3/8-ounce bullet sinker. After flipping the lure to a target, you can let the creature bait do its own thing on the initial fall. The curly appendages, flappers and fins of the creature bait create undulating action and a tantalizing fall that bass in the cover have a hard time resisting. If a bass ignores the lure on the initial fall, hop the creature a couple of times to trigger strikes.

2) Carolina Rigging A Creature Bait

Dragging a creature on a Carolina rig along the bottom turns the lure into an ideal crawfish imitator. Crawfish constantly crawl across the bottom so steadily drag your rig along the bottom to trigger strikes. The less time the fish gets a chance to see the lure, the more apt it’s going to be to attack the creature. When fishing deeper than 10 feet, drag the Carolina-rigged creature behind a 3/4-ounce egg sinker. Drop down to a 1/2-ounce sinker when dragging the rig less than 10 feet deep.

3) Creature Baits On A Shaky Head

Although shaky head fishing is usually a finesse tactic you can convert it into a power fishing technique by matching a heavier shaky jighead with a creature bait. You can pitch or cast this combination to bedding bass in open water or to bass hiding in cover. Shaky head creatures are a good alternative on pressured waters where bass have seen plenty of jig-and-craw combos. I stick my creature baits on 1/4- or 3/8-ounce shaky jigheads designed with extra wide gap hooks for a better hook set. You can trigger strikes with this setup on the initial fall or by shaking it on the bottom.