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Top 3 Fishing Stories of the Week: Top 6 Soft Plastic Baits, Rainbows Eat Mice, and Bass Eat Rats

Originally posted on Fishing on SI  |  By Kurt Mazurek  |  Last updated Aug 10, 2025 6:00 AM ET

1.) 6 Soft Plastic Baits Every Largemouth Bass Angler Should Own

Tackle store shelves are overburdened with every style and shape of soft plastic bait imaginable. And although all undoubtedly catch largemouth bass to some extent, they also can do a great job at hooking eager yet overwhelmed customers.

The following list highlights the top six styles of soft plastic baits that are a mandatory addition to a largemouth bass anglers arsenal. Each lure has a time and place but the common theme is that they all excel at fooling fish into biting…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

2.) Fly Fishing Tips: Always Carry a Mouse in Your Pocket

I always carry a mouse imitation in my fly box for that one time when everything aligns and you can catch a big trout on a mouse.

Don't let the rainbow trout fool you. It's been passed off as a gentleman's fish, a fragile creature, and needs to be handled with kid gloves.

That is not the fish that I pursue. The trout I know have a dark side, thuggish, and aren't above eating their children or making a meal of furry little mice. It's not fooling me with their pink and rosy colors. A rainbow trout is an aggressive fish built for ambush and survival, and underneath the shine is a current of violence…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

3.) Rat Lures for Bass: Obnoxious Topwater Baits That Catch Giant Largemouth

There are lots of standard lures that produce big bass – everything from tiny forward-facing sonar minnows to 10-inch worms to deep diving crankbaits – but if you want your double-digit to be truly memorable, I highly recommend you add some big clacking topwater rat lures to your tackle box.

OK, that may be a bit of an overstatement. If you’re the type of bass angler who doesn’t remember every 10-pound-or-more largemouth you’ve ever caught, I have three things to say: (1) you’re spoiled; and (2) I don’t want to be your friend; and (3) you have no soul. Get rid of the useless information in your brain and commit to remembering, cataloguing and slow-mo-replaying each of those fish no less than 10 times a day for the rest of your life.

But I promise, if and when you catch that big fish on a rat, you’re not going to need to work at it. The bites are vicious and heart stopping…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

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This article first appeared on Fishing on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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