Hard or Soft?

[CorbinHealy]

So this is something that I have been curious to get other swimbait enthusiast feedback from for a while now. To me, since the beginning of my swimbait fishing endeavor, I have always wondered which proved to be the more worth-while time (and financial) investment: hard baits or soft baits. I have thrown and caught good fish on both. That said, there is part of me that wants to narrow down my big-bait-throwing obsession even more by focusing on one or the other. Personally, I have enjoyed throwing soft baits more. While I feel that I have spent an equal amount of time throwing both hard and soft, I tend to caught larger fish on soft baits. Contrarily, when I observe other anglers' catches online, it seems that people are catching more trophies on hard baits. I would love to hear people's thoughts and experiences with the decision on picking up a hard or soft bait. 

[chevro1et]

Don't concern yourself too much with what other people are doing if you're enjoying yourself and having successful outings. If you want to concentrate on soft baits, do it. It's not like hard baits are going to cease to exist and will never be an available option for you in the future. 

[Loudsplashbassn_]

9 hours ago, CorbinHealy said:

So this is something that I have been curious to get other swimbait enthusiast feedback from for a while now. To me, since the beginning of my swimbait fishing endeavor, I have always wondered which proved to be the more worth-while time (and financial) investment: hard baits or soft baits. I have thrown and caught good fish on both. That said, there is part of me that wants to narrow down my big-bait-throwing obsession even more by focusing on one or the other. Personally, I have enjoyed throwing soft baits more. While I feel that I have spent an equal amount of time throwing both hard and soft, I tend to caught larger fish on soft baits. Contrarily, when I observe other anglers' catches online, it seems that people are catching more trophies on hard baits. I would love to hear people's thoughts and experiences with the decision on picking up a hard or soft bait. 

Not sure your definition of trophies but lot of the OGs will say a soft bait catches bigger fish then a hard bait primarily for the fact a Hard bait Is more of a reaction bite and a soft bait is a fish that's looking for a nice meal 

[danthefisherman]

For whatever reason I have a lot less confidence throwing a big soft bait over a hard bait…maybe it’s because hard baits tend to be more versatile and two treble hooks are more conducive to hookups? Fishing style is also a factor: I like power fishing with reaction baits, so crawling a hudd is a painful experience for me. Also a lot more of the “average” anglers will be throwing stuff like a storm wildeye or keitech, so sticking with a more detailed (and typically more expensive and rare) hard bait automatically sets me apart from what that crowd is offering. Of course there are situations where fishing a hard bait makes no logical sense, but otherwise I will almost always gravitate to hard baits.

[Mossyback Angler]

To me it’s all situational for my waters and what I feel I need to throw based on seasonal factors.
Meaning, I have more confidence in cooler water, say from late fall through early spring, going slow and low with a soft bait, such as a Huddleston. That’s where I feel more confident here in the northeast. Conversely, from late spring through early fall, hard baits like wakebaits and crankdowns prove to be consistent catchers.
 

Hard baits or soft baits , they are just tools in your arsenal. I wouldn’t limit yourself to just one or the other. But more so pick one or two from each category and focus on learning how to use them effectively and become proficient using them, based on conditions you face. 

The bottom line, to sum up and elaborate what @chevro1et posted: don’t worry about what other people are doing. Fish what you enjoy and brings you success. I think no matter what type of bait you use, if you enjoy using it, it’s gives you confidence, you will fish it hard, and ultimately will be rewarded. 
 

Good luck on your quest, look forward to seeing a trophy catch on the forum in the future. 
 

[Sawhill-guy]

I find myself reaching for hard baits much more frequently, but a lot of that comes down to where and how I fish. I think throwing the baits that work well for you will bring you the most success. I could throw soft baits all day and probably never catch what some of these other guys do with them. I just don't have the confidence in them and I know my strengths and style of fishing is better for hard baits.

All of that said, both will excel in different situations. Also, I think what everyone else said here already is pretty spot on. 

[Fried Lemons]

I would say you should fish both with more emphasis on soft baits.

Looking at conventional lures most big fish are caught on a jig or soft plastic which I would say is akin to a soft swimbait. These baits are high percentage in most situations. This pretty closely mirrors my experience with swimbaits. My average citizen 6 fish is bigger than my average 250 fish despite being 1/3 the size. It's fairly easy to fire up small fish into swiping at a big glide but a fish has to fully commit to eat a soft bait. If you want to play percentages lean more on soft baits. 

However there are some reaction baits that get huge bites in the right situations. The state record here was caught on a blade bait in the dead of winter. My pb was caught on a suspending tk in frigid water where most would think to drag a soft bait. My conventional pb was also on a crankbait smashed into rocks. These baits tend to trigger a lot of smaller fish but can get the biggest bites at the right time and place.