Soft plastics fishing starts (and succeeds) with one simple skill: rigging your lure straight. If your plastic is even slightly crooked, it will spin, track sideways, snag more, and get fewer bites. The good news: once you learn this, everything else gets easier.
In this guide I’ll show you exactly how to rig a soft plastic on a jighead in a way that swims straight and stays pinned, plus the common mistakes that wreck your presentation.
How to rig a soft plastic on a jighead (step-by-step)
What you need
- A jighead (appropriate hook size + weight)
- A soft plastic (paddle tail, jerkshad, grub, etc.)
- Optional: a tiny dab of super glue (more on this later)
Step 1: Match the jighead hook size to the plastic
Before you even rig it, sanity check the proportions:
- The hook point should exit roughly around ⅓ to ½ of the lure length (depends on profile).
- If the hook is too small, you’ll miss fish.
- If it’s too big, the lure won’t move naturally and may tear more easily.
Step 2: “Dry fit” the hook to mark the exit point
Hold the jighead hook alongside the plastic (not inserted yet):
- Line the hook eye up where the lure will sit against the jighead head.
- Note where the hook point should come out.
- Mentally mark it (or press a small indentation with your fingernail).
This step alone prevents 80% of crooked rigs.
Step 3: Insert the hook dead-centre through the nose
Push the hook point into the exact centre of the nose.
- Go in straight.
- Don’t angle up or down.
If you start off-centre, it will never end up straight.
Step 4: Bring the hook point out at your marked exit point
Continue feeding the hook through the body and pop the hook point out where you marked.
If you miss the spot:
- Back it out and redo it.
Trying to “force it straight” rarely works.
Step 5: Thread the lure up and seat it firmly
Slide the plastic up the hook shank until it sits snug against the jighead head.
Make sure:
- The nose is seated tight (no gap)
- The body isn’t bunched up
- The lure lies straight along the hook
Step 6: Check alignment (this is the money step)
Hold the lure up and look from:
- top-down
- side-on
You want:
- tail centred
- body not twisted
- hook shank running straight down the middle
If it’s crooked, redo it. It’s faster than “hoping it’ll be fine.”
How do you rig soft plastics so they swim straight?
To rig a soft plastic so it swims straight, insert the hook dead-centre through the nose and bring the point out exactly where the hook naturally meets the body (usually around ⅓–½ of the lure length). Seat the nose tight against the jighead and check the lure from multiple angles. If it’s crooked, re-rig it—straight plastics catch more fish.
Where should the hook point come out on a soft plastic?
As a general rule, the hook point should come out where the lure will sit naturally without bunching—often around one-third to halfway down the body. Too close to the head and you’ll miss bites; too far back and you can kill the action or tear the lure. The easiest method is to “dry fit” the hook along the lure first and mark the exit point.
What jighead hook size should I use?
A good starting point is to match the hook so the point exits around ⅓–½ of the lure body, and the gape (hook opening) isn’t completely buried by thick plastic. Bigger profiles (paddle tails, thick jerkshads) often need a slightly larger hook than you think. If you’re missing bites, go up a hook size; if the lure looks stiff and dead, go down.
What jighead weight should I use?
Use the lightest jighead that still lets you control the lure and maintain contact with the zone you’re fishing. If wind/current bows your line and you can’t feel what the lure is doing, go heavier. If you’re snagging constantly or the lure crashes down unnaturally, go lighter. (I’ll link my full jighead weight guide here: /guides/jighead-weight-guide/ once it’s live.)
Why is my soft plastic spinning?
A spinning soft plastic is almost always a rigging problem.
Here are the most common causes:
1) The lure is rigged crooked
Even a small bend causes a paddle tail or jerkshad to roll and spin.
Fix: re-rig it straight. Don’t fight it.
2) Hook point didn’t exit in the centreline
If the hook exits slightly left/right, the lure tracks sideways.
Fix: use the dry-fit method and aim dead-centre.
3) The plastic is torn or bunched up at the head
If the nose is damaged, it won’t sit flush against the jighead and will wobble.
Fix: trim 2–3mm off the nose and re-rig, or use a fresh lure.
4) Jighead/Hook size mismatch
Too big a hook can distort the body; too small can let the lure twist on the shank.
Fix: try a different hook size for that plastic profile.
5) Line twist (less common, but real)
If you’ve been retrieving a spinning lure for a while, your line may now be twisted.
Fix: fix the rig first, then let line out behind you (or from a drifting kayak/boat) to untwist.
My soft plastic keeps sliding down the hook — how do I stop it?
Soft plastics slide down when the nose tears or the plastic isn’t gripping the keeper well.
Try these fixes:
1) Seat it properly
Make sure the nose is pushed fully up against the jighead head.
2) Use a tiny dab of super glue (optional)
A small dab between the jighead collar/keeper and the plastic nose can help a lot.
- Use very little
- Keep it off your fingers and away from line knots
- Let it set for 10–20 seconds
3) Choose jigheads with decent bait keepers
Some jigheads have better barbs/keepers than others. If yours are smooth, sliding is inevitable.
4) “Nose trim” when it starts tearing
If the head is ripped, trim a couple mm off the nose and re-rig. You’ll get more life out of each plastic.
How to rig different soft plastics (quick notes)
Paddle tails
- Keep the body perfectly straight or the tail won’t thump properly.
- Don’t let the hook exit too far back or you can stiffen the tail action.
Jerkshads / stickbaits
- Straightness matters even more because they’re subtle.
- Twitch-pause retrieves will expose any tracking issues quickly.
Grubs (curl tails)
- They’re forgiving, but still rig straight for best sink action.
Prawn profiles
- Often benefit from lighter heads and longer pauses.
- Make sure the legs/appendages aren’t pinned awkwardly by the hook exit point.
Quick troubleshooting checklist (bookmark this)
If you’re not getting bites or missing fish, run this checklist:
- ✅ Plastic rigged dead straight
- ✅ Hook point exit point in the right spot (⅓–½ body)
- ✅ Jighead weight light enough to look natural, heavy enough to control
- ✅ Fishing edges/structure, not “dead water”
- ✅ Pausing on the sink and watching the line
- ✅ If fish follow/no bite: slow down or downsize