This simple tactic has revolutionized bass fishing. Here’s what you need to know about shaking soft-plastic minnows

What I saw that day two years ago stopped me in my tracks and changed the way I fish for bass—forever. I didn’t know it at the time, but that moment would mark a turning point, not only for me, but for every angler who picks up a rod in pursuit of bass. I work in fishing product development, and at the time I was in Minnesota for a quarterly team meeting. During one of our sessions, our soft-plastics manager demonstrated a new take on an old bass technique, one that seemed too basic to matter.

At the test tank, he rigged a simple jighead with a soft-plastic minnow and suspended it mid-water, rocking side-to-side with the subtlest of rod shakes. It did not dart or bounce. Instead, it pulsed, mimicking an injured baitfish with stunning realism. I was mesmerized. This was not some exotic set-up. Practically every bass angler already owns a jighead and soft-plastic minnow. But what I saw breathed new life into that combination. And the results speak for themselves.

The pros we worked with used that exact technique and bait to win the first four tournaments they fished last year. Word spread fast. In the following months, more than $1 million in tournament winnings were racked up using this presentation. It disrupted the fishing world. Every competitor suddenly had a minnow-and-jig combo rigged on deck. And nearly every company pivoted to develop products designed to maximize the effectiveness of the hottest technique in fishing seen in years.

Yes, the pros use top-tier gear—ultra-sensitive rods, thin braid, high-end reels, and forward-facing sonar to pick off individual fish with surgical precision. They make their living doing that, after all. But here’s the kicker: you don’t need all that stuff. The beauty of minnow shaking is in its simplicity. Whether you are a seasoned pro with a deck full of rods or a weekend warrior fishing from the bank, this technique will put more fish in the net.