I have never been a big user of small plastic baits. I have some stuff that is 3'' and up to 8" or so but want to try some smaller stuff, say 1-2"  range for trout and panfish, mostly crappie and perch. I have some Gulp Alive minnows and leeches that I have not been very impressed with and would prefer not to go that route due to initial cost. Yeah, a pint of Alive minnows or leeches is no more on a per bait cost than say Yum or Powerbait but you need to buy such a large quantity. For the $20 or so that a pint of Alive costs, I can try an assortment of styles and colors of something like the BPS 2" grubs, then figure out what works and load up instead of getting stuck with a large container of something that doesn't work. Any suggestions? I have Cabela's, BPS and Gander nearby as well as a well stocked independent.

Tom...a good cost alternative to those places is Lurenet. I think they even have some specials going on right now on Yum soft plastics.    

http://lurenet.com/internet-specials  Give 'em a look. 

Hey Tom, go to www.outdoor-fishing.com and contact Toadfrog. He makes outstanding plastics in crappie/sunfish sizes. You ask for it and he either has it or will make it. Happy Fishing!

I am actually looking for suggestions on what, not where to find them! I would rather deal with the local guys if I can. They should have the best choices fo the local waters. It will be a while before I hit the local shop though and wanted to do a bit of pre fishing! The downside to the local guys is that they tend to get bound up in tradition and anything different or new/out of the ordinary gets tossed aside!

Well...I was suggesting what...Yum soft plastics. Just thought you might like to save a few bucks, but your local guys should have Yum stuff too.

I think the BPS house brand is made by Yum. They advertise Yum attractant as being in them anyway. If I can't find what I want at the local shop, I'll just head up to BPS or Cabelas

Tom, let me get a hold of Howard (walleyeking#1). He knows the name of what we used in Canada, NY and Pa. Hot stuff wherever we used it. If I am remembering correctly we got them at BPS.

Ok Tom, I found an unopened bag of them...

BPS Tournament Series
Tripple Ripple
white / yellow / chart
25 pk  heavy salt 

The body is white / yellow with chart. legs (if that's what ya call them)
item# GY2TRG25-634 2"

The crappie & gills love these things!   Use with a weighted float.  

Mr twister used to make tiny sassy shad bodies. But I can't find them anymore; however, WWW.buehlersales.com has a ton of ity bity share bodies. I know It's not local, but I found what I wanted at great prices.

The Johnson beetle spins work great also .

Posted By the rod tosser on 17 Feb 2012 12:31 AM
The Johnson beetle spins work great also .

Hey PG...sound familiar?

The most successful technique I have for crappie around here is a small Beetle Spin that I replace the 'jig' with a Mini Mite. For some reason, the combo works better than either by themselves. Downside is that isn't slow enough for cooler water.

Speaking of Beetle spins, I just got a BPS flier that has them on sale for .97 ea. Too bad I don't need any but thought I would pass the info in case someone didn't get the ad

Pegsguy: Ya might want to check out www.teachaworms.com he makes some awesome plastics at a great price, I use em a lot and they catch the fish! He can and will make anything ya want!

Kalins makes a great curly tail grub.
I have been using there tri color baits for some time now.
Panfish, Smallmouth and Walleye tend to slurp them up pretty good.

Hey 'Guy, A friend told me he was using a small white curly tail on about a 1/4 oz. jig and the cutthroats were killing it here. He told me this two days ago and while it's not NE Illinois, it's been rather cold here lately. He fishes from a tube so I don't know how much that effects things. I often think that may be why he's so much more successful than I am. He's not spooking the fish like I probably do.

Thanks, guys. While organizing prior to tackle maintenence I found a bag of small grubs and tubes that I had put away and forgotten. I think they were part of a "grab bag" that Mr. Twister included as a bonus on an order.Colors aren't exactly what I would choose, but the white, pearl and chartreuse/yellow look to have potential. Gives me a place to start until I make it to a store.

Have you tried using them on the road runner style jig heads .

You could try using a floating jig head and wrapping wire around the shaft  for a slower fall rate. 
or using  a floating  jig head with a walking sinker .  you can also just clip a section from a finishing nail  and insert it .