I used to fish some club tournaments years ago, in the late 1980s. I made friends with an older club member who won and placed in the top three many times by using a Culprit 7.5" worm in blk/blue. Frank's methods of fishing were very simple, and he usually only carried three rods on board. His favourite time to fish these events was in the hottest time of the year. One rod was rigged with a jig/ pork frog combo, one with a spinnerbait or Rattletrap, and the last rod was always rigged with a light T rig and a Culprit plastic worm. The spinnerbait/trap rod was his "search" rod. Marking out some good spots beforehand, he cast a spinnerbait at various depths looking for active fish. Once he determined the fish were in that area, he moved in with the Culprit worm, and fished slowly, and worked the area over thourouly, before moving on. For me at the time, it was a lesson in simplicity, and I've carried Culprit worms along ever since. These worms were first sold in 1977, and as far as I know, have no salt or scent added. I mostly use the 7.5" model, but have used the 10" as well. The larger worm works great fished weightless, reeled slowly over the top of any weeds or vegitation. These are considered an old school classic plastic worm now. I like blk/blue, or any purple/grape shades. I've had the best luck over the years T rigging them, with a 3/0 hook and the lightest sinker I can cast. Imitation could be considered a form of flattery, and, there's been many worms since that have copied the ribbon tail design. I love em. Are you a fan of the Culprit worms? What colors do you like, and what's your favourite way to rig them?
