Let's Talk Topwater... Worms!

[Jay Ell Gee]

Dad and i were out river fishing yesterday afternoon and I was lucky enough to find a decent pattern fairly quickly. Most (all but one) of my bass that afternoon were caught pitching a hollow-body mouse to holes in vegetation, walking it in, and twitching/dead sticking it. These hits were very light, the bass merely sipped my mouse from the surface.

I got to thinking about perhaps a different type of finesse topwater presentation, namely something weedless. I know that topwater worming is nothing horrendously new, but I do a lot of fishing in small, clear creeks and I believe that this type of presentation would be a productive addition to my ever-growing arsenal.

I have a spinning setup that will work well for this presentation, but I am really at a loss as to what type of worm I should use. I want something bigger than a roboworm 6' straight tail, but I don't want to be throwing my anacondas either. Zoom trick worms have a good balance of length, girth, and action, but they simply do not float consistently. I am not looking for a worm that floats just due to surface tension... I am looking for something that floats outright. I have plenty of 1/0 hooks lying around, I just want to find a worm to wiggle on the top to tempt some of these finicky bass into taking a boat ride with me!

Thanks in advance everyone!

[mikey5string]

try Doug Hannon's Fishing Snake. Seriously. I have tried them and they float , have nice action and catch fish. I dont like the rubber they are made from and I would rather use a frog b ut if you are looking for a truly floating "worm", you might like them.

I dont really think of topwater as a finesse technique. If the bass are hitting topwater, they are hitting topwater. That is active behavior, finesse tactics work on inactive or spooky bass. Both of which would be unlikely to hit topwater anything. I havent been in a situation where I had to use small baits to get bit. There may be times where they are feeding on insects in which case you might look into bass flies. Or maybe a small frog?

[rockchalk06]

I would think a lizzard would rule in that setting

[Jay Ell Gee]

try Doug Hannon's Fishing Snake. Seriously. I have tried them and they float , have nice action and catch fish. I dont like the rubber they are made from and I would rather use a frog b ut if you are looking for a truly floating "worm", you might like them.

I dont really think of topwater as a finesse technique. If the bass are hitting topwater, they are hitting topwater. That is active behavior, finesse tactics work on inactive or spooky bass. Both of which would be unlikely to hit topwater anything. I havent been in a situation where I had to use small baits to get bit. There may be times where they are feeding on insects in which case you might look into bass flies. Or maybe a small frog?

I actually have a 7wt fly rod for bass, but it is difficult to use in small holes in thick vegetation. I did consider that, however. Try and go easy on the new guy with the terminology, but a worm seemed more "finesse" than my big frogs and mice, haha. I'm mainly just looking for small, floating, weedless topwaters.

[Jay Ell Gee]

I would think a lizzard would rule in that setting

I appreciate the input. Do some brands of lizards float? I have literally never used a lizard.

[rockchalk06]

I appreciate the input. Do some brands of lizards float? I have literally never used a lizard.

I use Zooms and Bass Pro brand 4 inch or 5 inch lizzards. Yes they float

[Marty]

Not a floater and perhaps not considered a worm, but Fluke-type baits can be used as walk-the-dog lures. I've used this technique and caught bass.

[craww]

Look up haw river tackle...they make a floating worm that has a profile somewhere between a creme scoundrel and a trick worm..I've used them for years for shakeyheads, but think it would be perfect for what you want.

[craww]

Just checked their website, its called the "bubblegum worm". They make em all the way up to 9"...

[Jay Ell Gee]

Just checked their website, its called the "bubblegum worm". They make em all the way up to 9"...

Thanks so much craww, you are definitely right on the money with what I was looking for. I'll be ordering a few packs tomorrow!

Also going to look into some lizards.

[Bluebasser86]

Berkley makes a floating worm. I like a weightless flipping tube for the kind of fishing you're describing. Rig them on a 4/0 EWG hook and fish them a lot like you would a frog. The nice thing is you can let them sink into the holes and they'll spiral down very slowly, or you can put a foam earplug in them and they'll float on top. Something like a Rage shad or frog might be worth a try also.

[Sam]

Zoom Trick Worms fished weightless.

Senkos fished weightless Texas rigged.

Senkos fished weightless Wacky rigged.

Pink, white or yellow trick worm colors.

Any color Senko you want.

You can adjust depth by using the small clam shot weights.

[North Ga Hillbilly]

Anything from z-man will float

NGaHB

[NebraskaBasser]

I've used the Luck E Strike floating worms. You can get a bunch of them in a pack for CHEAP at your local Wal-Mart. The only issue (maybe) is that you can't select the colors that way. The pack comes with equal numbers of brown, orange, yellow/chartruese, and pink. I think they're 6' lengths. They are cheap enough for experimentation... I've "glued" two of them together to make a nearly 12" floating "snake"... but you could keep one full length and cut another one up and glue pieces to make the length you want. (You could also mix colors that way! <g>)

Another floating option is BOG BAITS (go to bogbaitsDOTcom). They make floating products in their mix of frogs, lizards, snakes, worms, etc. But, you ALSO pay for the realistic finish!

Like another poster mentioned, I too will insert foam/ear plugs/etc into tubes for a similar presentation.

Another thought... try using a BETTS FLOATER. They're a bullet-weight shaped foam that are designed for Carolina rigs, but work OK to also float your plastic. You can rig them point-first or cupped-end first if you want to make a subtel popper of your plastic. I use a cheap rubber bobber-stop to "peg" the foam tight to the plastic.

Hoe that helps... just some different options to try!

Bob

[Jay Ell Gee]

Bob, I actually saw that floating worm kit on the bass pro site, but bass pro doesn't stock it. I will be checking at Walmart! I didn't even think of that. They had good reviews, so I'm looking forward to giving them a shot! Thanks to everyone who has answered so far! Gonna get a few brands and compare!

[WRB]

Dad and i were out river fishing yesterday afternoon and I was lucky enough to find a decent pattern fairly quickly. Most (all but one) of my bass that afternoon were caught pitching a hollow-body mouse to holes in vegetation, walking it in, and twitching/dead sticking it. These hits were very light, the bass merely sipped my mouse from the surface.

I got to thinking about perhaps a different type of finesse topwater presentation, namely something weedless. I know that topwater worming is nothing horrendously new, but I do a lot of fishing in small, clear creeks and I believe that this type of presentation would be a productive addition to my ever-growing arsenal.

I have a spinning setup that will work well for this presentation, but I am really at a loss as to what type of worm I should use. I want something bigger than a roboworm 6' straight tail, but I don't want to be throwing my anacondas either. Zoom trick worms have a good balance of length, girth, and action, but they simply do not float consistently. I am not looking for a worm that floats just due to surface tension... I am looking for something that floats outright. I have plenty of 1/0 hooks lying around, I just want to find a worm to wiggle on the top to tempt some of these finicky bass into taking a boat ride with me!

Thanks in advance everyone!

You like the way Roboworms float, try a Roboworms Zipper worm or grub; wider body, lots of surface water displacement.

Josh Uptom makes a good straight floating worm with a swimming tail; 6" to 16", go online to Uptom's Customs.

Tom

[hookset on 3]

Anything from z-man will float

NGaHB

Hillbilly, you literally took the words out of my typing fingers.

ZMan also makes the elaz-tech products for Strike King, which of coarse, float.

Float on baby!