Giant Worms.

[WRB]

Today the most popular soft plastic lure for big bass are swimaits. Forgotten by most bass anglers are big or giant soft plastic worms.

When Pual Elias cuaght his record tournament weight at Falcon lake he used 2 lures; deep diving crank bait and Mann's 12" Jelly worms. Talk about old school, most of today's bass angler were not born yet when Tom Mann was tournament fishing and came up with the Jelly worm product line back in the early 70's.

I would bet nobody else fishing Falcon during that tournament had Jelly worms in their boat, let alone the rare 12" worms. If you polled the Elite anglers today, most still don't have any 12" worms, 10" worms are far more popular.

So what is a giant worm? To me any worm over 10" falls into that category. Most of these giant worms are made locally by hand pourer's like Jose Uptom, Upton's Custom's. Mann's still makes the 12" Jelly worm and there are a few others on the market.

So when and where do you fish giant worms? I fish them year around, always have 2 jig rods rigged and 1 giant worm rod and 1 swimbait rod. . For giant bass the pre spawn through post spawn is the best seasonal period for catching big bass and giant worms are a big bass lure.

Next to horizontal jig fishing, giant worms comes in second to my all time favorite big bass lure as far as number of DD bass caught. When I was fishing the San Diego area lakes, giant worm were the number 1 big bass lure, second only to live Crawdads and mud suckers, by bass anglers during the 70's and 80's.

The popular worm in San Deigo area was the DeLomg 12" Otay special.

My favorite location to fish big or giant worms is clay banks with isolated brush and rocky areas, secondary points adjacent to cuts or deep breaks. I also like to work big or giant worms uphill or along breaks....slowly. My rigging is usually a 1/8 to 3/16 oz bullet weight, glass bead, straight shank 4/0 premium worm hook, T-rig and skin hook the side. I use a 4 power 6'10" worm/jig rod and 14 lb FC line. My retrieve is similar to how fish jigs, except with more rod tip movement and slower retrieve speed. I like to move the worm about a foot, shake it for 10 to 15 seconds, let to dead stick for about 15 to 30 seconds and repeat until I am through the structure/light cover zone that I feel the bass should be located. I will continue the retrieve with a more traditional hop and drag when the worm is within 30' or so from the boat, depending on what the bass are doing. My average cast is about 60', shorter than my jig casts, so I can get a good hook set. Too long of a cast with t-rig worms ends up missing hook sets, with big or giant worms, there is a lot soft plastic in the basses mouth. I use the drop the rod tip and hard snap hook set with giant worms. Unlike jigs where you can't set too fast, giant worms bass tend to keep in their mouth longer, giving you time to get the hook set.

My favorite colors are; dark brown/black blood line, cinnamon brown/neon blue blood lime, green with black & red flakes/brown belly, black grape/ neon blue blood lime. I prefer hand poured worms; 10" to 16", 12" most of the time. I fish giant worms a lot during the mid day slow period, dawn & dust and at night.

A lot of the time I follow up fishing an area with jigs with giant worms.

If you are a shore bound angler, giant worms should be one of your presentations.

Tom

[J Francho]

My personal best came on a giant worm. Great write up.

[Goose21]

Great write up. The 10" culprit worm is my number one lure. I'd venture to guess my top five bass were all caught on a 10" red shad culprit Trigged with 3/16 or 1/4 oz bullet.

The old man introduced me to bass fishing with 7.5" culprits, tequila shad color I believe. He had a lot of patience because I must of set the hook into wood 1000 times before I finally dialed it in. I swore it was a fish though.

Just the other day he looked at me like I was an alien when I told him I was fishing with a space monkey.

[merc1997]

big worms, or giant worms as tom calls them at the right times are hard to beat for big bass. i have about 100 15" worms left from old stock that are no longer produced. i still get them out to fish with when the time is right. one of those times in my area is the dog days of summer. they just always seem to be a fish catching machine again. i have also noticed that with the notarity of lake falcon, giant worms are again coming into favor. one of the other times that giant worms work is during the spawn. big bass do not try to just carry a giant worm off the bed, they eat it. at least from my experience, they do. giant worms will always have a place in my box. and just as a note on giant baits, there is always a stretch here in the summer that giant plastic crawdads are very effective in catching big bass.

bo

[Arv]

Today the most popular soft plastic lure for big bass are swimaits. Forgotten by most bass anglers are big or giant soft plastic worms.

When Pual Elias cuaght his record tournament weight at Falcon lake he used 2 lures; deep diving crank bait and Mann's 12" Jelly worms. Talk about old school, most of today's bass angler were not born yet when Tom Mann was tournament fishing and came up with the Jelly worm product line back in the early 70's.

I would bet nobody else fishing Falcon during that tournament had Jelly worms in their boat, let alone the rare 12" worms. If you polled the Elite anglers today, most still don't have any 12" worms, 10" worms are far more popular.

So what is a giant worm? To me any worm over 10" falls into that category. Most of these giant worms are made locally by hand pourer's like Jose Uptom, Upton's Custom's. Mann's still makes the 12" Jelly worm and there are a few others on the market.

So when and where do you fish giant worms? I fish them year around, always have 2 jig rods rigged and 1 giant worm rod and 1 swimbait rod. . For giant bass the pre spawn through post spawn is the best seasonal period for catching big bass and giant worms are a big bass lure.

Next to horizontal jig fishing, giant worms comes in second to my all time favorite big bass lure as far as number of DD bass caught. When I was fishing the San Diego area lakes, giant worm were the number 1 big bass lure, second only to live Crawdads and mud suckers, by bass anglers during the 70's and 80's.

The popular worm in San Deigo area was the DeLomg 12" Otay special.

My favorite location to fish big or giant worms is clay banks with isolated brush and rocky areas, secondary points adjacent to cuts or deep breaks. I also like to work big or giant worms uphill or along breaks....slowly. My rigging is usually a 1/8 to 3/16 oz bullet weight, glass bead, straight shank 4/0 premium worm hook, T-rig and skin hook the side. I use a 4 power 6'10" worm/jig rod and 14 lb FC line. My retrieve is similar to how fish jigs, except with more rod tip movement and slower retrieve speed. I like to move the worm about a foot, shake it for 10 to 15 seconds, let to dead stick for about 15 to 30 seconds and repeat until I am through the structure/light cover zone that I feel the bass should be located. I will continue the retrieve with a more traditional hop and drag when the worm is within 30' or so from the boat, depending on what the bass are doing. My average cast is about 60', shorter than my jig casts, so I can get a good hook set. Too long of a cast with t-rig worms ends up missing hook sets, with big or giant worms, there is a lot soft plastic in the basses mouth. I use the drop the rod tip and hard snap hook set with giant worms. Unlike jigs where you can't set too fast, giant worms bass tend to keep in their mouth longer, giving you time to get the hook set.

My favorite colors are; dark brown/black blood line, cinnamon brown/neon blue blood lime, green with black & red flakes/brown belly, black grape/ neon blue blood lime. I prefer hand poured worms; 10" to 16", 12" most of the time. I fish giant worms a lot during the mid day slow period, dawn & dust and at night.

A lot of the time I follow up fishing an area with jigs with giant worms.

If you are a shore bound angler, giant worms should be one of your presentations.

Tom

Great write up Tom! Lots of good information. Do ya'll have a preference between ribbon tails, straigh tail or any other kind of worm? I only have one bag of 10'' Berkley Power Worms but it sounds like something I should try fishing more often.

[mikey5string]

I like 10" worms. I havent tried anything larger but I would. I do think that a bass that would hit a 12" worm would not hit a 10" worm in the same situation. How much of a 12" worm is tail? Is it a longer body or a longer tail or both?

Carolina rigged 10" trigger X hammer worm in black in mid summer dragged parallel to weed lines. Big worms, frogs and hollow body swimbaits have gotten me my biggest fish this year and actually any year.

[WRB]

Great write up Tom! Lots of good information. Do ya'll have a preference between ribbon tails, straigh tail or any other kind of worm? I only have one bag of 10'' Berkley Power Worms but it sounds like something I should try fishing more often.

Prefer straight tails, Upton makes a dragon tail; it's similar to a fat spade tail and floats higher than the straight tail. 10" ribbon tail is 1/3 rd tail, not really a big worm. Berkley's 10" Power worm has won a lot of night tournaments!

Tom

[merc1997]

i prefer a straight tail worm or one with a small curly tail. i think in years past, they might have been referred to as a twiddle tail. i know the ribbon style tail is the "in" style now, but i still catch more bass on a straight tail worm. some examples would be similar to a jelly worm, or the extinct fliptail worm.

bo

[Crestliner2008]

I've been hitting some decent bass on Yum's 10" Mitey Worm, fished weightless and crawled along the bottom. Of course, that's when I fish it from shore. From a boat I like a 3/8 oz. football shakey head, as you can fish it a bit faster. I've had to order these heads special, due to the lead ban in this state. Painted them up myself and saved a few bucks.

I never tried anything longer than the 10" though. This size is hard enough to cast! Another fine large meal presentation is the 7" Senko.

[mikey5string]

i prefer a straight tail worm or one with a small curly tail. i think in years past, they might have been referred to as a twiddle tail. i know the ribbon style tail is the "in" style now, but i still catch more bass on a straight tail worm. some examples would be similar to a jelly worm, or the extinct fliptail worm.

bo

really? I think straight tail worms are more popular now especially with the whole finesse fishing thing. Big ribbon tail worms and sickle tails used to dominate the plastic isle. Now it is all beavers, stick worms and straight tail shakey head worms.

I have heard a lot about using worms like the trick worm on a c-rig but I have never tried it. That slow moving tail action on a big ribbon tail when it falls or swims is deadly. I have tons of soft plastics, maybe I will try out some straight tails tomorrow.

Missle baits makes a cool twin tail worm called the "tomahawk" that has been good to me this season.

[merc1997]

really? I think straight tail worms are more popular now especially with the whole finesse fishing thing. Big ribbon tail worms and sickle tails used to dominate the plastic isle. Now it is all beavers, stick worms and straight tail shakey head worms.

I have heard a lot about using worms like the trick worm on a c-rig but I have never tried it. That slow moving tail action on a big ribbon tail when it falls or swims is deadly. I have tons of soft plastics, maybe I will try out some straight tails tomorrow.

Missle baits makes a cool twin tail worm called the "tomahawk" that has been good to me this season.

most of the worms that you are referring to would not come under the heading of giant worms, although you are right about a better selection of straight tail worms now. as for me, i like a worm with more diameter to it. most of the worms you are referring to are very slinder. also, the shakey head craze that is going on, is going back to "yesteryear" somewhat. eons ago before the revolution on the t-rig, worms were fished behind a ballhead jig. they were fished with the hook exposed or buried either way. my basketball coach fished his plastic worms on a ballhead jig, and that was way back in the middle 60's. funny how old techniques surface back up, but is called something new.

bo

[papajoe222]

Great post! I remember using Jelly Worms almost exclusively back around that time period, Grape/fire tail was my most productive.

It isn't any wonder that the tackle market follows the pro circut in terms of marketing. I, like many others tended to follow the trends believing that a particular lure could be the difference in catching the fish of a lifetime, or just putting more fish in the livewell.

I'm older and wiser now and although I still try the 'new kid on the block', I love catching fish on stuff that I've had or techniques I used that are 20 or 30 years old. Although I don't have any plastics that are that old, I still have a couple of packs of Grape Jelly Worms that I break out when the conditions are right, and a big white jig with a 4 or 5in. grub gets the nod over a swimbait this time of year for me. I've been filling my livewell for many an autumn on those two baits.

[Alpster]

I have a box full of 12" Black shad Culprits. I use a leather craft (big) needle to to thread line through the worm to a second hook (remember the little "Creme" worms with two hooks). This is a massive rig with a bullet weight. My second largest bass came to the boat on this one.

Ronnie

[Arv]

Prefer straight tails, Upton makes a dragon tail; it's similar to a fat spade tail and floats higher than the straight tail. 10" ribbon tail is 1/3 rd tail, not really a big worm. Berkley's 10" Power worm has won a lot of night tournaments!

Tom

Thanks! I'll have to check these out.

[WRB]

The original 12" Mann's Jelly worms were called "stingrays" and had an oversize tail compared to the standard 7 1/2" Jelly worms and as mentioned were available with fire tails; hot pink or chartreuse.

I may still have some Streinbridge "Flip Tails", 8" worms. We would buy 100 qty bags back in those days for trips to lake Guerrero Mexico and go though more than 100 everyday. Talk about bloody fingers, those Mexican bass had sharp teeth inside the lower lip and averaged back in the 70's about 6 lbs width occasion 9 to 10lb bass. That was before FLMB were stocked in Mexican lakes.

We didn't fish giant worms in Mexico because you didn't need to and they were expensive $.97 cents per 3 bag, Fliptials were $3 for a 100 and packaged with glycerin and ansise oil ready to fish.

The big straight tail worms have a slight wiggle like a Senko and should fished slowly, that is why a lighter weight is better than a heavier sinker, slower fall and you must slow down to keep the weight near or on the bottom. The slowest retreive used back in the old days was stitching, moving the worm slowly with your fingers an inch at a time....talk about slooooow! It's nearly impossible to stitch a worm unless you know the bass are there.

Tom

[merc1997]

tom

i remember some guys around here that used the stitching method. that was way back when, when we pushed the button and let the bass run after a pick up too!! hate to admit being that old. i guess that i seem to go about things differently a lot. in the hot part of summer, and also with bass usually being 30 ft. deep here at that time of year, i use a 1/2 oz weight or bigger. i have always been of the theory to entice a reflex strike rather than enticing them to eat. in fact, when worm fishing in the hottest part of the summer i use an eight inch straight tail worm with a 1/2 oz sinker, and i fish the worm much like bouncing a spoon across the bottom. i just try to make the worm jump 6 to eight inches at a time. you get the worm coming across the bottom as fast as you can. the faster the better a lot of times. recognizing the bite doing this is a bit difficult to learn though. but, when they are on this technique, it is lights out.

bo

[Jake P]

Rage tail 10" Thumper is hard to beat as far as big worms go IMO. Not a traditional ribbon tail or a straight tail. Just enough action, but not too much. I still am confident that worms catch more bass. But for some reason I fish them less than any other bait.

[Goose21]

Bo, you all have many more years on the water than I do, but could the geography play a part in the size of bait that is productive around here when fishing for big bass versus that of the California delta? I mean bass in general grow much larger year around in warm waters there than in the midwest, no?

Either way I think big worms are a good lure for trophy's across the board.

[Big-O]

I couldn't agree more... Big Worms are often THE TICKET for the BIG BITE! Below is a link where Greg Hackney set the all time tournament 3 day heavyweight record of 109lbs 6oz on Falcon at the FLW east/west fish off in '08. Had he fished a 4th day with that average, he would've beat 145lbs. His main bait was the 10" Rage Anaconda, it has an overall profile/footprint that makes it look HUGE in the water. Sometime back, I had a banner day with the 10" Thumper Worm with my best 7 fish weighing over well over 70lbs, running out of worms by around noon and had to leave'em biting! Big Worms will always be in my boat regardless of the water I'm fishing.

http://www.flwoutdoors.com/bassfishing/flwserieswest/tournament/2008/6044/east-west-fishoff-headline-story/149365/hack-blasts-past-the-pack/

[merc1997]

Bo, you all have many more years on the water than I do, but could the geography play a part in the size of bait that is productive around here when fishing for big bass versus that of the California delta? I mean bass in general grow much larger year around in warm waters there than in the midwest, no?

Either way I think big worms are a good lure for trophy's across the board.

all i can tell you is that i have caught many big bass on those 15 inch worms i mentioned earlier in this post. they catch 3 pounders as well as big ones. in our area, august seems to be a great month to use giant worms. but, as mentioned before, do not discount a giant worm during spawing season. lots of big bass are caught on your lake of the ozarks on giant worms in the summer. add them to your arsenal.

bo

[Primus]

I've been hitting some decent bass on Yum's 10" Mitey Worm, fished weightless and crawled along the bottom. Of course, that's when I fish it from shore. From a boat I like a 3/8 oz. football shakey head, as you can fish it a bit faster. I've had to order these heads special, due to the lead ban in this state. Painted them up myself and saved a few bucks.

I never tried anything longer than the 10" though. This size is hard enough to cast! Another fine large meal presentation is the 7" Senko.

Try the Xcite bait Maximus which is the worm that Yum copied. The difference is that the Xcite is much more bouyant while the Yum will lay flat on the bottom when rigged on a jighead. Both will catch fish when descending, the difference is the Xcite will attract more bites when shaking it on a mag size shaky style jighead.

[buzzfrog]

yall sold me, got some old mosters, maybe running them threw a fewe submerged trees will help.

[merc1997]

some of my favorite giant worms are long john's, which are not even made anymore, and mr. twister made a 12' worm that was a good meaty worm with a twiddle tail on the end. i have tried styles like zoom's old monster, but have not had as much success with worms that classify as snaky tails.

bo

[LgMouthGambler]

Still use Culprit worms, tequila colored for me is the best. 5/0 straight and a 1/4oz bullet. Great for bedding monsters.

[xxjace]

Great write up. The 10" culprit worm is my number one lure. I'd venture to guess my top five bass were all caught on a 10" red shad culprit Trigged with 3/16 or 1/4 oz bullet.

The old man introduced me to bass fishing with 7.5" culprits, tequila shad color I believe. He had a lot of patience because I must of set the hook into wood 1000 times before I finally dialed it in. I swore it was a fish though.

Just the other day he looked at me like I was an alien when I told him I was fishing with a space monkey.

that's funny the space monkey part..love those baits