Flipping With Finesse Worms

[War Eagle 44]

I just wanted to see how many of you guys (if any) use these small worms while flipping. I mean real honest to goodness flipping, 20 pound and up line, 3/8ths and up weights, and heavy grass or wood. I've never really given these worms a chance in these situations and conditions, but I plan to this coming year. I was talking to a couple of older gentlemen at my local (central AL) tackle store and they were telling me just how effective these little worms are. Also just how FEW fellow fishermen were using them. 

Now to be clear neither of them tournament fish so I'm assuming they aren't so much concerned with catching the biggest fish they can but rather the most fish in a days fishing. They were saying how they've been doing this for years and no one ever seems to catch on to just how many fish you can catch using finesse worms while flipping heavy cover. They even say they don't have trouble catching a few on days with a lot of fishing pressure or even fishing behind other guys flipping the usual creatures or jigs.

I asked them about their equipment while fishing these and they told me they don't use anything different than they would if they were fishing beaver style baits. Seven and a half foot flipping sticks, 20 to 25 pound fluoro or mono, 3/8ths weights pegged with a bobber stop, and 2/0 Owner straight shank XXX hooks. They said a 3/8ths weight is good for about 90% of all the grass around here (Lay Lake, Mitchell Lake, Lake Jordan) as long as you make accurate flips or pitches. Oh yeah one last thing, one of the guys said no matter the time of year, weather and water conditions, and any other variables you care to mention he only uses one color, sapphire blue.

 

Sorry my first post was such a long one guys, I got a little carried away there. If you do fish finesse worms in this manner let me hear about it. Your gear used, favorite colors, what hooks and weights you use. I'm excited to try them out this summer and would like to hear anything you guys have to say on the subject.     

[gripnrip]

I use a 5" zoom magnum worm in pumpkin seed. I dip just the fat part of the tail in spike it garlic.

It produced more than one 5 pounder on tournament day this past year for me.

[Teal]

When I first started bass fishing as a kid I used a bunch of the 7 inch zoom u tail worms.. And I used everywhere. 20 years later, I've grown into a really diverse fishermen and I'm a lot funnier about when to use a worm now. Of all the techniques out there, I probably spend 40 percent of my time flipping and skipping ( jigs, craws, creatures) With all that said, there are times when ill take a Ribbon tail worm with 1/2 tungsten weight and pitch around dense cover or vegetation. I like Berkeley power worm, zoom ol monster, zoom u tail, zoom speed worm and the paddle tail senkos.

I will caution using really big worms like the ol monster around really thick submerged brush as the tail of the worm can get snagged on a limb during the fall. That's where the speed stick or paddle tail senior can shine.

[Teal]

You got understand, you can probably fishy finesse type worm on a heavy weight and heavy line but then your are killing a lot of the action that the worm was built for. I'll flip and pitch finesse worms into dense cover but normally it's lighter weight if it is weighted at all. On that rod usually use no higher than 14. Lb floro.

Sorry for the second post I realized u were referring to finesse worms.

[War Eagle 44]

Teal, no problem man. Like I was saying I just really love to talk fishing so any info I get is welcome. I guess that is part of the reason I was a little surprised when they were telling me how much success they had with finesse worms in the thick grass. I know these small baits weren't designed to be used with such heavy weights and in this type of cover but these two guys were adamant about their effectiveness. Maybe it just comes down to something as simple as the fish don't see these baits very often in the places these guys are using them and they are just to easy of a meal to let slide. Who knows for sure right, but I'm sure going to give them a shot once the summer weeds get here.

 

gripnrip, I actually tried those ONCE last summer. I only managed one fish all day on it so that may be some of the reason I never tried them again. I'll have to give them more of a chance and see if I can get the hang of using them. I also used Spike It, the chartreuse color, but my worms were greenpumpkin. Greenpumkin is my favorite color for most plastics, it always seems to work around here. I also use some kind of chartreuse dye 99% of the time on these color plastics as well, either Spike It or JJ's Magic.

 

I love to flip (I have three flipping stick combos) and my favorite two flipping baits are the Zoom baby brush hog and the NetBait baby paca craw. I usually use a "green" color with the brush hogs, be it greenpumpkin, watermelon red flake, greenpumpkin candy and a craw color with the paca craw, alabama craw or watermelon spice something along these lines. If I had to pick just one bait to flip with it would be the baby paca craw, I just catch so many fish on thses baits and they are easy to rig and get down in the thick grass. I usually have a tungsten 3/4 oz on them and I can fish them very well with this size weight. Every once in a blue moon I'll have to go up to an ounce and a quarter to get through where I want to in the middle of summer but mostly the 3/4 will do it. Back to the topic at hand, so since I enjoy flipping the weeds as much as I do I just got excited to hear about a "new" bait to try.

[ww2farmer]

The zoom magnum finesse worm, and a senko with a straight shank hook with a tungsten weight pegged to it have caught me many many fish flipping docks, and milfoil.  In fact they are one of the most effective baits l use for punching mats, glides right through with no flapping appendages to get caught up. When the bite is tuff and everyone else is using jigs and creature baits thats when I will go with the worm or senko. I like the magnum finesse worm a little better for the really heavy stuff, it will hold itself on the hook better and won't get torn up by just pulling it in and out of the cover like senkos some times do.

[War Eagle 44]

ww2farmer, I've heard about plenty of guys having good results using Senko's for flipping, though I myself have never tried them. I don't know how popular these are around here for flipping but I'm sure they have their fair share of guys using them.

 

I guess I'm really going to have to give the magnum finesse worm another try. It could have just been a slow day for flipping the day I tried them or it could have simply been the locations I chose to fish them. They did slide right into the holes in the grass no problem for me. The ease of which they penetrate the grass could be yet another reason these two guys like the regular finesse worms so much. I very rarely fish tournaments myself so I'm not looking for only 5 bites a day, I'm more interested in getting as many bites as I can so these smaller worms I think may help improve that for me.

 

Another new "finesse" style bait I plan to try is the Havoc Slop Craw. It's small and doesn't have much built in action either so this might be another good lure for numbers.   

[ww2farmer]

I have had  good results with plain old do nothing craws like the slop craw too, much more than any craws with flapping pinchers like the paca's and rage stuff. They have there time/place, but for me, it's not punching grass. Personaly, right now, I like the GYCB fat baby craw, but I see no reason why those slop craws wouldn't work just fine, maybe even better. I use to have good results with the old Zoom grass craw, but I ran out and Zoom don't make them any more, at least according to there web site.

[War Eagle 44]

That's surprising to hear that you don't have much luck on the paca craws in grass. They are my favorite flipping lure, Alabama Craw or Watermelon Spice really work well for me in the thick grass here. 99% of the time with a 3/4 tungsten pegged and BMF straight shank I can get these baits through most anything I need to and then get bit after getting there. I fish a little differently than most people I see and the pro's on tv.

 

When I make my pitch or flip and the bait intially goes through I let it sit motionless on the bottom for 15 to 20 seconds before I ever move it. Very rarely do I get bit on the first drop. Most of my bites come after I shake it a little after its just been sitting still.   

[ww2farmer]

I do like the Paca's in grass, just not for punching a mat thick enough you could walk across.

[War Eagle 44]

Oh I understand now, got you. The grass I'm talking about flipping isn't nearly that thick, there are places here that can get like that but the majority of the grass I fish looks like this. It does get quite a bit thicker towards the end of summer but this is the only picture I currently have to show what I'm usually fishing.

[Bluebasser86]

Oh I understand now, got you. The grass I'm talking about flipping isn't nearly that thick, there are places here that can get like that but the majority of the grass I fish looks like this. It does get quite a bit thicker towards the end of summer but this is the only picture I currently have to show what I'm usually fishing.

 

That's what we call water willow, most of our lakes banks are lined with it and it's a great fish holder during the summer and fall months as long as there is enough water. That's great stuff to run a weedless Hudd through. Catch a lot of fish flipping Pit bosses and Rage craws into it too. I haven't ever flipped a finesse worm into those weeds but pitching a Zoom trick worm into timber saved the day for my in a summer tournament on Truman Lake in Missouri a few years back. That thin worm fell really quickly and got the reaction strike I needed from otherwise inactive, midday fish. In hindsite though, I believe I would have done better with a senko or magnum trick worm on the same rig and maybe a heavier weight just from the bigger profile. One of the first tournaments I ever won was flipping a senko through grass. 

As I mentioned earlier, if you haven't tried a weedless swimbait in those weeds give them a try. The lake I tried it on first is normally tough to get a fish over 15" on even the best days. I took a weedless 6" hudd and 4" shad and had a limit in 3 hours. You can see the water willow this fish came out of and swallowed my 6" hudd in the background.

[War Eagle 44]

Bluebasser86, yeah a swimbait is pretty effective. I've used Basstrix, Hollow Bellies, Swing Impact Fats, Grass Pigs, just all sorts and I've caught fish on most of them. Toward the end of summer these beds are really thick and it usually takes a 3/4oz weight to flip them, some places more but I still know it's not punching. As I mentioned earlier there are some mats here to fish if you really wanted to but I mostly flip these type weeds. In the spring when they're just starting to grow that's when a lot of guys here swim jigs through it with great results. This is the same time I'm usually using a weedless swimbait.

 

One of my favorite things in fishing is fishing this grass in spring with a Gambler Cane Toad, man the action can be great at times. That bite doesn't last long because the grass gets to thick to effectively run the frog or swim jig/ swimbait through so that's when most either turn to their flipping sticks or abandon the bank altogether and start fishing deep. I'm a grass fisherman so I just break out the sticks and heavy weights.

 

I've tried just about every way I know of to fish this grass so I'm always open to new ideas thats why I find the finesse worm thing so interesting. I'll give it a try this summer for sure and I'll try to remember to report back on my findings.

[Sam]

"ww2farmer, I've heard about plenty of guys having good results using Senko's for flipping, though I myself have never tried them. I don't know how popular these are around here for flipping but I'm sure they have their fair share of guys using them."

X2!!!

[jhoffman]

Flipping is a tecnique that has nothing to do with what is on the end

[Bankbeater]

I just usually give a finesse worm a little sidearm toss.  Normally I will have a 1/16, or 1/8 ounce weight on a finesse worm.