Worm Fishing

[Jake P]

Is it just me, or does it seem like in the era of run and gun fishing, a good old reliable Texas rigged worm has been pushed aside? Since I can remember, worms have been pretty much a guarantee to catch atleast a fish or 2. But I rarely hear about anyone really fishing them. I personally have more confidence in worm fishing than any other lure. I know there is a time and a place for every lure but when the situation is prime for a plastic worm, I see some toss a jig instead for example.

 

 Maybe its just personal preference? Why throw a worm when a jig will work type mentality, who knows.

 

 

I prefer a worm in the 6-8" range. Not too small, not too big. The Rage Tail anaconda is money for me! If I want a larger worm I go to the Rage Tail Recon, and if I want a massive worm for deep summertime fishing I go with the 10" Ragetail thumper. I also like straight tail worms like Zoom finesse and trick worms.

 

How many of y'all still fish worms fairly regularly, and what is your plastic worm of choice?

[00 mod]

I too fish worms, but would rather fish a jig.  Almost always have a shakey head tied on, and if it is not a craw, it is a straight tail worm(trick,robo,etc.).  I was once a worm fanatic until I learned the jig.  Now it is almost too hard to put down.  Come over to the dark side!!!

 

Jeff

[Jake P]

I too fish worms, but would rather fish a jig.  Almost always have a shakey head tied on, and if it is not a craw, it is a straight tail worm(trick,robo,etc.).  I was once a worm fanatic until I learned the jig.  Now it is almost too hard to put down.  Come over to the dark side!!!

 

Jeff

 I need more practice and time on the water before I can join the dark side. I cant put em in the boat with a jig like I can worm, but Im working on it. I better start getting good at it though with the amount of money im spending at Seibert and Northstar

[flippin and pitchin]

When I first started bass fishing a six inch worm was the staple bait. When I discovered the Zoom Brushhog, I pretty much put the worm box away. I got back into worm fishing some but the shakey head was the rig. I picked up some 9 inch hand pured worms a couple of years ago and they have done well. The lowly worm has lost it's alure but it still is a great fish catcher.

[JT Bagwell]

I think a lot of baits go through that cycle.

 

For example: I couldn't tell you the last time I heard a Senko mentioned at a tournament

but you know they still catch tons of fish.

[Stingray23]

Its not the cool thing to do anymore. Today, people are obsessed with having 15 different rods and reels for 15 different presentations. When all else fails, you still cant beat a worm.

[38 Super Fan]

I still fish worms more than any other plastic. The Zoom Ol Monster has to be my favorite.

[lmbfisherman]

I actually learned how to fish a jig before a worm when I started bass fishing last year.  I still love jigs over a worm, but I know when to say uncle when it's needed. 

[Hooked_On_Bass]

A T-rigged worm is what catches most of my fish, followed closely by the jig.

Currently, my favourite worm is a 7" Power Worm.

[nascar2428]

I agree with some of the other guys. It's just not the fad thing to be throwing. IMO nothing beats a worm, that's why there are so many to choose from.

[Sam]

Jake, worms are winners. Just like Jimmy Johnson and Carl Edwards.

 

Worms are not losers like the Bush brothers.

 

Texas, wacky, shaky, drop shot, flick shake, Zeka, Senkos, special runs, weighted, unweighted, pegged, Mojo, split-shot, punching through grass, weeds and junk, Carolina-rig, topwater, on the bottom, all water temperatures, all places, spinning rig, baitcasting rig, 6 pounds to 20 pound test, mono, flouro, braid, spinnerbait trailers, Chatterbait trailers, jig trailers, with props, without props, flipping, pitching, long casts, short casts and all times of the year and in any water condition.

 

Texas rigging has taken a back seat to the shaky head and drop shot but the good ole Texas rig is still a valid way to catch that lunker you are seeking.

 

And then there are colors. I have the complete Zoom catalog with current, old and overseas colors and you can go nuts trying to select just the right color for your presentations. So keep it simple depending on the water clarity and your favorite colors and go out, peg that 1/4 ounce bullet weight and start flipping and pitching your fanny off!

 

Remember, you use crankbaits to find the bass. Then clean up an area with your plastics or throw a Senko when the bass misses your topwater or crankbait. Then flip, pitch, shake, drop, Texas, Carolina, Mojo, split shot, Zeka, Senko, etc. everything else, if it moves or not.

 

Just remember to always check your line for nicks, scrapes and cuts; retie after two or three fish; and go out and have some fun with plastics.

 

And I expect you to cheer for Jimmy and Carl this year and boo the Bush boys. Maybe Earnhart will take out one of the Bushes in Richmond again. The crowd went wild when that happened a number of years ago.

 

Good luck.

 

 

[Hooligan]

I never, ever don't have a Texas rigged worm on the deck. From ice out to ice up here, and everywhere I travel it remains a constant. Sometimes it varies, it may not be a curl tail, it might be a recon, or a thumper, or a gtail, or a straight tail... Never without a Texas rig worm on the deck.

In response to some general comments, we very often don't hear about people fishing all of the baits they fish in a tournament. There were a lot of fish caught on Flukes and Senkos at the classic, just not by the top four or five guys. There was a lot of Senko fishing done on Smith in the FLW, just didn't hear about it.

Yes things come and go, but the staples remain, and always will.

[MCS]

Worm on the old T-rig is my bread n butter.

So many ways to fish it some many baits to stick on the hook, so vesitile you can switch from a10" to a 4" in an instant. You can make more adjustments in retrieve and depth then say a hard bait. I ain't gonna lie those hard baits are pretty. I just picked up my first lucky craft and wow. Flukes and bright trick worms seem to be popular around here. But T-rigs with a worm just always produce. Fishing new water it is my go to see if there are fish in there. My favorites are 10" and 7" ribbon tails, rattlesnakes, 6 and 8" lizards, and incredi craws aren't too bad so far.

[Goose21]

The 10" culprit ribbon tail t-rigged is the lure I would choose if I could only have one for the rest of time.

[iabass8]

I always have a texas rigged worm ready to go but find myself using a shakey head or jig more often than a worm.

[backcast88]

For me its all about confidence.  I have more confidence in a texas rigged worm then anything I have caught fish on followed by a square bill/ shallow crankbait.  It does seem that worms have become less desirable with the new baits available these days but I will always have at least one rod rigged for a texas worm/creature (baby brush hog) and it always produces. 

[new2BC4bass]

Whenever I visit Florida you can bet a 10" weightless worm is going to be the lure of choice at least 90% of the time.  For some reason I don't fish them much locally.  Maybe I should.  I guess the reason I fish them so much in Florida is because that is the lure of choice for my brother-in-law so that is how we fish.  I did make a believer out of him on spinnerbaits last year, tho!

[CPBassFishing]

Worms have their laces in my box for one application- deep brushpiles. Hard to beat a 10" curl tail worm with a 1/2 oz weight for fishing deep brush. It slides right through places a jig can't go and seems to get the big bites. I like the rage tail anaconda and the PTL ribbon hinge worm the most.

[A-Jay]

A 1/4 oz black tungsten weight that's Texas rigged in front of 10 inch Black Berkley Power worm -

 

I call it "The Man in Black" and it's pretty close to a sure thing.

 

Get the net.

 

A-Jay

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

 

Have you guys not seen Big O's posts these last several months?

A lot of those fish have been caught on Lobsters, but a lot were

caught on Thumpers and Anaconda. 

 

Whatever the variation, worms are here to stay.

 

 

 

[Blues19]

I didn't start fishing a worm until I got on here at Bassresource and Big O convinced me to try the Anaconda. I caught a bunch of fish on the 10" anaconda. I could fish a trick worm or finesse worm on a shakey head all day though. 

 

One time catching a 2 lb bass on a 10" Anaconda I took the bait out of its mouth and the tail was tied in an overhand knot. Reminded me of when people can tie a cherry stem in a knot in their mouth. That is how much Bass like worms

[Avalonjohn44]

I still throw a T-rig almost every time I go out, and most often with a Culprit 7.5 inch ribbontail.  It still catches many dozens of fish over the course of each summer. 

I think the T-rig probably gets a lot more tournament usage than we are led to believe. It isn't new, it isn't flashy, and while it puts fish in the boat, it doesn't put sponsorships on the jersey. 

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

I use the shaky in lieu of the t-rig all the time. However that being said last year during a tournament my partner who doesn't throw the shaky cleaned house. I always out fish him with the skaky and I was stumped. We always throw the same bait just rigged differently. The same can be said for the jig. Sometimes the fish just want what they want. There is a time and a place for every lure and every technique. You should never forget any techniques you learn it you maybe selling your self short.

Jay

[Dogman65]

Jake, worms are winners. Just like Jimmy Johnson and Carl Edwards.

 

Worms are not losers like the Bush brothers. 

 

Texas, wacky, shaky, drop shot, flick shake, Zeka, Senkos, special runs, weighted, unweighted, pegged, Mojo, split-shot, punching through grass, weeds and junk, Carolina-rig, topwater, on the bottom, all water temperatures, all places, spinning rig, baitcasting rig, 6 pounds to 20 pound test, mono, flouro, braid, spinnerbait trailers, Chatterbait trailers, jig trailers, with props, without props, flipping, pitching, long casts, short casts and all times of the year and in any water condition.

 

Texas rigging has taken a back seat to the shaky head and drop shot but the good ole Texas rig is still a valid way to catch that lunker you are seeking.

 

And then there are colors. I have the complete Zoom catalog with current, old and overseas colors and you can go nuts trying to select just the right color for your presentations. So keep it simple depending on the water clarity and your favorite colors and go out, peg that 1/4 ounce bullet weight and start flipping and pitching your fanny off!

 

Remember, you use crankbaits to find the bass. Then clean up an area with your plastics or throw a Senko when the bass misses your topwater or crankbait. Then flip, pitch, shake, drop, Texas, Carolina, Mojo, split shot, Zeka, Senko, etc. everything else, if it moves or not.

 

Just remember to always check your line for nicks, scrapes and cuts; retie after two or three fish; and go out and have some fun with plastics.

 

And I expect you to cheer for Jimmy and Carl this year and boo the Bush boys. Maybe Earnhart will take out one of the Bushes in Richmond again. The crowd went wild when that happened a number of years ago.

 

Good luck.

LOL!  Ya know if they would let them boys settle things in the infield a like they used to you'd hear a lot less from them.  The Bush brothers need a Cale Yarborough smackdown.

 

When I was fishing regularly years ago the texas rigged worm was my favorite.  I never really learned anything else.  I used to start with it and then stick with it all day....even if I wasn't catching anything.  Now that I'm back into it I'm hoping to learn some more techniques.  At least something I can use for finding the fish before I go to worming.

[Jig Meister]

I too fish worms, but would rather fish a jig.  Almost always have a shakey head tied on, and if it is not a craw, it is a straight tail worm(trick,robo,etc.).  I was once a worm fanatic until I learned the jig.  Now it is almost too hard to put down.  Come over to the dark side!!!

 

Jeff

 

 

really jig fishing and worm fishing are the same, just a different bait, the ways of fishing them really are the same, for me anyway. a t-rig'd worm is pretty much a skirtless jig ;/