if short and long worms are same price, why not just buy longer?

[beardown34]

simple question -- i recently read about kicker fish hightail shakey worms and they seem like something worth checking out. i see that it is the same price for the same number per pack of the 4.5" and the 7" versions.

for the sake of cost saving, is there any reason not to just buy the 7" version? say the head gets torn up, then you can just keep trimming that end down? or if you wanted to fish a shorter version, just cutting it before rigging?

a lot of worms packages seem to include a lower number of the longer versions, but considering this specific item is the same for short vs long, i was just wondering why you wouldn't just buy the longer. i guess i could see not wanting to have to cut them if you prefer to fish the shorter length, but it wouldn't bother me. 

[scaleface]

 I do it all the time . 8 inch jelly worms can quickly become a 6 incher . The old Fliptail worms were  segmented and I bit them down often .

[F14A-B]

I suppose your question is valid, but I have no answer. There is a guy on here who fishes with gummy worms & swears by them. You could cut them in half length wise and use them.

Best of luck finding a answer to this puzzling question.

[Darren.]

Well, I'm a bigger fan of the 4" size worms over
5" and up. The 4s have brought me more bass
in the 4-6 pound range than others.

That said, my PB of 7.5# came on a 5" worm.....

[Airman4754]

I Shakey Head a lot and for worms I only use High Tails. The 7" has a bigger profile than the 4" but probably not enough to matter if you cut them down. 

I would recommend getting a bag of their 6" lizards to Shakey Head too. 

 

[heavyduty]

Just sharing my experience......yes and no. Some applications you can; take the ned rig for example. Buy 7" baits and cut them in half. For you old timers, Brother Dave Gardner used to say, "Pall Mall cigarettes, light'em on both ends, break'em in the middle, got 2 cigarettes!"

Senkos for me, no. For smallies I've tried both 4" and 5". 4" are proven for my flows. 5" are cheaper so I'd buy them and bite off an inch. No where near the catch rate on the same brand, same color.

[beardown34]

thanks for all the quick replies and the validation of having asked a valid question!

Mosster47 -- yeah i was just looking at their hightail lizards too. i was wondering if they would work "shakey" style threaded down the hook shank of a jig. just curious about whether the tail would still effectively stand up, to allow for a shakey presentation but with an exposed hook. btw, what color of the hightail worm has worked well for you?

heavyduty -- thanks for the input. that actually reminds me, considering the Zman TRD's are ~ 3", and the Ned rig works best with a floating worm, that would give me a great double purpose for a 7" hightail worm -- cut it into 3" for the Ned rig and 4" for whatever else!

oops i just noticed the 7" is actually 50 cents more.

[everythingthatswims]

59 minutes ago, beardown34 said:

thanks for all the quick replies and the validation of having asked a valid question!

Mosster47 -- yeah i was just looking at their hightail lizards too. i was wondering if they would work "shakey" style threaded down the hook shank of a jig. just curious about whether the tail would still effectively stand up, to allow for a shakey presentation but with an exposed hook. btw, what color of the hightail worm has worked well for you?

heavyduty -- thanks for the input. that actually reminds me, considering the Zman TRD's are ~ 3", and the Ned rig works best with a floating worm, that would give me a great double purpose for a 7" hightail worm -- cut it into 3" for the Ned rig and 4" for whatever else!

oops i just noticed the 7" is actually 50 cents more.

I buy ZinkerZ instead of TRD's because you get much more product for the same price, and I don't see how there could be a difference. Ned rig started with ZinkerZ anyways.

[tomustang]

You can ask the same with children's clothes, they're the same price as adults..

[Airman4754]

3 hours ago, beardown34 said:

thanks for all the quick replies and the validation of having asked a valid question!

Mosster47 -- yeah i was just looking at their hightail lizards too. i was wondering if they would work "shakey" style threaded down the hook shank of a jig. just curious about whether the tail would still effectively stand up, to allow for a shakey presentation but with an exposed hook. btw, what color of the hightail worm has worked well for you?

heavyduty -- thanks for the input. that actually reminds me, considering the Zman TRD's are ~ 3", and the Ned rig works best with a floating worm, that would give me a great double purpose for a 7" hightail worm -- cut it into 3" for the Ned rig and 4" for whatever else!

oops i just noticed the 7" is actually 50 cents more.

In a word, yes. They stand up just the same. They use a salted plastic that will sink but it has pockets in them that catches air/water and makes them stand up. Because of this they are way more active just sitting idle than any other finess worm I have given the "bathtub test." 

You really don't have to do much, they do kind of do the work for you. 

[Fishes in trees]

Just because worms come in a couple of sizes is no reason to buy just one size.   Buy the size that you think might work.  I very seldom cut down a worm to fit.  I just grab a worm that I think is the right size.   Zinker Z's for ned rigs are an exception to this rule.  I buy Zinker Z's purposely so that I can cut them in half.   I think that a half Zinker Z on a mushroom head is a better bait than a TRD on a mushroom head.  JMO . . . .   Having done this for a number of years, I have LOTS of options.  I very seldom re- use plastics, I just grab a different one - or another of the same one if I think that is what is called for.   All used baits get thrown into the back corner of the boat.   I feel like I am lucky in that I have a buddy who is into experimenting with making different plastics and he takes all my used plastics and re- melts them for his own unique baits.     He has come up with some decent imitations of popular baits, but he hasn't come up with that one new, unique, life changing money wise design - yet.  If melting down my plastics helps him achieve that goal - I'm good with that.

I'm as interested in saving money in my fishing experiences as anyone else is, BUT - I think that cutting down - resizing baits to save a little money wastes more time than it saves money.  Most everyone has different circumstances though, and if cutting down/repurposing used plastic baits helps you achieve your fiscal fishing goals - knock yourself out.

[WRB]

The longer the worm the bigger the diameter ( it's fatter) for most brands. The other factor is tail shapes, longer worms usually have longer tails as a general rule with 4" to 8" worms.

Nothing says you cut off a worm, it's done all the time.

Tom

[S. Sass]

I use the Jelly worms a lot and I like the larger worm and cut them down giving me a bigger tail works good. 

[beardown34]

Good to know about the larger diameter. I will try the 7" and see how it goes! Thanks!

[the reel ess]

After a few bites on the 7.5" Trick Worm, it'll get torn and I'll bite a little off the top and re-rig it-how I know it really tastes salty. I swear just the little difference in size seems to turn the fish on again as if it's a whole different bait. I think the action is better on the shortened worm.

[Deleted account]

If size 9 and size 13 sneakers are the same price, why buy the smaller one?...

[scaleface]

When I first started texas rigging worms , I didnt own that many . My 6 inch Jelly Worms quickly became 5 inches , then 4 inches . I swear , I must have been the only person fishing worms in this one 6 thousand acre lake . Me and my fishing partner caught thousands of bass on a channel swing with stumps one summer , all on Jelly worms and we always bit them down smaller and smaller . .

[lo n slo]

some worm tails make decent spinnerbait trailers

[corn-on-the-rob]

It is worth noting the the worms you are talking about have similar, if not the same diameter in each size, the biggest difference is the number of holes in the tail section may not have the intended effect if the longer ones were shortened.