Let's not forget the T-Rig Worm

[Dypsis]

I myself am (was) probably more guilty than most.  I got hit by the creature/beaver bait monkey hard.  I finally narrowed it down to a few I always have on hand and honestly threw it 98% of the time when I would throw a t-rig.  Last week I went out with a buddy and he caught 1 early throwing a t-rig worm (I was throwing a crank) and then started throwing my trusty creature bait.  We left that spot after a while and no more bites.  Next spot I'm throwing my crank and creature again, nothing.  He's throwing a mix of things then gets one on the worm again.  I still keep throwing that creature bait.  Nothing.  He misses one and says out loud - seems like that want the worm today.  So finally I grab a worm and put it on.  We proceeded to catch about 10+ fish in the next few hours with our best 4 being just under 16lbs.  

 

So I want to apologize to the worm and promise to start throwing it more often.

[Fishin' Fool]

Yah I think sometimes we are guilty of the hype of having to throw the latest and greatest or most expensive when ole' faithful will produce just as well if not better like you proved.

[Mike L]

Perfect example of trying to force feed them something they just don't want. And then it dawns on us they were saying that all along but we weren't listening. 

 

I seem to do that all the time. 

 

 

 

Mike

[kfili]

Man i'm guilty of this too, wonder what conditions affect the preference of worm vs creature?

[ErikmonBillsfon]

when you say texas rigged worm do you mean stick bait or curly tail?

[Sam]

Dypsis, great and true story. Sometimes it takes time for things to sink in.

 

Everyone likes to fish those baits and techniques they have confidence.

 

Your friend had confidence in the Texas rig but it took you a little while longer to get back in the saddle with it.

 

Add it to your arsenal and as soon as you gain confidence you will be better than your friend.

[RoLo]

 

The angler who abandons the Texas-rigged worm,

will be strongly encouraged to compete in local bass tournaments                     

 

[Dypsis]

30 minutes ago, ErikmonBillsfon said:

when you say texas rigged worm do you mean stick bait or curly tail?

In case it was the standard power worm.

[CTBassin860]

I do this all the time.Throwing a T-rig isnt my favorite way to fish even though is a proven technique.Jigs and the like are just a lot more fun so thats what we do.I upgraded my spinning gear for this purpose.I promised myself to slow down and finesse fish more.Wel...at least until that topwater bite picks up!

[iceintheveins]

A regular old plastic worm is still a GREAT bait for bass, especially in moderately tough bites.

[Bluebasser86]

A Netbait C mac or Zoom Ol' Monster are still standbys for in the summer months. I've had good luck with them on swinging football heads the last couple years.

[scaleface]

Same thing happened to me . I gradually got away from worms and was throwing everything else . Not only that I was using EWG hooks and pegging the weights . One day it occurred to me that I wasnt catching near the fish I use to .I reverted  back to how I learned a six inch Jelly worm , sliding weight and standard off-set hook and the catch rate went back up . its about the only soft plastic I fish now days .

[rmcguirk]

Year in, year out, a t-rigged worm catches as much as anything I throw (perhaps as much as everything else). I'm always trying to force feed them something else for fun or variety.  I'm sure that if I stuck to nothing but an old fashioned worm, I'd catch more. 

[greentrout]

I'm an old-timer.

 

Never forgot the T rigged worm. Always with me on mono. Learned how to catch bass on a T rigged black worm and never saw any reason to change. 

 

To each his own.

[hoosierbass07]

All my big bass (not that many really) except one has been on the Texas Rig and all my big bass have come on spinning reels with ten pound/eight pound/six pound line and none on any line above ten pound.  What have I been doing the last few years?  Spending time messing around with baitcasters, I guess because I'm board.  That means using heavier line than I like and heavier lures than I like.  I've not caught any big bass on my baitcasters plus my fishing has become less fun.  I need to go back to my bread and butter - Texas rigging worms, Yum-Dingers and lizards on six and eight pound line.  

[lmbfisherman]

Last two years my money maker for smallmouth especially was a weightless Texas rigged worm.  I always have one tied.  

[Bankbeater]

I'm guilty too.  I always start off with a creature, or a tube.  Sometimes I totally forget I have plastic worms with me.

[tander]

I guess I am old fashion. Still throw the ole worm after all these years.

[sully420]

The T-rig worm is awesome and i always have one tied on but In central Minnesota where I fish the T-rig will get you bit all day but all my size comes on a 3/4 oz jig, so many people here fish T-rig worms and there are so many 1 pound bass that you need something big to get the 5/6lb class to bite.

[Oregon Native]

On 4/8/2017 at 9:54 PM, greentrout said:

I'm an old-timer.

 

Never forgot the T rigged worm. Always with me on mono. Learned how to catch bass on a T rigged black worm and never saw any reason to change. 

 

To each his own.

Have to agree...an ol black worm is one of my favorite's too....BUT...I also have a tube rigged also just in case

[bowhunter63]

Been t rigging worms a long time.They just get lost in the hype of new baits,But they keep catching fish.I like to swim them too.Culprit,Rage cutter work great for swimming.

[Munkin]

On 4/7/2017 at 6:23 PM, kfili said:

Man i'm guilty of this too, wonder what conditions affect the preference of worm vs creature?

Worms for grass and creature baits for wood has been my experience.  That and they seem to prefer the creature. bait  better spring /fall and worms in the summer. 

 

Allen 

[iiTzChunky]

The worm is my go to when j want to catch just anything. I'll throw everything else I have to see if I can get a hit, but when I come up with nothing but slack line I throw on a good ol fashioned t rigged Senko. Actually got my pb today on one. 

[Master Bait'r]

On 4/7/2017 at 6:23 PM, kfili said:

Man i'm guilty of this too, wonder what conditions affect the preference of worm vs creature?

 

 

Current conditions ALWAYS dictate.  If one isn't working, switch it up until a pattern clicks.  

 

My go-to is either a Slug-Go SS walked hard or big Bento Minnow gently finessed but if it isn't working I will toss a pit boss, structure bug, uptons or even a zinkerz.  T-rig is probably my most confident method and it seems like I can always save the day with it- there's always a way to catch with it you just have to find it!  

 

[Catt]

With all the hype, high pressure sales, and the desire for magical mystical lures or techniques anglers have been deceived into believing the Texas Rig is an old antiquated technique that should be shelved like Jitterbugs, Tiny Torpedoes, Johnson Spoons, and Inline Spinner baits.

 

The lure that had the biggest impact on American fishing started in the late 1940s in a basement in Akron Ohio. That's where Nick and Cosma Creme cooked up the perfect combination of vinyl, oils and pigments to produce a molded worm that not only looked and felt soft and alive, but also stayed that way when exposed to air over time. 1949 would be the official birth year of the now famous Creme worm. But we’ve been told that today’s modern “Trick” worms bare no resemblance to this old tired chunk of plastic.

 

We have even been convinced that the “Super Mystical” Punch Rig is not a Texas Rig because they have added a skirted bead between the weight and hook.

 

We’ve been convinced that flipping & pitching if far more productive than casting your Texas Rig out and finessing it back to the boat along the bottom feeling for nooks-n-crannies and twig-n-limbs.

 

We’ve even forgotten that the plastic worm is the only lure made that a BASS CANNOT REMEMBER!

That is, a bass will continue to strike a worm even after repeated catches, whereas a bass will "turn off" to other lures, spinner baits and crank baits etc. after wearing them out on them. That’s why you cannot continue to catch them on your honey hole with the same lure over and over. Bass will stop eating that which will eradicate them. Not true with the plastic worm, however. Although we all know bass will prefer a different bait at different times (i.e. "the pattern") you can always go back to the worm to catch them.

 

I guess y’all can label me Ole School since I refuse to give up on the #1 most productive lure and technique ever invented.