Ribbon tail worms

[EGbassing]

Trying out a zoom ribbontail worm for the first time today. Any tips on fishing them? I use 3/16 ounce tungsten weights, and 30 pound braid. 

 

Edit: Just went out and got a couple bites on it, missed them on the hookset though. Also, I fished a booyah pad crasher frog for a little while, but I just could not get it to walk. Does anybody have any idea why? I try to do it exactly like the pros do, but it just doesn't work.  

[DScott87]

I just fish them like every other worm. Sometimes they get more bites, sometimes they don’t. You can also use them as a jig trailer. One of my best days on the water was using one on a Carolina rig. I also wouldn’t use braided line. I typically used 10-15 lb fluorocarbon. 

[CroakHunter]

4 hours ago, EGbassing said:

Trying out a zoom ribbontail worm for the first time today. Any tips on fishing them? I use 3/16 ounce tungsten weights, and 30 pound braid. 

 

Edit: Just went out and got a couple bites on it, missed them on the hookset though. Also, I fished a booyah pad crasher frog for a little while, but I just could not get it to walk. Does anybody have any idea why? I try to do it exactly like the pros do, but it just doesn't work.  

What length worm and what size hook? And also short twitches while giving it slack on the frog. Frogs are harder than to walk than say a big spook style bait

[Scarborough817]

walking frogs can be a little harder, the best way is to lighten up on the action. try not to put too much action into the rod give it less of a twitch then you do with a spook 

[MIbassyaker]

5 hours ago, EGbassing said:

Trying out a zoom ribbontail worm for the first time today. Any tips on fishing them? I use 3/16 ounce tungsten weights, and 30 pound braid. 

 

Edit: Just went out and got a couple bites on it, missed them on the hookset though. Also, I fished a booyah pad crasher frog for a little while, but I just could not get it to walk. Does anybody have any idea why? I try to do it exactly like the pros do, but it just doesn't work.  

 

A fine worm (as is every worm, in my experience). Your weights and line are good. Fish it on the bottom, drag or hop with pauses. vary the speed. stick with it, and it will produce.  

 

Sorry, can't help with frog walking. I've never been able to do it either.

[thinkingredneck]

Keep your rod low, your line in contact, reel down, and set the hook with authority, as they say.  As though you were snatching a tooth out with a string.

[EGbassing]

13 hours ago, CroakHunter said:

What length worm and what size hook? And also short twitches while giving it slack on the frog. Frogs are harder than to walk than say a big spook style bait

7 inch plastic worm, and 2/0 round bend worm hook. Also, I'll try that with the frog. I feel like I'm twitching it too hard, so I'll try to do it a little bit softer and see if that helps.

13 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

 

A fine worm (as is every worm, in my experience). Your weights and line are good. Fish it on the bottom, drag or hop with pauses. vary the speed. stick with it, and it will produce.  

 

Sorry, can't help with frog walking. I've never been able to do it either.

Thanks, I was just hopping it along the bottom yesterday and that seemed to work pretty well. And I'll try to stick with it, but I generally retie after about 5 casts when I'm using a new lure that I don't like.  Maybe I should just take that plastic worm and leave my tackle box at home...

[J Francho]

I'd go to a 3/0 or 4/0 round bend hook.  Be sure that the gap of the hook is about twice the width of the bait. My guess is you're either getting bit by panfish or other small nibblers, or the plastic is getting in the way.

 

Frogs take some practice.  It only takes a very light twitch and then slack to make the walk.

[N Florida Mike]

I throw em out, let em sink to the bottom, wait 10-15 seconds, then if no fish I will either reel it steadily back to the boat , trying different speeds, or reel it a few feet, let it sink, and repeat.

I catch probably 80% of the fish just dead sticking it, around 15% while retrieving steadily to the boat, and the other 5% with the stop and go retrieve.

[Deleted account]

Another classic that has gone by the wayside. I like fishing one with a light sinker t-rigged. Either snake it though cover, specially standing grass and pads, or slowly drag it along the bottom. When I'm teaching someone to fish plastics, I break out some power worms and they rarely disappoint. 

[WRB]

It's the spawn cycle nearly everywhere in your region. Short strikes indicate a spawner has chased you lure away, it's not engulfing it to eat it. Fish deeper outside edge breaks or use a shorter soft plastic like a tube or jig. Frog strikes show you where a spawner is, follow up with the tube or jig.

Tom

[Choporoz]

I still give ribbon tailed worms a lot of love.  Culprits, Rage Tail and Keitech, primarily.  I think I tend to swim them more than most, but I do park them on the bottom a fair amount also.  Some days, its all about the vertical drop, though.  RT Anaconda was probably my no. 1 worm in the mid-summer last season.  I typically use 3/0 worm hooks, but some almost require ewg, like Mad Wags, and Fat Max.

[Mike L]

Funny you should ask!

Just Last week I caught my new PB on a 7" Culprit Fat Max. 

Needless to say I Love those things. 

I most always use a 3/16 tungsten weight and a 4/0 EWG offset hook. 

Let it sink and just vary the retrieve back for the first 10yrds or so and then just a slow steady retrieve back. 

 

Did I say I Love those things!!

 

 

 

 

Mike

[tholmes]

I fish ribbon-tail worms a LOT.

7" (or 7.5"), 3/0 or 4/0 round bend offset hook and a 3/16 bullet weight ( weight varies depending on conditions). Cast it to a target, let it sink, wait, hop or twitch it once, wait, etc. WATCH YOUR LINE! I catch many fish without ever feeling the bite, I just see the line twitch or start to move.

 

Tom

[Brad in Texas]

So many great ideas. I'd only add to these by mentioning to you to  . . . slowing down is always a good idea.

 

Although many of your bites will occur on the drop itself or just after it hits bottom, just let it sit there for a while first. Once you are sure no fish is eyeing it for dinner, it is time to work it back in with either a finesse technique (hopping it, etc.) or a slow to fast reeling depending on time of year, etc. I do better with the former than the latter.

 

On your hook-set, bass will often hold that worm a lot longer than people think. Be sure it has it, be willing to adjust your timing (delayed or fast) on your hook-set depending on conditions. And, some days a hard set works best, other days a simple rod sweep gets it done.

 

Brad

[WRB]

Nothing gets it done if the hook isn't in the basses mouth. Hooks sets are all about strike detection and timing. If the bass is getting off after it has been hooked, that is a different issue and most replies are advice on that issue, not bed bass.

Tom