Plastic worm fishing

[Mobasser]

30 years ago, I attended a seminar at a sport show in Kansas city. The speaker was Larry Nixon. His seminar was on structure fishing, and was very good. At the end of his seminar he held up a plastic worm and said " learn this". Looking back over years of notes I've kept, this has been true for me. The simple plastic worm has landed me more fish than all other lures combined. On a typical hot summer day, I can usually score a couple of fish very early on topwater baits. My grandson calls this the easy bite. Other faster moving baits may work good too, but once the sun starts beating down, this faster fishing doesn't last long, and we switch to plastic worms. Its also, along with jigs, one of the harder baits for a novice to learn. Plastic worms make up 80% of my fishing time through the main part of the season. How many others feel this way? Regardless of brand name, size, color, etc, do plastic worms make up the bulk of your time on the water. Would it be your #1 choice, if you had to pick one bait? What percentage of your time is spent fishing worms- in all their forms on an average day? My vote goes for the plastic worm as the number 1 bass lure of all time. How many others agree or disagree?

[Mike L]

There is no doubt that plastics of all kinds, if used the way they were intended, have caught more bass than any other lure ever created. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[NittyGrittyBoy]

I love topwater bite, but when the short window is closed, here comes the plastics.

 

X2 on this, soft plastics whether creature or classic ribbontail worm is hands down my top producing bait ever. 

 

Jig is slowly inching it's way closer, but bottom dragging baits is hands down, the go to

[scaleface]

For three decades Texas rigs  made up the bulk of my fishing but in the past several  I've been using them less . Crankbaits , spinnerbaits , buzzbaits  along with Texas rigs have been getting a lot of playing time .

[NittyGrittyBoy]

To me there's something about dragging a good ole ribbontail uncle Charlie's or culprit that brings back memories.

 

T-rig will always be a staple for this guy

[Bluebasser86]

I would rather fish a jig, but I fish a lot of worms too, especially big worm during the summer and straight tail finesse worms during the winter. 

 

Had the hottest jig bite I've had so far this year yesterday. Went for 3 hours and caught over 30, plus missed about 10 more. Couldn't hardly make a retrieve without getting bit. 

[Mbirdsley]

This has been my first year having bait casters and specifically targeting bigger bass.  So this has also been the 1st  year I have ever used bass jigs and Shad style cranks.  So far I have had a lot of success with jigs, cranks, and dragging t-rigged craws or creatures.

 

 However, I’ve never been successful dragging a worm so I rarely use it. I need to change that.  One of these days I need to rig one rod with a ribbon tail and the other with a wacky senko while, leaving everything else at home. 

[thinkingredneck]

My fishing is predominately plastic worms, with some jigs, swim baits, spinnerbaits and top waters  I usually start with plastics.  If I can't get bit after a LONG WHILE, I will try something else.  But first I exhaust different sizes, colors, shapes, and retrieves  with worms.

[NittyGrittyBoy]

I love a good jig bite, but in current around wooden structure jig don't stand a chance.

 

When I fish lakes off the main river I'll pick up a jig, but pegged t-rig is go to

[WRB]

If you follow the development of the soft plastic worm you will trace the birth of modern bass fishing. It all started with Nick Creame in the mid 50's and a group of Texans creating a presentation to affectived fish The worms. Prior the Texas rig Creame sold his worms with a nightcrawler rig, 2 hooks on a leader with beads and a small propeller.

Creame's worm were so popular in Texas he moved his company to there.

Several worm companies started offering soft plastic worms like Stembridge Flip tail worms and Tom Manns Jelly worms, 5 decades later new soft plastics are introduced nearly every week. 

Thank you Nick Creame and those Texans who showed how to fish the plastic worm.

Tom

 

[Team9nine]

About the first 20-some years when I fished tourneys, I almost never fished worms. I usually only kept one package with me on the boat along with a few hooks and sinkers, "just in case." Could probably count on 2 hands how many times I actually fished them.

 

Once I stopped fishing tourneys, along with older age, the rise of the shaky head and Ned rig, I now probably throw them about half the time in some form or fashion. In fact, just walked in the house from a 3 hour trip and the only bait I threw was a worm - lol. Caught nearly 50 on it today.

[Eric J]

If the bite is not there I will inevitably go to plastics. If creature features don't get me the fish I always go to a T-rig worm...

[TOXIC]

I am first and foremost a finesse fisherman.  When guiding the goal is normally numbers over size and that made me use the best tool for the job.  Plastics.  I have branched out more but feel most at home with a fairy wand, light line and finesse plastics.  

[Catt]

Winningest Lure In Tournament History!

 

I've researched all B.A.S.S & FLW tournaments (Pro & Amateur), all amateur tournaments held in the state of Texas  (2001-2018), and the Texas Share-A-Lunker program.

 

What I will have to mention is under the category of plastics would be T-rigs, C-rigs, Wacky, Drop Shot, ECT which are techniques. The list includes all worms, craw worms, lizards, creatures, tubes, Fluke type, & Senko type baits; which is why it's listed as plastic lures.

 

The data showed a staggering 5 to 1 ratio in size & numbers over all other lures

[TOXIC]

That’s odd, I would have thought a jig would be number 1.

[Mobasser]

In not really sure hown many beginners are really fishing worms and similar plastics. There's a ton more baits out there now then were available years ago. It takes time and practice to get good with them! Not a simple cast and crank lure, like lots of guys want to throw. In glad that I put some serious time into learning plastic fishing when I did- it really has saved the day for me too many times.I think good worm fisherman at some point have taken their fishing to the next level, or skill set. It would pay all aspiring fisherman to get good. Like Larry Nixon said years ago " learn this". Can't argue with experience.

[Mobasser]

Thanks Tom and Catt for the history and stats on this.Always fun to learn these things. 

[WRB]

The is a article on this site called The Lowly Worm by Bill Huctheson worth reading.

Tom

 

[BassFisher22]

Plastic worms catch 70% of my fish. Although they aren’t super exciting to fish they are effective. I wish fish bit my frog and spook as often as a senko.?

[Catt]

#1 most productive lure

 

Doug Hannon's Answer

Plastic Worm (Texas rigged) It's a long, thin shape resembles the profile of a wide variety of forage in the world of the bass, including earthworms, snakes, eels, and baitfish. Its action is almost entirely dependent on the contours of the bottom; and the rod movements of the fisherman, making it very random. It moves with little noise; the noise that it does make comes mostly from the random clicking of the sinker as it hits bottom. Bright colors and larger size can be used to increase its attracting qualities. Because of its basic resemblance to a wide array of living forage, this lure presents very few negative cues, and is hard for big bass to learn not to hit.

 

Studies have proven 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.

[Mobasser]

Catt,  that says it all! And I believe every word.