Worm Fishing

[WRB]

My 1st introduction to soft plastic worms was in 1955 at lake Shasta in Northern California on a family vacation. Old man, about 1/2 my age today, gave me a Creame worm with rigged with 2 hooks on a short leader harness with a few beads and a small propeller. The man showed me how to clip on a Dipsey sinker and told me to go across the bay to those rocks and drag the worm on the bottom. It was magic.

The sliding bullet weight Texas rig became popular in the mid 60's and Creame Scondrel worms, then Flip Tails followed by Mann's Jelly worms, DeLong, Flutter Craft were Texas rigged or split shot rigged until the mid 70's when the Carolina rig became popular, followed by the nail rigs. Darter head jigs with Flutter curl tail or Mr Twister worms were also very popular in the mid 70's to mid 80's along with Smitty's hand pours.

Drop shot and slip shot rigs in the 90's along with wacky rigs, brass n glass, doddling, shaking etc. I fish them all frequently. Custom hand pours, injection molded, Senko's, straight tails, trick worms, ribbon tails, curl tails, gator tails, dragon tails etc, etc, so many worms so little time.b

Fishing soft plastic worms and creatures can keep anyone busy for a lifetime, then there are jigs....

Tom

[813basstard]

55’ huh? Jesus. That’s a couple casts ago. Love the insight and all. Sometimes it boils down to telling myself ‘shut up, tie it on and fish’ like I tell my son

[Catt]

@WRB

 

Ya forgot Mr. Twister Phenom, Rebel Ringworms. Ditto Gatortail, & Bagley, yes before crankbaits Bagley made plastics!

[lo n slo]

38 minutes ago, Catt said:

@WRB

 

Ya forgot Mr. Twister Phenom, Rebel Ringworms. Ditto Gatortail, & Bagley, yes before crankbaits Bagley made plastics!

there was a time when we caught alot of fish throwing those Gatortails at night ?

[WRB]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

@WRB

 

Ya forgot Mr. Twister Phenom, Rebel Ringworms. Ditto Gatortail, & Bagley, yes before crankbaits Bagley made plastics!

Didn't forget them, etc.

So many worms so little time.

Happy 4th of July to you and your family Tommy 

[Munkin]

While I generally use creature baits over worms in the summer they are hard to beat. Jigs work freat and while they are one of my confidence baits nothing beats a worm in summertime grass regularly. They do not bury in grass like a jig nor get the appendage hang up like a worm. For the Upper Potamac tournaments if in doubt throw a black 4" power worm on a 1/8oz head.

 

Allen

[Catt]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

Happy 4th of July to you and your family Tommy

Happy 4th y'all & everyone at bassresource! ?

[padon]

I'm with catt I fish all types of techniques but worms account for about 70%of my largemouth catches each year.I can go right behind guys fishing faster baits and catch fish on a worm of some sort. Texas rig drop shot shakey slip shot rig whatever.now river smallmouth are different but for lake largemouth I'll usually have two or three types of worms rigged on the boat at all times

[John Tom]

I am the other way around. I started bass fishing about a year ago and been throwing worms like crazy. I HATE creature baits I have never done any good with them. As for jigs, they are in the same boat as creature baits. I am mostly a top water and worm guy. My favorite color of worm is yum dinger carolina pumpkin chartreuse. 

[scaleface]

On 7/4/2018 at 6:37 PM, Catt said:

yes before crankbaits Bagley made plastics!

I do not remember Bagleys soft plastics .

[Koz]

I get what the OP is saying. A few years ago I was throwing predominantly worms but then I got distracted by shiny new toys like Whopper Ploppers, jigs, chatterbaits, frogs, and spinnerbaits and now I rarely throw a worm.

 

But the bite has been slow lately. Maybe one of these days I'll go out there and just throw a worm all day and see what happens.

[Hez]

On 7/4/2018 at 6:20 AM, 813basstard said:

Not fishing a worm hardly at all. Lost my feel for it. Wondering if some of the more experienced anglers here have grown out out it or is it still a valuable tool 

It is still a very valuable tool...especially in our neck of the woods. 

 

Soft plastics is king around here...especially on the Harris Chain.  

[Catt]

20 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I do not remember Bagleys soft plastics .

 

https://www.theonlinefisherman.com/705-fishing-story/608-the-history-of-bagley-baits

[Tennessee Boy]

A jig is usually my go to bait.  I feel like I catch more big fish on it.  I have to remind myself that four of my top five were caught on plastics.

[Mobasser]

I think I would be at a serious disadvantage if I stopped using plastic worms. If I had to pick one bait year around plastic worms would be my first choice. #1 bass bait for me - hands down

[Steve1357]

On 7/3/2018 at 7:55 PM, 813basstard said:

I’m sure like most of y’all, I grew up fishing worms. Texas or Carolina rigged. That’s what we knew. As I gain more experience, I hardly can’t fish a worm anymore. Texas, weightless, dropped, Ned, Florida, senior, mojo, big, small, stick, ribbon tail, etc not much success lately. I’ll throw a jig all day in a rain puddle, but when it comes to worms now?? Any advice, tips, atta boys welcomed 

Based upon my experience fishing with friends in their boats.....get your foot off the trolling motor! 

 

Plastic worms may be the slowest, most boring lure there is.

 

Short story:Nephew was with me fishing from shore one day, He was using a 6" lizard weightless. He cast out and laid his pole down and walked away for a minute. I hear something, turned and looked, his rod and reel is being dragged into the water...

 

To finish what I started, it's hard to fish with friends in their boats emulating FLW contestants. Trolling motor always engaged, crankbaits cranking, you can forget trying a worm. I've caught bass just letting the worm drift behind the boat...

 

In my boat this time of year, I'll find a cove with trees, sit in the shade and fish a worm for 10 minutes or more before hitting the trolling motor and moving up the shore a little bit into another shade. 

 

Weightless rigged plastic worms may be one of the best bank fishing lures there is. 

 

But it's all good....

 

 

 

 

[813basstard]

^Cool story...I’ve also caught bass on beef jerky while we pounded beers. However, that wouldn’t be a suggested way to do it all the time. I’ll go 4-5 trips without recharging the trolling motor so slinging crankbaits all over isn’t what’s going on but neither is dropping the anchor, pulling out a sandwich and soaking the same area for one hour for one bite. May as well throw live bait. I love jigs, swim baits, creature baits just having a tough time with worms at the present. It’ll pass. Fishing ain’t that hard

[LCG]

A zoom trick worm is my confidence bait. Texas rigged and drop shot rig. 

[IgotWood]

A worm of some sort is always on one of my rods...ALWAYS. If I can't get bit on anything else, usually a worm will get a bite. However, July and August on my local lake, for some reason, a big 12"-14" worm with an 1/8oz bullet weight just before daybreak....MAGIC!!!!!