Plastic Worm Fishing

[Mobasser]

The plastic worm has been my favorite bass bait for over 25yrs now. I wouldn't ever want to be without some worms on any bass fishing trip. When I started learning to fish plastic worms, I pretty much spent 3 seasons throwing them most of the time untill I felt I had learned to fish them. The worms I used starting out were, Creme Scoundrel, Mann's Jelly Worms, Culprit 7.5 ribbontail, and Ditto Gator tail. I also learned to like Charlie Brewers Slider worm and jigs, and still do. Now I still fish Jelly Worms, and sometimes a Culprit worm. When you started out what worms did you learn on? Did you learn on a traditional Texas Rig or some other way? Did you catch on quickly to worm fishing, or did it take you some time to learn? It took me some time. I missed a lot of strikes, and bass, trying to learn this but I'm glad I learned it. What about your early plastic worm fishing? Worms, methods, etc?

[scaleface]

Manns Jelly Worms for me to and I still use them  a lot . I liked the Ditto Gator Tail and Fliptail worms  too .The very first bass I caught on a Texas rig   bit a Mister Twister Twin Tail grub . Another angler told me he was catching fish on a jig and pig and I didnt have any . So I removed a black skirt from a spinnerbait and placed it between the hook and weight and Texas rigged the grub . I was bouncing the combo along a rip rap bank with the string between my index finger and thumb and felt a slight tap . I read about this in Bassmaster so I reeled in the slack and set the hook like a boss . Caught a keeper bass and it only got better from there . That was the most important bass I ever caught .

[CroakHunter]

I learned how to fish a wacky rig a senko when I was about 10 or 11. Fished the heck out of it because it caught fish and some big ones too. Fast forward a few years later I really enjoyed fishing a stick worm or trick worm texas rigged with an 1/8th ounce weight. Now some of my favorite ways to fish and the technique that brought me my pb is fishing offshore cover/structure with a 7 inch texas rigged senko with a 3/8th ounce weight or a 12" or bigger worm with a 3/8 to 3/4 ounce weight depending on depth and wind. 

Just a couple I caught on a weighted texas rigged stick worm a few years back

[deadadrift89]

Over 20yrs ago I was watching Bill Dance teach about fishing Texas rigged plastic worms on tv. I went and bought i believe 6" Berkley worm in pumpkinseed and headed down to our neighborhood lake, sure enough after dragging that thing around i felt that "TAP" It's still my favorite way to catch bass !!! 

[the reel ess]

I used the same worms you did, traditionally T-rigged. We settled on purple as being the all-around best color on our lake. My dad and I went from primarily crappie fishing to bass when they were within reach beating the bank. All we knew to start off with was the T-rigged worm. I later added a crankbait and spinnerbait to my arsenal. They were easier to set the hook with.

 

Having been a panfish fisherman, it took me a long time to get the hang of setting the hook. Once I got that skill and a good bass combo, I was off to the races. Later came the C-rig for when the bass migrated offshore. I still never used any other plastics or jigs until maybe 10 years ago. To this day, if I had to fish for food, I'd have the worm tied on. Some baits burst on the scene, then get shuffled to the back of the pack. But the worm is maybe the oldest soft plastic bass lure and it's here to stay.

[Dr. Watson]

Dad originally showed me how to do a Texas rig/Florida rig. I learned on purple culprit 7.5 and 10" worms. I still use culprits along with rage tail anacondas, zoom ol monsters, and Mann's jelly worms.

[J.Vincent]

My uncle taught me how to fish a Zoom Dead Ringer Texas rigged.....I fished that style of worm for an entire season before trying any other bass lures. Almost 25 years later and Im still very confident with all of the Zoom line of plastics but I also like Manns Jelly worms when I'm fishing 10 inch or larger worms ....and I like Culprit Worms for their durability . In the end I will fish any brand if it's a quality product but I will always have an affinity for the Zoom Dead Ringer.

[J Francho]

Texas rigged ribbon tail worms were one the first plastics I learned, besides a grub on a ball head.  Nice guy in a bass boat gave me some hooks, bullet weights, and a bag of worms and showed me how to rig them when I asked how he got his bait through the weeds.  I was probably around 12.  T-rigging opened up a whole new world of fishing.

[Catt]

I'm absolutely an Ole School Texas Rig Fisherman!

 

I still use monofilament, sliding bullet weight (unpegged), & straight shank round bend hooks.

 

My first worm bass in back in 1963 on a Crème Scoundrel, then came Crème's Scally Wag. I fell in love with a ribbon tail chasing a weight to the bottom.

 

Back in the early 70s in ran across Rebel's Ring Worm, the rings give the appearance of a thicker profile but with less plastic for the hook to penetrate. 

 

I still throw ring worms today ?

[j bab]

I caught my first bass on a wacky rigged Zoom Centipede.

 

Soft plastic fishing is definitely my favorite technique.

[greentrout]

bout 10 yrs. old on a farm pond outside columbia sc on a cold day ....dad set me up with a zebco reel and a split shot rig for first bass -- hooks not embedded...creme scoundrel...

 

today 90 percent of my fishing is with plastics t rigged and weightless...

 

good fishing...

[GrumpyOlPhartte]

My introduction to real bass fishing came in 1972 when I was transferred to the Charleston sub base (long gone) and my LPO took me on my first real bass fishing excursion in his Jon boat.  First he took me shopping to get an UglyStik and Mitchell 300 spinning real, a big step up from my plastic Zebco 303 (I think that’s the model). He was smart enough to know I wasn’t ready for baitcasting gear.  We hit Bushy Park and he handed me a Mann’s Jelly Worm, seven-inch purple with a red tail. I was certain he was trying to “get to me” but he was insistent and even showed me how to Texas rig the thing.  After about a half hour of working the bank, he pointed to a partially exposed log and told me to cast right upon shore next to it and drag my worm along it. And ... if I felt a tap-tap, count to three, and haul back on the rod as if I was trying to yank the fish into the boat. Well, as a rookie with a spinning rig, the kindest thing I can say was that I landed the worm on the shore in the “general vicinity” of the log.  He drifted the boat down so I was able to drag my worm over it and as it climbed over the log and fell, sure enough, I felt the taps. So, I counted to three and “hauled back” figuring the poor fish was going to come flying out of the water at me.  I got the rod to about the 11:00 position and everything stopped.  And, since I was new I had the drag set all wrong.  The largest bass I had ever seen broke the surface and headed for points south while the drag screamed and I focused on reeling while maintaining bladder control!!!  Finally, by luck, I got the thing to the boat and it turned out to be a four-pound beauty.

 

I have looked and Mann’s doesn’t make that exact style any more, but my brother-in-law has a couple of bags left.  Found out this year that they still work when he dragged a couple of two-and-a-half pounders out my favorite fishing spot while I sat there “washing bait” with several of the newfangled worms sold these days.  Yup, Mann’s, Creme, and Producto worked then ... and still work.  May have to find some!

[OCdockskipper]

1 hour ago, J.Vincent said:

My uncle taught me how to fish a Zoom Dead Ringer Texas rigged...Almost 25 years later and Im still very confident with all of the Zoom line of plastics...

Side question, was the Dead ringer available 25 years ago?  I ask because I remember in the late 70's, Rebel came out with the Ringworm.  I fished them all the time and still have a few at the bottom of my worm bag.  When I came back to the sport about a decade ago, Rebel no longer made the ringworm, but the Zoom Dead Ringer was in fact a dead ringer for the Rebel Ringworm (pun intended).

 

I don't know when the Ringworm died & the Dead Ringer was born, they are very similar.

[Columbia Craw]

I'm right with you Mobasser.  My buddy took me out on a late Feb. day with water temps in the upper 40's.  Water had warmed from low 40's in a two day period.  I fished a Mann's blackberry jelly worm in the flat tail on a J95 3/0 offset worm hook. Sorry Catt. Lead bullet weight unpegged. The rod was an HMG 555 pistol grip with an Ambassadeur 2500C and 12 pound Maxima. I crawled that worm as slow as a human could. My "mentor" had me down 11 to zero.  I was frustrated.  I thought I had hung in some grass again and the grass pulled back. My buddy's last name is Sewell so I always said the bass committed Sewellcide and I hooked and landed it. That was like an Epiphany for me.  I had been pulling the worm out of the fishes mouths thinking I was hung in light grass. The day ended up with my passing John and out catching him.  From that day forward, 2-11-1979, I committed myself to learning to worm fish.  Catt has said many times, the more bites you get or feel the better the fisherman you become. This applies especially to worm fishing.  I fished Gator Tails, Culprits and Manns worms the first several years.  Over the years the Baby Brush Hog displaced most of my T rig worm fishing and I find myself fishing worms Wacky, Neko, Drop Shot and on a Shaky Head now.  I can remember that day like it was yesterday. Great memory. Thanks.

 

Doug

[GReb]

I started fishing Texas rigged worms and lizards when I was about 12. Culprit 7.5 is still my go to. I’ve prob caught 500 bass on the black and silver culprit

[MIbassyaker]

I grew up watching people bass fish with worms on TV and seeing them in catalogs and magazines. But never had easy access to bass waters where I could use them; we tended to fish with live bait in the river for catfish, pike, and the occasional walleye, or with grubs or in-line spinners.  I did catch a smallie once, but they were really rare in that stretch of the river, at that time (i hear they are much more common there now).

 

When I finally got to fish somewhere that I could target bass specifically with a worm, I made sure I had the worm hooks and weights I needed, and rigged up a 7.5 cuprit ribbontail the way I had seen Bill Dance and folks do it, and started casting around off the end of the dock toward some shoreline slop, and hopping it back, not totally sure what would happen. In about 4 casts, I felt "the tap" -- whoa!  So, I set the hook ...and there he was, my first largemouth of any size, about 14". 

 

And I thought to myself, "wow, is that all there is to it?? I can do that again!" And so I did.

[WRB]

I can remember clearly my 1st plastic worm it was a Creme pre rigged 6" nightcrawler with a small propeller back in 1957 aat Lake Shasta on a family vacation. Couple of old guys gave me a package and showed me how to fish it; put a Dipsey Bell sinker up the line and tie on a swivel clip, the clip on the work rig at the leader loop. They pointed across the marina and simply said drift on the bottom along the bank over there. It was magic!

Creme worms cam in only 6" nightcrawler and black colors packaged 1 worm re rigged with the harness and later 5 worms with instructions how to weedless "Texas" rig with a sproat worm hook with barbs on the shank in the early 60's and everyone called them rubber worms back then.

Tom Mann came out with Jelly worms in the early 70's with 2 styles Sting Ray and Jelly worms. What was different Creme worms were like tent pegs compared to Mann's Jelly worms and several colors were offered in flavors. The soft Manns worms changed worm fishing and became the most popular very quickly. Stembridge followed with Flip Tail worms and the ball has stopped rolling, today we have more soft plastics availble then anyone can name, by far the most popular bass lure ever!

Back in early years we used 5 1/2' broom stick rods and let the bass run with the worm for a count od 10 before setting the hook. We used 2 rigs; Texas with sliding bullet weight and Carolina rig similar to the 1st rig I used except a heavy egg sinker with glass bead and swivel with a longer 3' to 5' leader.

Out west Florida strain LMB in San Diego lakes kicked off the hand pour worms in the late 60's a regional worm with multiple colors and blood line vain that changed worm fishing for me and still use hand pours.

Tom

 

 

 

 

[Harold Scoggins]

3 minutes ago, WRB said:

I can remember clear my 1st plastic worm it was a Creme pre rigged nightcrawler with a small propeller

I landed my first bass on a pre-rigged Crème worm in the mid 60s. These pictured were stored away until a couple years ago when I put them in a frame and hung them in the man cave. For 50+ year-old worms they're still soft. I started using Mann's Jelly worms the year after they first came out and still use them. (PB was landed on a 9" Blackberry Jelly Worm.)

[J.Vincent]

1 hour ago, OCdockskipper said:

Side question, was the Dead ringer available 25 years ago?  I ask because I remember in the late 70's, Rebel came out with the Ringworm.  I fished them all the time and still have a few at the bottom of my worm bag.  When I came back to the sport about a decade ago, Rebel no longer made the ringworm, but the Zoom Dead Ringer was in fact a dead ringer for the Rebel Ringworm (pun intended).

 

I don't know when the Ringworm died & the Dead Ringer was born, they are very similar.

Well I started fishing with artificial lures for bass in 1995 on Lake Columbia in Brooklyn Michigan. I was 16 and didn’t own any dedicated bass gear of my own; so I would borrow whatever combo my uncle had rigged up in the garage. There was always a green pumpkin worm with ringed body and a fat curly tail rigged up; and I  first learned how to fish with this style of worm. I then started buying my own gear in 1999 and I’m positive I was buying Zoom Dead Ringers at that time to match what I remembered. But now I sort of want to know when the Zoom Dead Ringers we’re first introduced ? 

[TOXIC]

I was late to the game.  My first plastics were given to me by Charlie Case himself and I became a master of the "Jacks Worm" named after a friend of his who had passed.  Once I threw the Senko, it became my goal to master it beyond the normal uses.  Believe it or not, I am still learning and I've been throwing/studying it for 30 years.  

[WRB]

I believe the Zipper worm followed the Rebel ring worm and have a few bags of 13 1/2" Zipper Goliath worms if interested.

Tom

[J Francho]

1 hour ago, TOXIC said:

Believe it or not, I am still learning and I've been throwing/studying it for 30 years.

I've learned quite a bit from your posts. 

[BassinCNY]

I was just thinking about trying my hand at fishing a few years ago and I was walking through my local Tractor Supply Store and they had a bunch of Creme plastics on sale for one dollar per bag. I bought a few of what looked to my untrained eye to be the most likely to catch fish. One of them was a bag of Creme's copy of a trick worm in red bug. I was trying to educate myself so I watched a Bassresource YouTube video about fishing a split shot rig for a beginner trying to catch his first bass. It worked very well and I was hooked.

[Log Catcher]

Like a lot of others on here I learned how to fish T rigged worms with Culprit and Creme lures. Purple was the hot color back then and it is still very good at times today. I peg my weight now and use a lot of Zoom worms. I just started using the Ole Monster worms 2 or 3 years ago and have been very surprised at how well they work.

[greentrout]