Pre-rigged 3-hook Kelly's brand 5.5" worm

[the reel ess]

The bass bite has been incredibly slow lately. So I was in the hardware store and saw these worms. I know they're bass catchers so I bought a couple. They're packaged curled up. Should they be straightened a little? Upon retrieve the lure corkscrews. When you pause it curls back up. I did get bites anyway and lost about a 3 pounder. I stretch it straighter but it won't stay. I don't really want to dip in hot water because it's rigged with 17# mono. Ideas? Besides the obvious swivel, which I'm already using.

[papajoe222]

Leave them curled and attach it to your line with a small, quality snap swivel.

They are one of the few soft plastic baits I introduce youngsters to as a simple wind and pause retrieve will get them bites.   They make a version with weedless hooks that's a killer pond lure.

[MickD]

There are other brands of these rigged worms that are straight in the package so should run straighter.  Creme comes to mind.  But if this one works, go with it.

 

They are one of the very effective often forgotten lures from way back when.  

[Mobasser]

There was a worm rig years ago that was fished with a kink in the worm. It was called the swimming worm, and Doug Hannon marketed one.                                                     It was meant to spiral and corkscrew on the retrieve. I've read it was popular in Florida years ago.

[the reel ess]

11 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

Leave them curled and attach it to your line with a small, quality snap swivel.

They are one of the few soft plastic baits I introduce youngsters to as a simple wind and pause retrieve will get them bites.   They make a version with weedless hooks that's a killer pond lure.

I cut the tied loop off the worm and tied a small swivel, no snap, to it. That way I could tie my main line to the swivel. I remember when I was really young my dad would rig worms like this with 2 crappie size Aberdeen hooks. But then along came the offset worm hook and that was that. Progress.

[Team9nine]

Many of these prepackaged worms are designed to be curled somewhat to get the spinning/swimming action. Those that come packaged with a swivel are usually that way. Touchdown worms are similar, and they wrap the line around the bent worm to keep it folded over and to take a set. As mentioned above, these are more like the swimming worm (D Hannon) and are typically fished with stretches of steady retrieve to get that action, and using an added weight, often pinched on, to help maintain depth.

[Mobasser]

16 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Many of these prepackaged worms are designed to be curled somewhat to get the spinning/swimming action. Those that come packaged with a swivel are usually that way. Touchdown worms are similar, and they wrap the line around the bent worm to keep it folded over and to take a set. As mentioned above, these are more like the swimming worm (D Hannon) and are typically fished with stretches of steady retrieve to get that action, and using an added weight, often pinched on, to help maintain depth.

I have read that this was one of Hannons favourite rigs, and deadly on shallow Florida fish.

A good read on the swimming worm is from Jim Porters guide to bass fishing. They sell some also prerigged with two hooks.

[Chaos10691]

They're supposed to corkscrew in the water. Like someone else said attach to them with a small good quality snap swivel. I fished these for most of my life until I got into baitcasters and really started down the rabbit hole of what fishing had to offer. I still throw them at local ponds. We always used the purple worm with white dots. 

[the reel ess]

1 hour ago, Chaos10691 said:

They're supposed to corkscrew in the water. Like someone else said attach to them with a small good quality snap swivel. I fished these for most of my life until I got into baitcasters and really started down the rabbit hole of what fishing had to offer. I still throw them at local ponds. We always used the purple worm with white dots. 

My buddy made me a believer once and I bought a couple and started throwing them weightless on a M spinning combo with good success. He has a 9+lb. hanging on his wall from 10 years ago caught on a 4" 2-hook one.

[Team9nine]

3 hours ago, Mobasser said:

I have read that this was one of Hannons favourite rigs, and deadly on shallow Florida fish.

A good read on the swimming worm is from Jim Porters guide to bass fishing. They sell some also prerigged with two hooks.

 

Hannon credited the worm rig for catching about 90% of his 10 pound plus bass at one time, and even came out with his own version of the rig for sale, but as you know, it was Jesse Payton who "invented" the rig. Jesse fished solely with that worm rig he created, and only in purple 

 

Jesse with a 10+ pound bass, circa 1970

 

[Chaos10691]

1 hour ago, the reel ess said:

My buddy made me a believer once and I bought a couple and started throwing them weightless on a M spinning combo with good success. He has a 9+lb. hanging on his wall from 10 years ago caught on a 4" 2-hook one.

Very nice. The only thing I don't like about them is if a fish was too aggressive it would rip the hooks out and if you didn't realign them perfectly it wouldn't work right.

[the reel ess]

1 hour ago, Team9nine said:

Jesse fished solely with that worm rig he created, and only in purple 

 

My dad always said he could catch fish on any color worm as long as it was purple. For the longest, he wouldn't fish anything else either. I'm that way about black and blue.

[bowhunter63]

Those pre rigged worms worked way back in the day and still work today. I like the Charlie Wordens wonder worm. Fun to fish