An Old Forgotten Rig

[Mobasser]

A Florida fisherman, Jesse Payton, is given credit for inventing this rig when he retired and moved to Florida in 1964.                                             The swimming worm rig is not fished on the bottom, nor is the hook inserted in the worm as in a Texas rig. It's designed to swim on the retrieve, usually in shallow weedy areas.                                   The rig is simple. A straight tail worm is threaded on the hook, and left with a bend or kink in the worm. A swivel is tied on the main line and a leader of 12" is tied to the hook. Worm length is 6" or so, and hook size is 1/0 or 2/0 straight shank hook.               When rigged correctly, the worm spins in a corkscrew style. My version is with a Zoom Trick worm, 2/0 Gama hook and Sampo swivel. It took a little bit to get it threaded correctly. The original was made with a Creme Scoundrel worm, always purple. So far I've caught two bass with this rig, but can see good potential here. The action is different from any other worm rig I've seen.                                                 By EVERY account I've read, this is a deadly rig, and accounted for many large bass for Mr. Payton. In the 1990s, Doug Hannon, the bass professor, marketed his own version sold by Burke tackle. Hannon claimed this rig caught many of his large bass also.                                         I rarely if ever hear about this rig anymore. It seems this rig has been lost in time now.                                                   Have you ever tried the swimming worm rig?                  

[scaleface]

I read about it but never tried it.

[Team9nine]

Jesse Payton with a 10 lb FL bass, circa 1970.

 

 

Here in the Midwest, a popular version of that rig was the pre-rigged 2-hook (sometimes 3 hook) plastic worm. The worms would be bent in half, then the leader was wrapped around the worm to hold it in place and warp the worm, thereby creating a natural kink that would make the worm corkscrew upon retrieve naturally without having to get the hook rigging and bend right like on the single hook version. Have caught plenty of bass over the years on that rig. It was especially popular on the clear water natural lakes to my north, over shallower weed flats, which would be similar to the FL waters where you typically read it being used.

[Catt]

14 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

 Have you ever tried the swimming worm rig?   

 

I probably swim a worm more than anyone except maybe @Mike L.

 

My rigging is different, I Texas Rig as normal with weights up to a 1/4 oz. I generally use 2 lures, Zoom's Ultravibe Speed Worm & Ultravibe Speed Craw. This works better in/around grass.

 

I do on occasion throw the setup your describing but I've found when they're eating that Flukes are more effective.

[Skunkmaster-k]

I always heard it called a spinning worm. Whatever it is called , my biggest smallmouth was caught using this technique. 

[Pat Brown]

I almost caught a giant on a swimming worm this past weekend but pulled me off in heavy heavy grass.  I didn't even feel the bite.  But I felt her dive headfirst into the slop and it was like setting the hook on a Mac truck.  I saw her flash sideways before the dive and she was 20+" long and thick as a brick.

 

My wife's long standing PB was caught on a floating worm in July.

[Kirtley Howe]

I used a pre-rigged worm with a propeller. I prefer the ones with the weedless hooks. I haven't used this rig in a few years. Don't know why I quit using it....it worked great. I may have to visit Amazon tonight and stock up on them.

[Mike L]

If memory serves that rig was popular down here around the time I first moved to Florida in ‘79. 
Don’t really remember using it but do remember it being used by some very successful fisherman I met along the way. 
 

When I first started I did the same I assume everyone does, learn what you can about your waters and everything that goes into that..

Seasonal patterns. weather adjustments, spawning cycles, different types of vegetation, equipment etc etc.

 

It takes a while to figure out what you’re good at, then refine it to the point you don’t need to think. Just put the pieces of that moments puzzle together and go.
 

That for me is the swim worm. 
Specifically the Magnum and standard size Zoom UV Speed Worm (only in June Bug) that I use for different conditions and presentations.
And the Rage Cut R (only in Honey Candy) for a certain change of pace if warranted. 
 

A swim worm regardless of how you rig it can be the most effective bait in your box. 
Figure out the what, where and how to use it, then refine it for your waters. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[you]

What about a spinning AND swimming worm?

 

Next time I rig a speedworm, it will be crooked and behind a swivel. Sounds like chaos. Might just work ?

[fin]

Try lightly twitching/jerking that rig instead of swimming it, @Mobasser

[Catt]

4 hours ago, fin said:

Try lightly twitching/jerking that rig instead of swimming it, @Mobasser

 

To this dumb Cajun that technique is like a soft jerkbait that a "swimming" technique.

[Mobasser]

1 minute ago, Catt said:

 

To this dumb Cajun that technique is like a soft jerkbait that a "swimming" technique.

Catt, this worm rig was meant to swim. A fluke would work better for twitching or jerking around I agree.

[ElGuapo928]

I’ve never had any luck swimming a worm, but we used to do a similar rig back in the early 90’s with a 4” Kalin’s grub (cotton candy ftw) on a 12” leader. This was a great rig when nothing else seemed to work. 

 

I’m going to have to get some swivels and dust this one off!

[RRocket]

As a life long walleye fishermen, that type of spinning worm rig is undoubtedly one of the most prolific rigs used here. And lots of Largemouth are inadvertently caught on this rig.

 

I think the walleye version of it is even better with the ability to customize the color of the smile blade and ability to tune it.

 

Choose a small smile spinner for flash or to mimic a bait fish color, choose your worm, and away you go! You can easily make your own "slow death" rigs.

 

Check out some vids to see the action. Smile blade size determines spinning rate. The smallest will spin at a mere .5mph or something ridiculous.

 

https://mackslure.com/collections/smile-blade

 

And if you want just a bladeless set up, just use only the hook part of the rig. Several companies make a hook called a Slow Death/ Death Hook that has a somewhat corkscrew shape to initiate the spin without the need to off center hook the worm. And some even have a swivel built into them.

 

Sounds pretty much like the same idea.

 

[Bankbeater]

Around here a t-rigged worm fished on top of matted vegetation with a steady retrieve is a bass producer.  I've never tried putting a bend in the worm.