fishing the worm

[pondmaster32]

i used to fish worm at my friends lake a couple of years ago and i probably caught fish by luck. since then, i stopped using the worm. does swimming a worm work better or slowly working it on the bottom. and how do you rig it. THANK YOU.

[cabullwinkle]

Worms are great baits, and should be a tool for every bass fisherman.  I rig them Texas, Carolina, shaky head, and drop shot. There are some great articles on this website on worm fishing.  I would suggest you check those out.  I have always fished them off the bottom and they have caught me a bunch of fish.  My biggest fish I ever caught was off of a worm.  Good Luck.

[fishinfiend]

If you have not tried a drop shot or shakey head, you are missing out.

[SammyLee]

Caught two, one dink, one keeper this morning on a swim senko. Cast, let it drop to the bottom with slack line. Waited 30 seconds, took up some slack, did a medium lift of the rod tip and let it drop on slack line. Took some slack, maybe a turn on the spinner reel, started to lift and felt the fish. I set the hook hard and had a nice little fight on the 6 pound Cajun red line.

This lake is post spawn and both fish were in deeper water than two weeks ago.

The second one, I believe took the worm off the bottom because as soon as took some slack I felt him and set. He had the hook pretty deep so I think he had it in his mouth awhile but who knows.

This was a Texas rig with no weight. I am just now starting to learn to fish worms this way as I have always drop shot-ted before. I just had no confidence that I could feel the bite before. This forum convinced me to try it and it works.

Last Saturday, I got six in about two hours fishing the same bait casting into the weeds near the bank and fishing it almost like a topwater bait. A quick jerk to splash a bit then a pretty quick retrieve with a bit of jerk here and there. They gulped the darn thing and the hook set was more like drop shot.

This was a watermelon 5 inch swim senko in moderately clear greenish water. I pretty much match the worm color to the water color at this stage of my learning curve. I also tried a Mann's hard nosed worm in the same color with no hits.

Leaving in the morning to go to Lake Quashita "Wash A Ta" near Hot Springs Arkansas. It supposed to be a pretty good lake so maybe even I can land a few.

You've come to the right place to really learn something about bass fishing. Not from me of course, as I am a bass beginner, but there are at least a dozen folks here who are bass geniuses. I could spend 200 hours just to practice the techniques they have suggested. I've caught more bass in the last two months than I did in the 40 years prior. Heck, maybe this year I'll learn to cast a baitcaster.

What fun!

[GKramer]

Bass fishing is part 'angling' and part psychological warefare--on yourself. Why did you stop using the worm? Were you catching enough without it?

Bass are not river brown trout or mountain goldens: in other words, they're not all that smart. BPS would go of business if bass only hit one thing!

I bet it's way more about WHERE you are putting your worm than any retrieve or rig you are using. But of course, if you have weeds or grass, you need something that keeps your bait clean. Start with something 4 inches long, clear pink, smoke or watermelon and fish it CLOSE to something. (Point, rockpile, post, stump, cut, steep portion, deep weed edge.) You'll get 'em.

[mynameisgeorgel]

I pretty much only use worms when I'm fishing a pond, I've caught my biggest fish on a Zoom Trick worm, bubblegum

[J Francho]

Hmmmm....you fish ponds, but don't fish worms.  You're missing a big part of the pond fishing picture.

[roadwarrior]

Here ya go:

http://www.bassresource.com/beginner/worm_fishing.html

http://www.bassresource.com/beginner/plastic_worms.html

There are hundreds of articles in the BassResource.com Library.

Browse through "Fishing Articles" at the top of the page. Every

article has links and every link has more links. Check it out!

8-)

[CWB]

Here ya go:

http://www.bassresource.com/beginner/worm_fishing.html

http://www.bassresource.com/beginner/plastic_worms.html

There are hundreds of articles in the BassResource.com Library.

Browse through "Fishing Articles" at the top of the page. Every

article has links and every link has more links. Check it out!

8-)

X2

Worming 101 is usually one of the first tactics you learn. Simple and easy but deadly.

[T-2000]

Interesting. Worms are without a doubt my bread and butter lure. I find them far easier than crankbaits or even spinnerbaits. I have a fishing buddy though who usually kills it on crankbaits but can't fish worms or other plastics very well. Different strokes...

[Dad_Golf_Fish]

There are hundreds of articles in the BassResource.com Library.

...and I've read every one of them since joining. Some of them twice. I'm about to start through them all over again. Thank you for all the helpful information right at my fingertips!

Back to the question: I love worm fishing. Usually t-rigged, weighted and weightless, also shaky head or drop shot. My preference is 6-7, lighter colors (bubblegum/lemon), very little extra rod action.

[Hammer 4]

Easily over 95% of my fishing is done with worms..one way that I usualy get fish is by splitshoting, sorta like a carolina rig but w/o out the sliding weight, oddly enough sometimes I use lighter line, no heavier than 8 lb, and a #5 splitshot about 12-16" above the worm depending on bottom conditions.

Also t rig, c rig, dropshot and freeline (t rig no weight)

[bigfish88]

Hmmmm....you fish ponds, but don't fish worms. You're missing a big part of the pond fishing picture.

agreed haha

[FutureSoldier]

hey bigfish88 u nailed it buddy. just kidding brother