Hopping and Bouncing

[Koop]

Ok I've read almost all of the articles on fishing a worm. I've been trying the trig and have had no success. I'm guessing the problem is with my retrieve. I attempt to "hop" or "Bounce" the worm along the bottom but am pretty sure my method is flawed. I usually end up getting frustrated and using a dragging retrieve. I understand what the words hop and bounce mean but when applied to the method...

What am I doing with my rod to make the worm perform these actions? To the best of my knowledge what I have been doing is lifting the tip to about 130 degrees then dropping it back down to water level. I do this a few time, give her a few drags and repeat... is this correct or am I way off?

Additionally, when they say hopping/flipping/pitching? What is the method I should conduct with the rod to make the lures do this?

[Raul]

Ok I've read almost all of the articles on fishing a worm. I've been trying the trig and have had no success. I'm guessing the problem is with my retrieve. I attempt to "hop" or "Bounce" the worm along the bottom but am pretty sure my method is flawed. I usually end up getting frustrated and using a dragging retrieve. I understand what the words hop and bounce mean but when applied to the method...

What am I doing with my rod to make the worm perform these actions? To the best of my knowledge what I have been doing is lifting the tip to about 130 degrees then dropping it back down to water level. I do this a few time, give her a few drags and repeat... is this correct or am I way off?

Additionally, when they say hopping/flipping/pitching? What is the method I should conduct with the rod to make the lures do this?

From 9 to 10, from 10 to 11, from 11 to 12, reel in the slack line and start all over again.

[Koop]

thanks, teaching myself hasn't been the easiest but I'm getting there!  (with the help of about 200 printed pages worth of articles here and everyone's input)

[S I G M A]

I've found hopping to work best for shakey head fishing personally. It allows me to fish a shakey head much faster as well

[KYntucky Warmouth]

I've found hopping to work best for shakey head fishing personally. It allows me to fish a shakey head much faster as well

Works good for shaking, better,for me anyway, with tubes.  

[Shad_Master]

hoppin and bouncin is one method - but don't overlook twitching - just shaking your rod tip while the T-rig sits on the bottom - after a few second drag the worm and repeat.  This is what has evolved into the shakey head method, but some of us were doing this years before the term "shakey head" was ever invented.

[RoLo]

Bass will often follow a lure that is hopping and bouncing but without actually committing to a strike.

Although they are fascinated by the hops and bounces, they're more likely to commit to the lure

while it's in a vertical freefall or while it's gliding in a smooth pendulum arc.

Roger

[WRB]

Out west we call this presentation doodling or shaking. Think small little 1" to 2" inch little hops and bounces. You rod tip is held about 2 o'clock position and moving about 3" to 6" for about a 5 to 10 second period, then stop, lower the rod and retrieve the slack line and repeat. This type of retrieve is very effective when combined with a glass bead between the weight and worm. Worm fishing should be a slow presentation, you are more than likely fishing way to fast.

WRB

[bigtimfish]

It is pretty hard to mess up a retrieve of a tx rig. When I was a little boy learning how to fish this rig my dad told me to let it sink, hold the rod tip up and crank 5 times. stop for 10 seconds and cranks 5 more times. That way even caught fish for me when i was 3 or 4. Now what i do is not like that at all, but IMO it's a good starting point.

[Crestliner2008]

I learned to fish a texas-rigged worm by reading Doug Hannon many years ago. It was his theory that most bites went either undetected or missed because of rod position. His method was this. Make the cast, let the worm fall vertically on slack line. Take up the slack and wait to see if a bass takes it on the initial fall or not. He'd wait a good 30 seconds!

The most important step is the actual retrieve. Raise your rod to 12:00 o'clock and hold it there....forcing the worm to lift off the bottom and travel in a shallow, more horizontal arch, to it's next position. Hannon claims there is no need to jiggle, bounce or slide a texas rigged worm. This simple movement being the most effective at soliciting a strike. At that noon-ish position, hold it there for about 10 seconds or so, before reeling down from there to 9:00 o'clock. You just keep repeating it this same movement until you need to re-cast.

At this noon holding position, your feel is dramatically increased. You will feel a tap much quicker and more intensely. Your reaction then, would be to reel down to the fish and use a side sweeping hook set.

Hannon caught a LOT of bass using this technique. And it's worked well for me! Hope this is of some help.