I have never had any luck with artificial worms

[jerebro]

I have never had any luck with artificial worms, however, I have a wide varity of them. Any tips? All I have are Gulp leaches, and powerworms. various colors. How do I rig them for big creek fishing and what colors seem to do best? Also, what kind of rig's would you prefer? How do you rig those kinds. I have a canoe with a trolling motor that I use every chance I get, this is mainly the only place I fish. Thanks !

[retiredbosn]

What size worm are you using? I was with a guy who caught a smallie on a 5 inch ribbon tail once (motor oil), he is the only one I've ever known to successfully smallie fish with a worm.  He threw it that day as a joke. I kept that bag of worms for a couple of years, I never got a hit on them.

FWIW I have never bothered to seriously fish for smallies with worms, never felt the need.  If I can't catch them on a grub or a craw, I go home.  I've never had to go home.

[RandySBreth]

Worms for Smallmouths aren't a joke. Like any lure you just have to know how to rig them and how to present them. Texas rigged on a small wide gap hook with a 1/16 or 1/8 ounce bullet weight is great for pitching behind current breaks (logs, rocks) and curl tail worms are great on jig heads - use just like a grub. A small baitfish-colored finesse worm drop shot rigged is awesome for bass that are tight to current breaks like bridge pilings- pitch right at the current break and use just enough weight to let the current slowly sweep it through the current seam beside the cover. The lure will trail out downstream - and look just like a minnow trying to fight the current. There's way more than that, but that's a start. Here's a couple of good In-Fisherman article about Smallmouth worms.

http://www.in-fisherman.com/content/smallmouth-worms

http://www.in-fisherman.com/content/smallmouth-worm-different-animal/1

My favorite is the 4- to 6-inch curltail on a 1/8-ounth jighead instead of a grub. It's a killer.

[retiredbosn]

When I think of wormin I think of the traditional Texas rigged dragged along the bottom. The In-Fisherman article is basically using worms as grubs. As far as drop shotting and stuff like that, it doesn't fit into my category of wormin. That is what I was referring to, LM worms 7" and bigger are not the best smallie bait, smaller worms fished like a grub I can see where they would be effective. I was in the garage this morning comparing my four inch grubs to the selection of worms I have accumulated. Some of my 7" worms can be cut down and fished with a jig head to make a large grub, to me that isn't wormin, that's grubbin.

So I can see where worms would be effective, just not in the traditional sense of the idea or wormin.

[The Yankee Fist]

weightless whacky rigged smaller 3-4" varieties work well in the rivers and lakes I fish...Senkos are even better. Mainstays are the tube, grub and trap for me...when things get REAL tough, the inline spinners come out.

[islandbass]

Put your worm on a drop shot set up and you will get that monkey off of your back.

For me, the "never caught a bass on it" lures are spinner and buzzbaits.  

[The Yankee Fist]

Put your worm on a drop shot set up and you will get that monkey off of your back.

For me, the "never caught a bass on it" lures are spinner and buzzbaits.

Nothing on inline spinners? Wow, those save my rear somedays. Up to a size 3 Mepps. When it's really low and slow they like copper 0 sizes up here...so do trout though.

I have not caught many smallies ever on a spinnerbait but usually I will sub that application in shallow water with a soft plastic 4" jerk bait. Rarely when I get in a boat I do get some fish running a spinnerbait parallel to the shore if I see baitfish schooling there and I'll work it from a drop off across and through the baitfish and that has worked.

I bet I could get away with just traps, tubes, senkos and grubs for all of my smallie fishing. In fact I know I could. Bait monkey

[riverfisher]

I have never had any luck with artificial worms, however, I have a wide varity of them. Any tips? All I have are Gulp leaches, and powerworms. various colors. How do I rig them for big creek fishing and what colors seem to do best? Also, what kind of rig's would you prefer? How do you rig those kinds. I have a canoe with a trolling motor that I use every chance I get, this is mainly the only place I fish. Thanks !

They dont work at all seriously..............Please send all the worms you own to me as soon as possible for proper disposal!!

[Back2fishing]

Up here in the great white north , all i use is 5" or 6" worms for smallies works great here.

[NewAngler]

On a local river I fish (at some points its just a big creek) I can pull decent numbers on a 7" curl tail I've cut down to about 4 inches. Nothing EVER of any size, though. I hook it up with a shakey head, 1/4 oz. But I do a slow steady retreive, so I guess its more like "grubbin"

Sorry for not helping!

[tutle]

I have caught many smallmouth on worms .The last one was a 3 pounder yesterday around 8 pm.  I carolina rig in the lakes with zoom finesse.  I texas rig when I'm in the creek. There is an old saying," you can't fish a worm too slow". Sometimes I get slammed ripping them in to make another cast though. That second between when you think one might have picked it up and you set the hook is what makes the plastic worm my favorite lure.

[wormsnufsaid]

i as you can tell love the worm for you id say a 4 inch power worm on a smaller jig head (weeds permitting) and just work it everywhere space the floor heck ive used worms as topwaters and caught them (given it was a rage anaconda) but never the less dont quit on your friend the worm

[xxroosterxx]

here in ky the 7 inch gulp worms are great for smallies

[jerebro]

HOW DO YOU USE THE GULP WORMS. I HAVE PLENTY OF THOSE. WHAT RIG WORKS BEST? BE SPECIFIC BECAUSE I DONT KNOW HOW TO RIG THEM ALL THANKS.

[gordon]

I just got back from fishing in New Hampshire and all I used was 6" Senko type worms and Trick worms.  95% of the time I just rigged the typcal Texas rig on a 4-0 hook but I also had success using a small octopus style hook and nose hooked the worms.

I caught over 40 small mouth bass.  I can see why people like smallie fishing.  They put up a great fight.

One thing I've been learning is that I do best with the rig that I know and can feel.  That seems more important than the lure itself.

[Zilch]

Here is what worked for us last week on our trip up north:

1. Zoom shakey head worm TR weightless.  Watermelon seed color.  Let it drop on slack line then then slow lift.  Smallmouth were slamming these.

2. 5" Senko TR weightless.  They seemed to prefer the green with chartreuse tail.  Same method as #1.  Worked ok but not as well as #1.

3. 7" Anaconda TR with 1/4 Oz bullet weight unpegged.  Double header color.  Was just slow swimming it in and then letting it drop on occasion.  Again, #1 was much more effective but I landed a couple with this.

Water was gin clear with little wind.  I could see the bottom of the channel  (20 - 30' or so) when the sun was overhead all week.  We were just drifting along the mid depth weeds (8' or so) using these baits/techniques.

Hope some of this was helpful.