WesternBass Magazine December 2011, Page 8

WesternBass Magazine December 2011, Page 8

BeSt WorMS

Hand Pour

old school baits making a comeback,

W

hen i think of old school baits the first

thing that comes to mine is a westy

worm. i’m sure you all have heard of

them or fished them way back in the day. elite Series Pro John Murry has won several

boats and tournaments all over the west using this

bait. Believe it or not, it is finding its way back into

tackle boxes again.

The westy worm can be fished a variety of ways

and also used as a search bait. My favorite way to

work a westy worm is with a 6 foot 6 inch Med action

spinning rod spooled up with 6 to 8 lb florocarbon

line. toss it out there and let it hit bottom. The eratic

movement on the way down usually will draw a strike

but when it sits on the bottom it’s just flat out deadly.

When i throw a drop shot or a shakey head and the

fish are just not commiting to the bait, i immediately

throw the westy worm back in and will get them on

the back hook.

Working a westy worm is a lot like woking a

senko. There really is no wrong way! You can swim it,

work it slowly across the bottom or just dead stick it.

The presentation on the tip of the tail standing upright

or slightly at an angle always seems to draw a strike

especially when the bite is off. There are a couple

of variations of the westy worm out on the market

and lobina lures has two different versions. The

integrated model like the picture seen above or the

old school which is made by hand at the factory using

the old school superfloater worm. on the integrated

westy my 3 go to colors are oxlblood, shad, and good

ole red.. Yep red.. When i fish lake roosevelt and it

gets tough, i throw it and

can always seem to fill my bag by the end of the day. i know what you’re thinking, lake roosevelt is pretty thick with brush and trees. Sure you will loose a few by the end of the day but catching a solid keeper will change your attitude pretty quick!

Now for all you worming guys out there. injection or Handpour? The titles pretty much explain themselves. Handpour worms are done by hand and injection worms are done with a robotic machine or by injection tube where the plastic is shot into an aluminum mold. Sure you all have your roboworms on the boat but how many of you have that one guy who makes you your favorite color? after doing some research, i have come across some guys from California to texas who have mastered the craft of pouring by hand. The artistry of these guys are second to none and can pretty much make you anything you want! a couple of my favorites are located below.

FiNd them

www.fringetackle.net

This red shad worm is pretty

much the best I’ve seen.

www.maverickworms.com

This chocolate neon is killer

up in the Delta.

www.philsprop.com

Mother’s Finest Worms

can be found right here.

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