Summer 2018
®
Another option for Jordan Lee, when he thinks the fish have seen too many Texas-rigged worms
Jordan Lee’s Texas-rigged
setup
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KVD is also no stranger to the big worm technique
Typically, Texas-rigging his Upton’s Custom 10-inch UC Worm with a 5/0 hook and 1/4-ounce weight, he targets a variety of shallow cover and expects almost exclusively largemouth, even where spots and smallies also exist.
“When the temperatures heat up, I feel like the bass are most active and do a majority of their feeding at night,” Tate said. “A big worm proposes a nice easy meal for them to locate and chow on without chasing and hunting it down.
“I will still use a big worm in the daytime; but will slow down on the presentation and fish it around sparse structure/vegetation to catch the solo big ones guarding their spots. Don’t get me wrong, you will catch plenty of smaller class fish, but I will generally use the big worm to target that bigger bite.”
SWIM TEAM
When summer finds matted grass throughout the Delta and other hydrilla-heavy waters, a big ribbontail worm can play a particularly enticing role. Since bass tend to congregate under the grass, finding one means finding a bunch; so savvy anglers will swim their worm over the grass and target the breaks, cuts and blow-up holes where the fish are often looking. This technique can yield big results when the grass reaches within a foot or so of the surface — either its growth height or lower tide stages.
Otherwise, buzz the worm over dense grass and use those holes as ambush spots. Texas-rigging that ribbontail with a 1/8- to 3/16-ounce weight usually keeps it where it needs to be. If the grass is subsurface, you want to just tick the top edge. If you lose contact, just kill the bait and let it fall into the strike zone.
WHAT HIDES BENEATH
Skipping jigs and compact Texas-rigs is surely a good bet for reaching fish hiding in dock shadows; but Bassmaster Elite pro Jason Christie won’t hesitate to pull out a YUM 10-inch ribbontail worm and send it slithering down a dock piling.
Stuck on a 6/0 straight shank hook and weighted with a 1/4-ounce pegged sinker, this long profile slithering along the support structures often proves that not every big one is tucked deep. Hit the main pilings, probe the corners of the boat slips and swim the worm under the walkways.
Christie’s advice: After you flip the worm in there, check to see if a fish grabbed the bait on the way down. If not, give the worm a few tail-moving hops and repeat. Bumping up to 25-pound fluorocarbon’s a good idea for this close quarters fishing.
BIG AND SUBTLE
We tend to equate big summertime worms with hyperactive ribbontails, but while those motion-heavy baits certainly produce, we can’t overlook the benefits of a big worm with minimal action.
California pro Cody Meyer’s fond of the Strike King Bull Worm, a thick-bodied bait with a unique cupped tail