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Texas-rigged Plastic Worm
Though it is certainly not the most exciting way to fish, a
Texas-rigged plastic worm is one of the most effective methods of putting
largemouth bass in the boat.
Here's the situation: You have been given a
life sentence to be served on a good largemouth bass river (what a punishment!)
and you must survive on a diet of largemouth bass. You are allowed only one type
of lure to catch your meals. Which lure will you choose? That decision would
take me about half a second. Of course I'd choose a Texas-rigged plastic worm!
Largemouth bass will hit a Texas-rigged worm or lizard in all seasons and in all
types of water conditions. If my survival depended on it, I think my best shot
at catching river bass throughout the year would be with a Texas-rig.
So what the heck is a Texas-rig? A Texas-rig
begins with a bullet type sliding sinker weighing anywhere from 1/16 to 1/2
ounce depending on current and depth. In deeper water or stronger current, more
weight is best. The bullet weight will slide up and down the line so that when a
bass tries to steal your worm, it won't detect the weight. At the end of your
line will be a size 1 to 4/0 worm hook. Choose your worm hook based on the size
worm or lizard you will use. Make sure the hook is no longer than half the
length of your bait. Finally, a plastic worm or lizard will be threaded onto the
hook with the business end of the hook buried into the body of the worm (see
picture). More on worm and lizard selection later.
The best thing about Texas-rigged worms and
lizards is that they catch bass of all types like crazy. The second best thing
is that they are next to impossible to hang up, meaning that you can fish them
amidst the deepest tangles a river can offer and get your lure (or a bass!) back
almost every time. Having said all that I'll say this: I absolutely detest
fishing Texas-rigged worms. It is a painfully methodical fishing method. You
cast, wait for the lure to reach the bottom, and slowly twitch it back
maintaining contact with the bottom. Once the lure is out of the strike zone,
you reel it back in and repeat the process. Worm fishing is a bit slow for my
taste; a necessary evil if you will. Many times though, it is the only way to
catch 'em.
Two of the author's favorites: a red shad Culprit worm
(top) and an electric grape Zoom lizard
Best Seasons and Situations
There is no bad time to use a plastic worm or
lizard. Warm or cold water, prespawn, spawn, or postspawn, winter, summer,
spring, or fall; any time is a good time to use a plastic worm. I use them when
they won't bite anything else. There is no slower form of fishing than bumping a
Texas-rigged plastic worm along the bottom, so if I can catch fish with a faster
technique, I will. You will never make as many casts in a day of worm fishing
than you will fishing anything else. Impatient by nature, the worm is my weapon
of last resort. Any time the bass are inactive (which is a lot of the time), I
will go to the worm. This happens in all seasons, but winter and the dead heat
of summer are times when a Texas-rigged worm and not much else will put a few
fish in the boat.
Do Texas-rigged worms work on other bass
species? You bet they do! Most of the time when smallmouth, redeye, spotted or
shoal bass fishing I will use different methods for probing the bottom. In
situations with lots of current though, I will often rig up a smaller (4-5 inch)
worm, lizard, or grub on a Texas-rig with enough weight to get it down to the
fish. This is especially effective on these species during the spring when the
rivers tend to run high.
Tips and Techniques
Fishing a Texas-rigged worm or lizard is an
art unto itself, and perfecting the technique, especially on moving water,
requires a lot of practice. The first thing you have to do is develop enough
confidence to go ahead and throw it back in the thick stuff. After all, that is
where Ole Mossyback lives. Next, you have to maintain a high level of
concentration to feel what that worm is doing at all times. A stiff graphite rod
(medium-heavy works) helps, but you also must watch your line. A lot of times
you won't feel the traditional tap-tap, but rather notice your line twitch or
begin moving off. You can do everything else right, but still get skunked if you
don't know how to get that hook into the fishes jaw. When you get a strike,
don't count to three or let the fish run or any of that foolishness. Quickly
reel in the slack and give that rod a solid yank toward the heavens. Half the
time you will discover it wasn't a fish, or you might send a 6-inch bass into
orbit. Don't worry about it. If you aren't sure it's a bass, set the hook
anyway. You'll get skunked a lot if you don't.
When fishing a worm or lizard Texas-style,
you need to use gear that can hold up to a strong hookset and drag a bass out of
heavy cover. Both spinning and baitcasting gear are fine, but use at least
10-pound test line and a fairly stiff rod. Don't fish too fast either. I have
warded off a skunking more than once while trying to get out a backlash. My worm
just sat in one place for a couple minutes and when I began reeling it in, a
bass had it. Fishing plastic worms too rapidly is a common mistake. Plastic
worms work best when cast upstream and worked downstream. It is much easier to
keep the lure in contact with the bottom this way. I also prefer to use as light
a bullet weight as possible. I feel that the slower the worm falls, the more
enticing it is to the fish, and fish tend to hold onto worms longer if there is
less weight attached to them.
I am a firm believer that worm color matters
a whole lot more to fishermen than it does to fish. I almost always use 6-inch
Zoom or Culprit worms in the Red Shad color, but some folks do just as well
other sizes and colors. Most fishermen prefer darker shades (browns, purples,
black), but whatever you feel confident in will probably work just fine. I will
also use both plastic lizard and fat 3-inch curlytail grubs on occasion. Lizards
seem to work well during the spring, I guess because bass see them as a threat
to their spawning beds. Grubs work well when the water is colder and the bass
don't necessarily want a big meal. Sometimes a worm rattle inserted into the
body of the worm is a good idea too.
One of the biggest drawbacks of fishing
plastic worms on a river is boat control. By the time you have made a cast and
let the worm reach bottom, you have floated so far downstream that its
impossible to work the lure properly. Anchors are a tremendous help here, but
progress can be painfully slow when you are constantly throwing out and pulling
in an anchor. Drag chains could help, but I always seem to forget mine. If
possible, try and find an eddy to pull into or have your boat rest against a log
or rock near the area you want to fish. What I normally end up doing is fishing
a faster lure until I get to a spot that I just know has to have a bass in it.
At that point, I will anchor, stick the boat against a log, or jump out and
wade-fish the area. Fishing Texas-rigged worms can be a pain, but if it comes
down to getting skunked or catching a few, I'd fish naked if I thought it would
help!
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