Bass Fishing with Worms
By: Barry Brasher Finesse worms, floating worms, centipedes, lizards, craws, four inch, six inch, nine inch, twelve inch, I don't care what kind of worm or the length, as much as how it is rigged. The most productive type of rig to me by far is the Carolina rig. This will consist of a half ounce to one ounce piece of lead, swivel, and a two to five foot leader. Anyway lets move on to the ever-popular Texas rig. This is one of the most boring types of fishing known to man, but the most popular. A slip weight, ranging in size from a split shot to as big as you want to throw. Toss the booger out there and bounce, drag, crank, or just let it sit there, which is called dead worming, and you will catch something. I have been fishing all my life, caught thousands of fish this way but the secret to bass fishing is to do something nobody else is doing. Fish are not dumb, if they see the same thing over and over again they do get wise to this bait and it does not work as well as it did fifty years ago. So lets talk about something fairly new like the dropshot and the shakey head rigs. Drop shotting is very simple. All you need is a piece of weight at the end of your line and a hook two or three feet up the line. The best way for me, not everyone, is to rig this type of fishing with a wacky worm. Let me explain wacky worm. All this means is to stick the worm in the middle letting it drape on both sides of the hook. I like to fish this rig in deeper water, vertically, with a bouncing motion keeping contact with the bottom. This kind of fishing is very interesting because the fish will either try to take it out of your hands, or just grab it and hold on. I have caught lots of fish with a dropshot but it will take practice. Now lets move on to the most frustrating type of worm fishing there is - the shakey head. What you will need is a one eighth to three quarter ounce jig head with a long shank hook. Just rig this bait like a Texas Rig with no weight just the jig head. Finesse worms work really well for this type of fishing, but you're not limited to any type of worm so have fun with this. Can't never tell - you might come up with a secret weapon! The main thing you have to remember is, fishing is suppose to be fun; and experimenting can make things a lot more fun. Every time you try something new you will become a better fisherman. All rigs mentioned above can be found on my site. How to rig and how to fish them, so check it out! Good luck and good fishing! Barry Brasher is an avid fisherman on Logan Martin and other Alabama lakes. He is also co-owner of BamaBassFishing.com, a popular website devoted to bass fishing in Alabama.
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