You can work rubber worms a ton of ways. Do a search in you tube for Throwing Texas Rigged Worms, Throwing Wacky Rigged worms, Throwing Carolina rigged worms. Those will be a start.


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Check out shakey heads too


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I'm going to try worm harnesses as soon as I can get out, a technique I've never tried before. There is a great thread going on in the Lake Erie discussions about them.


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There is practically NO way to work a worm wrong.

 

Bad news...once u learn how u never wanna use anything else..I prefer texas rigged myself...all I do is throw it out, let it sink to the bottom, and pump it back towards u letting it sink back to the bottom between rod pumps while at the same time reeling up the slack line..kinda like bouncing it off the bottom..I keep my rod tip fairly high so I can reel down and nail em!..with that being said there are several ways to work your worm!..

 

I tie on a #2 worm hook and bury enough hook to hide the eye once it's fiuuly rigged, with a 5" stick worm, Usually start with a pumpkin colored work with a chrat tip(just my favorite).

I use the smallest swivel I can get by with betweek my main line and the leader with the hook tied on.

Cast it out and let it sink. Then I either bottom bounce it back, or slowly retrieve it giving little jerks ever few feet. (The worm will curl, jump, chang direction some and then lightly fall to the bottom this way.)

Not a great worm fisherman, but this is what worked best for me last year. I'm also building my abilities so I may answer differently next time! LOL

Mr. A

(2013)
SMB: 0 LMB: 0
Catfish: 0 Bluegill: 0
Other: 0

 

At night or in cloudy water I like to insert a rattle into the worm , that tiny little worm rattle makes enough sound under water to draw in curious fish.

 

thank you all for the tips and techniques i will try all these A.S.A.P. thank you very much and keep letting me know what works best for you
Bass_master

 

one more question, should i use Bait casting reels or Spinning reels? I'm usually good with both with the ocasional back lash though

 

I'm of the opinion that what reel you use depends on how heavy the bait is. My baitcaster has a minimim of 3/8oz so unless I happen to be throwing a worm carolina rigged or at least weighted I'd stick with a spinning reel. My spinning reel technically shouldn't be good for a weightless wacky worm, but I can do it. If I tried that with my baitcaster I'd have birdsnests every cast.

Just my 2c.

Mr. A

(2013)
SMB: 0 LMB: 0
Catfish: 0 Bluegill: 0
Other: 0

 

I think baitcasters are good for pitchin short distance , like from a boat towards docks or natural cover , you just have more control of the line and the cast and you can put the bait right where you want it whether it be worms , spinners , or any other type lure. For casting long distance or to areas where you dont care about accuracy as much my opinion is that you cant beat a spinning reel. But what reel you use depends more on your personal preference , aside from baitcasters not generally being great for casting anything lightweight , you could use whatever you prefer.

 

One of the best ways to catch LM and other species IMHO...TX rig, Carolina rig, Wacky rig, Shaky head, weightless, drop shot...then theres all the different types of worms, curly tail, senko, etc. Here soon that will be one of my go to baits that will last till late fall. Learn the worm if you want to catch LM!!

I place worms in the finesse category and think light line on a spinning real is the way to go. Baitcasters are more for chunking and winding, powerfishing with heavier baits and line...but to each there own

 

For me, the thickness of the cover I am fishing, the lures weight, and the length of cast or pitch that I need to make, is what determines whether I use spinning gear or bait casting gear. If I'm fishing in heavy cover I want the power to get the fish out of cover and into open water. For me that means bait casting gear. If I'm using a light lure, and need to cast or make a fairly long pitch, then I'm going to use spinning gear.

If you're worried about a quiet presentation...... which you should be. Then it's bait casting gear all the way. Once you get more experience fishing Texas rigged soft plastics you'll see that there is a lot to take into consideration when choosing the proper gear. For now just work on the basics... The most important part of the Texas rig is the hook. Sharp, high quality hooks. Actually, other than fishing where the fish are, the hook is IMO, the most important thing in fishing. If you can't hook them, you can't land them.

 

Does anyone use worms for shallow stream fishing for smallies? I had some luck with tubes last year and would like to learn more soft plastics techniques.

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One technique that wasn't mentioned is throwing weightless worms over moss on top of the water and just reel it in, works great for a weedless top water bait.