Plastic worms are probably the most popular fishing lure on the market today. Soft plastic worms are so popular because they work great for bass and most fishermen enjoy fishing for bass. Let's talk about some of the different styles as well as some tips on how to use them.
Some of my favorite plastic worms are 7 to 11 inch worms with a long curly-tail at the end. There are many different types of worms, but the worms with a long tail at the end are the easiest to use, especially for beginner anglers. You can use these worms with no weight, a small split shot, Carolina rigged or Texas rigged style. Just cast it out and retrieve it slowly with a lift and fall retrieve.
Most bass will bite on the fall so pay attention. I will use 7 inch worms early in the year and 11 inch worms during the summer. 11 inch worms will work well for bass in the 2 to 3 pound range and big bass love them. Go big in the summer. Use the bigger worms in the summer and you will catch more fish and lots of big fish.
I also have a lot of success using worms that don't have a tail. Basically, these worms are thin and pencil-like with no curly tail at the end. While these worms will not work as well as the curly tail worms with a basic lift and fall retrieve, they usually have better action with a quick more aggressive jerk then fall retrieve. The body will usually form a u-shape, which is similar to an actual worm falling through the water column. I definitely get more reaction strikes with these worms when I use an aggressive retrieve. These are also the worms that I prefer when I use a drop shot rig.
Drop shot rigs are set up with the hook above the weight. When you tie your knot to the hook, leave some extra line so you can attach a weight to it. With this set up, your weight will hit the bottom and the worm will sit about a foot to a foot and a half above the bottom. Drop shotting plastic worms can work wonders when fish are deep. An aggressive retrieve with a quick jerk and then a fall will produce many strikes.
Over the past year or so, I have had a lot of fun rigging worms wacky style. (This also works well with live worms.) The wacky style rig is where you hook the worm in the middle. For me, this rig works better when bass are more active in warmer water. I'm talking about late spring through the summer. I use a fairly aggressive jerk and fall retrieve with pencil-style worms when I fish wacky style. I have fished with many anglers that do well with a slow lift and fall retrieve as well, so try a few different retrieves with the wacky style and see what works best for you.
For more information on plastic worms or other fishing lures, take a look at our fishing equipment page.
Article provided by Kevin Sewell at Ultimate Fishing Site
