Mainely Outdoors: The wonder of worms

Bass fishing is practiced and enjoyed more than any other type of angling by sportsmen. I wonder what has been the greatest boon to this type of fishing over the last 50 years. Was it the remote operated trolling motor, graphite rods, braided fishing line, or perhaps aluminum reels with multiple bearings? In my opinion, soft plastic baits in a myriad of sizes, shapes, species and colors have been the invention to aid novice and pro alike catch more and larger bass.
To be more exact, plastic worms prove to be near infallible offerings for smallmouth bass here in Maine. Other baits may work better on certain days and in specific water colors and conditions, but day to day, week to month, soft worms catch more and larger bronzebacks. I truly enjoy casting deer hair bugs and plastic poppers on a fly rod, and tossing top water hard plastic plugs produce terrific explosive strikes. Casting or trolling shallow running lures and plugs can be exciting as well, but I always turn back to worms when conditions change and action falters.
There are also soft baits in the shape of grubs, salamanders, crayfish and frogs, certain manufacturers infuse their baits with salt or attractant scents to work on olfactory senses and draw more strikes. I prefer unscented plastic baits and use a spray bottle of crayfish scent to douse worms with fresh aroma every 15 to 20 casts. Attractant scents really disperse well in the water and draw bass to the bait from beyond sight range from which the fish otherwise would not see the realistically swimming worm.
When I first began smallmouth fishing with no appreciable selection of bass lures, I used streamer flies and Rapala floating and shallow diving plugs normally reserved for salmon and trout. I caught some fish, but watched and learned from more experienced bass busters and expanded my bait selection bit by bit. My initial use of soft plastic baits was with a 3” grub on a hook attached to a small gold Colorado spinner blade. I caught well over 100 bass on this rig my very first season tossing and retrieving it slowly on a spinning rig.
The spinner and grub rig still works well, especially on bright days when the fluttering gold blade flashes to draw the attention of distant fish to come closer to investigate, then strike. I graduated to longer more colorful baits and experimented with 4, 5, and 6 inch worms for a couple of years with fair success. Some plastic worms and lizards are 10 and 12 inches long, but I’ve found the 5” size offers me the most consistent action.
If you’re fishing a stream with some current or deeper, slower water where the bait needs to run deeper, I suggest a Colorado rig for the fake worm. A Colorado set up has your monofilament going through a small bullet weight and then the hook eye. A worm is hooked near the head then fed along the hook to the eye and the barb is then inserted lightly about an inch or two back on the plastic bait’s body. I then use a piece of toothpick to inset into the jig head bullet weight so it holds flush against the hook eye and can’t slide along the line. This rig sinks quickly and flows very realistically through the water as line is retrieved.
Proven favorite plastic worms are made by Yum, Zoom, Bass Pro, and Strike King, and cost about 4 to 6 dollars a dozen. Colors effective on regional smallmouth lakes include Watermelon, green pumpkin, motor oil, smoke, and Chartreuse. Over the last several years I’ve turned to Senko worms made by Gary Yamamoto, these are made from a heavier plastic that actually sinks deeper at a slow rate when not being reeled through the water. With a bit of rid-tip action and a slow stop and go retrieve they dip and dart through the water driving the bass into a feeding frenzy. They cost about $8 for 10 of the 5-inch worms.
Over the last 3 or 4 years a new method has developed for fishing worms called a “Wacky Rig”, and when bass are being picky toward regular worm casting, this style often perks up the action. Using a simple and inexpensive wacky rig tube tool, a strong O-ring is placed around a plastic worm at mid-body. A weedless hook is then inserted under the ring but not into the worm body so the plastic baits hangs from the hook and moves through the water like an inverted U.
To me a wacky rigged worm looks ridiculous, but there’s something about the motion and noise as it’s retrieved that draws strikes like a major league pitcher! I’ve had great luck on a variety of smallmouth lakes and rivers with Senko worms in black with red flakes, watermelon with black gold flakes, blue black with chartreuse flakes and smoke with black pumpkin flakes. These worms cast acutely and surprisingly long, and when bass are surface feeding a fast retrieve causing a bit of topwater wake elicits explosive strikes just like a topwater plug.
If you’re not a smallmouth bass caster, you’re missing out on some tremendous warm weather fishing. Despite having to travel an hour or so south to reach about a dozen bronzeback waters, the acrobatic, high leaping bass make every outing memorable. And soft plastic worms work for novice and pros alike—and you don’t’ even have to use a shovel or spade to dig them from the garden or compost pile. Bass fishing only improves as the weather warms, and worms work every time.