Maya Ellison
Fishing with plastic worms is a popular technique for catching bass. The method you use will depend on the environment you find yourself in. For example, if you are fishing in a lake, you will need to adjust your approach depending on whether you are in deep or shallow water, or in an area with thick vegetation. In clear water, a wacky worm rig is a good option, whereas in deeper water, a Texas or Carolina Rig is more suitable. Dock fishing requires good casting skills to get your worm under the dock, into the shady water where bass are often found. In this situation, an unweighted worm works best.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Rig type | Texas rig, Carolina rig, Florida rig, Drop shot rig, Wacky rig |
| Hook type | Worm hook, Offset hook |
| Hook size | 4/O or dependent on worm size |
| Weight type | Bullet weight, Egg sinker, Carolina rig weight, Slip sinker |
| Weight placement | Above the hook |
| Weight movement | Slides freely on the line |
| Worm movement | Tiny twitches, slow hopping, crawling |
| Rod movement | Raise from 9 pm to 11 pm, sweeping back 45 degrees |
| Casting placement | Towards shoreline cover, 45 degrees up river, into rapids |
| Line movement | Slack, sideways |
| Worm type | Curly tail, Creature baits, Finesse worms |
| Worm colour | Green pumpkin, black, black/blue, deep purple, pale brown, chartreuse, pink, dark brown with metallic flecks, red, purple, watermelon, white |
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What You'll Learn
Texas Rig setup
The Texas rig is one of the most popular ways to fish with a plastic worm. It is versatile and can be used in any water body, including creeks, rivers, ponds, and small lakes. The setup for Texas rigging is quite simple and can be used with both spinning tackle and baitcasters.
To set up a Texas rig, first, select the appropriate hook. You can choose between a straight shank and an extra wide gap (EWG) hook. A straight shank worm hook is a good option when fishing around grass as it has a streamlined profile. An EWG hook, on the other hand, is better for hooksets and is suitable for larger soft plastic lures. For most straight-tail worms, a Size 4 VMC EWG hook is recommended, while you can increase the size to 5/O for ribbon-tail worms.
Next, you'll need a bullet-shaped slip sinker, preferably made from something other than lead, such as brass, ceramic, or tungsten. The weight of the sinker will depend on the depth of the water and the mood of the fish. Insert the line into the pointed end of the sinker and slide it onto your line.
Now, take your plastic worm and insert about a quarter of an inch of the hook straight into the top of the worm. Curve the hook, push it out, and slide the rest of the hook down to the eye. Turn the hook 180 degrees and push the barb back through the worm. You can choose to hide the hook inside the worm or push it straight through and bury it on the backside. This "'weedless' setup allows the worm to slip through weeds without getting snagged.
Finally, cast your Texas-rigged worm towards your desired fishing spot and let it fall to the bottom. Once it reaches the bottom, reel up the slack line and give the rod tip a few small twitches. If you don't get a strike, slowly hop the worm along the bottom or over any structures.
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Carolina Rig setup
The Carolina Rig is a great way to fish with soft plastic worms to cover a large area of water and is a good way to learn about the area. It is a simple setup that presents a soft plastic lure to the fish in a natural way. The lure and hook are attached to a leader that trails behind a sliding weight connected by a swivel. The weight is dragged along the bottom, stirring up silt and making noise to attract fish, while the soft plastic worm swims naturally behind it.
To set up a Carolina Rig, you will need a rod in the 7-foot range, with medium-heavy power and fast action. Load your reel with 15-pound monofilament and a leader of 12-pound fluorocarbon, or opt for 30-pound braid for the mainline with a fluorocarbon leader.
- Add a sinker to your mainline using an egg-type or bullet-type weight.
- Add a bead behind the weight, then tie a swivel onto the line.
- Choose a leader in the length of 18" to 30" and tie it to the swivel.
- Tie on a hook at the end of the leader. A 3/0 worm hook is standard, but you can go up to a 5/0 hook. A wide gap offset worm hook is a good choice.
- The lure is typically a soft plastic worm, but you can also use lizards or creature baits.
When fishing with a Carolina Rig, position your pole parallel to the water's surface and use a smooth sweeping motion to move the lure. This will help you feel the difference in the composition of the lake bottom as you move across grass, sand, and gravel.
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Shaky jig setup
The hook type should be a thin or light-wire hook. The hook size used is determined by the depth of the water being fished. For fishing in deeper water, a heavier jig in the 1/4 to 1/2 ounce category is preferred. For warmer months, a 1/8-ounce jighead can be used for shallow fishing, while a 1/2- or 3/4-ounce jighead can be used for deeper fishing.
The shaky head worm concept arrived in the East during the 1980s when anglers affixed plastic worms to jigs. One such creation was the Taco Head, also called the Shake-N-Head, by Fred "Taco" Bland of Alabama. He replaced the crappie jig's No 2 hook with a 2/0 hook on a 1/8-ounce ballhead crappie-style jighead. William Davis of Davis Bait Company crafted a similar ballhead jig for a jig-and-worm combo around the same time. He named his jigs The Shaky Head, which has become the popular name for today's jigworm fishing.
The shaky head worm is a versatile lure that can be used year-round to catch bass. It is especially effective when fishing pressure causes bass to ignore power fishing lures such as spinnerbaits, crankbaits, or jigs.
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Wacky worm setup
The Texas rig is the most popular setup for fishing with plastic worms. To create this setup, place a bullet weight on the line above a 4/O worm hook. The hook size will depend on the size of the worm. The weight should slide freely on the line. Pierce the worm with the hook so that the tip of the hook goes back into the worm's body, making it "weedless". Cast the worm towards shoreline cover or structure and wait for it to reach the bottom—you'll know when it has because the line will go slack. Bass often strike the worm as it falls, so pay close attention to the line as you cast. Once the bait reaches the bottom, reel up the slack line and give the rod tip a couple of small twitches. If this doesn't attract any bass, slowly hop the worm along the bottom or over the fishing structure. You don't need to move the rod tip much to achieve an effective worm movement.
Another technique is the Carolina Rig, which is slightly more technical than the Texas Rig but still relatively simple. Place an egg sinker or a Carolina Rig weight on your line to create this setup. As with the Texas Rig, the weight should slide freely on the line.
The Florida Rig is very similar to the Texas Rig, with one key difference: the weight does not slide freely on the line. Instead, it has a small peg with a spring-like device that screws into the head of the plastic worm, locking everything together.
The Drop Shot Rig is a more advanced technique that is difficult to master.
When fishing with plastic worms, it's important to consider where the fish are likely to be. They tend to gather in front of or below the current. Fish are more likely to be found 50-100 yards above rapids, as being too close to the rapids causes them to expend too much energy maintaining their position. When casting below rapids, aim into the rapids and then reel the worm out into the calmer water beside it. Fish will often dart into the current from this calmer water to grab a worm. Fish will also tread water behind objects that block the current, such as rocks or fallen trees, so cast above these obstacles and then retrieve the worm past them.
The colour of the worm is also important. There are charts that suggest which colours to use in different conditions, but generally, green pumpkin, black, or black/blue are good options.
Finally, the type of retrieve is important. You can hop the worm off the bottom by raising your rod from 9 o'clock to 11 o'clock, then letting it drop back to 9 o'clock while reeling up the slack. Fish often strike the worm as it drops back to the bottom. You can also make the worm crawl along the bottom by sweeping the rod back 45 degrees and then reeling up the slack.
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Dock fishing with plastic worms
To fish with plastic worms, you will need to master two plastic worm rigs: the Texas rig and the Carolina rig. The Texas rig is the most popular for fishing with plastic worms. It involves placing a bullet weight on the line above a 4/O worm hook. The hook size will depend on the size of the worm. The weight will slide freely on the line. To rig the worm, impale the tip of the hook back into the body of the worm so that it is "weedless". Cast the worm towards shoreline cover or structure and let it fall to the bottom. You will know it has reached the bottom when the line goes slack. Reel up the slack line and give the rod tip a couple of tiny twitches. If this does not produce a strike, begin to slowly hop the worm along the bottom or over the fishing structure. You can also "hop" a Texas Rig along the bottom with quick twitches of the rod tip. Plastic worms on a Texas Rig also work well when making short, accurate casts toward heavy structures. Give your rod a gentle twitch to give the rig some action.
The Carolina rig is a little more technical than the Texas rig but is still a relatively simple technique. Place an egg sinker or a Carolina Rig weight on your line to create this rig. As with the Texas rig, the weight should slide freely. If there is a bunch of gunk on the bottom, switch to a Carolina rigged floating worm. You can also use a shaky jig head in this situation. Just cast it past where you think the bass are hiding and slowly bounce it on the bottom past them. The shaky head rig can be safely used around aquatic vegetation without fear of getting snagged.
The Wacky Rig is another option for rigging a plastic worm. This involves hooking a soft plastic worm in the middle of its body. This rigging style gives the worm a lot of action and is incredibly effective at catching fish. The Wacky Rig is typically weightless, but you can add a split shot weight a few inches above the hook if you want it to sink a little faster. When paired with a Senko Worm, the Wacky Rig can be skipped across the water for an appealing topwater presentation. For best results, use a Wacky Rig in shallow areas close to rocky areas, fallen trees, docks, or along the fringes of cattails or lily pads. Senko Worms are also useful in areas with thick vegetation/structure, as they lack appendages that might get snagged.
When fishing with plastic worms, it is important to pay attention to your line during your retrieve. If the line goes slack all of a sudden, chances are the worm is in the mouth of a bass. It is common for the line to begin to move sideways when a bass picks up the bait and swims perpendicular to the direction of your cast. In this situation, reel up any slack line and set the hook. Generally, you should not move the rod more than 6 to 8 inches. However, the amount of movement needed will depend on the type of area you are fishing.
Color and style make a big difference when fishing with plastic worms, so always have a good assortment of colors, styles, and lengths, as well as a good supply of different worm weights. An assortment of weenie worms, craw worms, lizards, curl tail, finesse, and ribbon-tail worms will cover nearly every situation. Bulkier worms with twist tails, multiple tails, or other appendages usually work best in water with low visibility and thick cover. However, they can also work in clear water because everyone tends to throw small baits. Use thin worms with straight tails in vegetation. When fish are inactive, try using a smaller worm. In clear water, lighter, more translucent colors tend to work best: blue, green, pearl, or smoke.
When fishing in heavy cover, you can peg the slip sinker by inserting a toothpick through the hole of the sinker. This will keep the sinker from hanging up and increase your feel of the lure. To prevent the worm from sliding down the hook shank, push the eye of the hook down into the plastic worm, spear a piece of monofilament fishing line through both the tip of the worm and the hook eye, and trim the ends of the monofilament. This is a sight bait, meaning the fish must see it to strike it. Therefore, it works best in clear water. Use this worm weightless, and cast it under overhanging trees and near flooded bushes in shallow water.
When dock fishing with plastic worms, cast your worm as far past the dock as you can and slowly work your worm back past the area. Try 4 or 5 times before giving up on a spot.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several ways to fish with plastic worms, including the Texas Rig, Carolina Rig, and Wacky Rig. The technique you use will depend on the environment you are fishing in.
Rig your worm "texposed", throw it out, count to 10, bounce it once or twice, let it sink, count to 5, bounce again, and repeat.
Lakes have a variety of environments, including deep spots, shallow shorelines, and thick vegetation areas. You will need to adjust your techniques accordingly. For example, you will probably need to increase your weights to fish in deeper parts of the lake.
Bass like to hide in ambush points facing into the current, waiting for prey. Cast up-current or perpendicular to the current so you don't spook the bass by approaching from behind.
Docks are perfect ambush points for predators. Cast your worm under the dock into the shady water where bass are likely to be hiding. Use an unweighted worm for docks without any current. Flip the worm under the dock and slowly work it back out into the sunlight.
