Why Do Bass Eat Big Plastic Worms?

Now that is something that might be worth pondering…

There might be a number of reasons bass eat large plastic worms including:

• They resemble natural prey. Plastic worms are often shaped and colored to resemble real worms, some smelt-shaped minnows, or other forage that bass commonly eat. This triggers the bass's predatory instincts, and they strike the worm in an attempt to eat it.

• They are easy to find. Large plastic worms are relatively easy to see in the water, even in murky conditions. This makes them an attractive target for bass, as they can easily home in on them.

• They are easy to eat. The soft, pliable, slender body of a plastic worm makes it easy for bass to swallow. This is important, as bass are ambush predators that often strike their prey quickly and don't have time to chew it.

• They are a versatile bait. Plastic worms can be fished in a variety of ways, including retrieved slowly through the water, twitched back and forth, or jigged up and down. This makes them a versatile bait that can be used in a variety of fishing situations.

Bass pro Gerald “Gman” Swindle has a different view on why bass eat large plastic worms, so take a few minutes and listen to his ideas…

Big Worms for Springtime Bass

Generally speaking, the best time to fish with big plastic worms is during the warmer months of the year when the water temperature is higher than 60 degrees.

If you mention big worm fishing to most bass anglers, discussions of hot weather, heavy cover, deep water and summertime usually spring up. During the summer the water is warm; the bass are more active; and big plastic worms can be used to target bass that are holding on deep water structures like ledges and humps or around deeper cover such as weed beds or submerged trees. Snag-resistant, Texas-rigged magnum worms can be just the ticket to trigger strikes from big bass holding in and around deeper water cover.

In the spring, however bass are either preparing to or recovering from the spawn and are looking for food to build up their energy. Big plastic worms are a great choice during this time of year because they mimic the size of slower, larger bass forage and offer an easy meal for hungry bass.

Take a moment and watch this informative video from the folks at Sportsman's Outfitter's on rigging big worms for sprintime bass catching success...

Here's a summary of some tips for fishing big plastic worms for springtime bass:

• Use a medium-heavy or heavy action rod and matching, high-speed baitcasting reel.
• Use a 12- to 20-pound test line.
• Choose a big plastic worm that is 6 to 10 inches long.
• Use a Texas rig with 1/4-oz to 1/2-oz weight and 4/0 to 5/0 offset worm hook; do not peg weight unless necessary.
• Start by fishing the worm slowly and methodically.
• Vary your retrieve speed and retrieve technique to find what the bass are biting on when slow retrieve fails.
• Fish the worm in areas where bass are likely to be feeding, such as around docks, laydowns, and weed beds.

Ultimately, the best time to fish with big plastic worms for bass is when the conditions are right and when the bass are most active and feeding.

How to Fish Swimming Worms for Spring Bass

Fishing with swimming worms can be an effective way to catch bass in the spring. These soft plastic baits are designed to mimic the natural movements of forage swimming about in shallow water so they can be deadly when used correctly. 

Here are a few tips to help you fish swimming worms effectively for spring bass:

Select the right gear: Start with a 6'6'' and 7'6" medium-heavy power, fast action rod, paired with a matching, high-speed spinning or baitcasting reel spooled with 12 to 20 lb. fluorocarbon line. Next, tie on a Texas rig with a pegged 1/8 to 1/4 oz tungsten bullet weight, a 2/0 to 4/0 light wire worm hook size appropriate for the length of the worm you'll be using.

Choose the right worm: Select a swimming worm around 5-8 inches in length, with a paddle tail (Zoom Speed Worm or Big Bite Baits Tour Swim Worm) or vibe-cut (Zoom Ultravibe or Gambler Burner) tail design that creates a lot of movement in the water. Colors that work well in the spring are natural greens, browns, and pumpkinseed in clear water, black, red bug or junebug in stained water as well as brighter colors like chartreuse or pink when standard colors fail.

What the Heck Is an Inurig?

One of the most hyped plastic worm rigs in the recent past is yet another rigging technique/presentation from overseas... the Inurig!

Touted as being the most life-like plastic worm presentation around, I decided to check it out and see what I thought.

Here's a video from bass pro Matt Stefan describing his experience with the Inurig...

After watching Matt's video as well as a few other "in the water" presentations as well, I admit it does a pretty good job of mimicking a nightcrawler as it sinks in through the water column...

That said, is it really worth all the extra rigging hassle especially since most of the time when presenting plastic worms we're not even trying to imitate a worm?

I'm not so sure about that and doubt I would ever use it on a regular basis but...

I guess you never say never 😏

Dragging Worms for Cool Water Bass

I have to chuckle when watching many of these "winter - early spring" fishing tip videos where the pro states they're fishing "cold" water then mentions water temps in the low to mid 50s! 

Though that may seem that way in the south, here in the north country with many inches of ice covering our lakes in the late winter, water temps in the fifties is still a fantasy land for most of us :D

None the less there is some great info on "cool" water worm fishing for pre-spawn bass in this video featuring bass pro Shane Lehew talking about dragging worms on deeper water structure/cover...

Rigging Floating Worms

A few savvy bass anglers use floating worms throughout the warmer water periods. 

Combining the subtle action of the worm with its infrequent use, the floating worm can trigger bass strikes from skittish shallow water fish that turn away when presented other baits.

Know how to rig the floating worm? 

Take a moment and watch as the folks from Tackle Warehouse demo the floating worm rig!

Did you realize if you mess up the standard Texas rig on a floating worm it may actually work to your advantage?

Interesting! 😀

Catching More Bass on T-rigged Worms

What do you get when you combine a bullet weight, worm hook and plastic worm?

The pieces needed to create one of the most snag-less, bass catching rigs around; the Texas-rigged plastic worm.

Putting the rig together is fairly straight forward but there are several tips, explained below by bass pro Jacob Wheeler, that can definitely help catch more bass...

Swimming Worms for More Bass

The Texas rigged plastic worm has likely caught as many bass as any other bass bait on the market. 

Rigged with a bullet-shaped weight, the T-rigged worm can be worked by, through and over just about any type of bass-holding cover especially vegetation.

Though most bass anglers hop, drag or pull T-rigged worms through cover there is one presentation many don't use... the swimming worm!

Take a few minutes and watch as bass pro Shaw Grigsby explain why he loves fishing swimming worms for bass all across the country...