|
Fishing with Plastic worms comes in many forms. Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, Drop-shot rigs, Finesse fishing, to name a few. But 1st, let's see what we need.
Rods; Spinning rod; 6-1/2 to 8 foot , medium to heavy action depending on method, preference, and underwater obstructions you'll face. Spinning rods are preferable for use with unweighted worms, worms fished near the surface, and Texas rigs. If you're fishing 4" worms, a 6 1/2 foot rod is good.
Bait-casting rods; 6-1/2 to 8 foot, medium to heavy action depending on conditions above. They have more power and are used for long distance casting, woody cover, thick surface weeds, and heavier Carolina rigs.
If you plan to flip or pitch, a 7-1/2 to 8 foot rod may be better suited to the task. Always use the lightest rod possible. They offer the greatest sensitivity for detecting bites.
Line; Spinning reel- Usually 8 -12# test mono. Bait-casting reel- 12 - 30# test because you'll be fishing heavy cover.
In many cases braided and the newer fluorocarbon line are used. Remember, braided line is not abrasion resistant like mono or fluoro. It's not for use in heavy brush or rocky places. Fluorocarbon is abrasion resistant, sinks easily, and has less stretch than nylon. Plus it's supposed to be invisible in the water.
Use a palomar knot for superbraids and an improved clinch knot for mono and fluoro.
Reels; Depends on conditions. For light conditions (no wood, heavy slop, etc.) a spinning reel with a smooth drag. For heavy weeds, wood, rocks etc., a baitcasting reel will give you more power to muscle out the fish.
Hooks; From size 1 to size 4/0 depending on how big the bait is and conditions you're fishing in. When using a bait-caster you'll want heavy wire hooks to reduce the chance of them straightening out. For spinning rods and lighter action, light wire hooks are good. Size 1 and 1/0 light wire hooks allow the worm to sink slower and they penetrate better on a hookset. Use them with small (4 & 5") baits. Heavier hooks are use with larger worms from 6 to 12 inches. Offset shank hooks will hold the worm better than straight shanks will.
Sinkers; Normally bullet-shaped (Texas & Carolina rigs) and egg-shaped (Carolina rig). Again depending on the situation, from 3/8 to 1 ounce to maintain bottom contact. sometimes BB split-shots are used if you want the worm to sink more the 2 to 3" between twitches.
Worms; From 4" - 12" in length. Usually a worm from 6" -8" will give the most overall action. A large fish probably won't bother with a 4" worm and if all you use is a 10" or 12" worm, you're passing on medium sized fish. Most fishermen use ribbon or curly tails, but they will get hung up in woody cover and cause problems. In heavy cover use a straight tail worm. Some worms are ribbed and produce vibrations as they slide over rocks and branches attracting fish. As for color, use dark colors in clear water ( pumpkinseed, green pumpkin, black, blue-black, etc.). Also try slim, straight tail worms. They fall faster and are easily seen. In dingy water, use bright colors, red, chartreuse, bright blue, etc. something the fish can easily see. In muddy water, use a fat curly or ribbon tail lure. Fish can feel the vibrations before they can see the lure. For wacky worm, trick worm, or floaters, use white, bubblegum, yellow, something like that. You're looking for a reaction strike here.
Worms are fished using Texas & Carolina rigs, wacky worm style, drop-shotted, finessed, floating, etc. Due to space limitations, we'll discuss them in other articles.
|
