Bass on Plastics

Hoping to find a little help getting started with worm fishing.

So my questions are
1)what are some of your favorite brand worms
2)What are some of your favorite colors
3)What size hooks should I be using. If I am using a 7 inch worm should I be using a 3/0 hook? What for a 4 inch bait, and a 10 inch bait.
4)Any special hook for whacky rigging.
5)Rod selection

I am really hoping to get more into fishing plastics for bass. So if you can answer any of the questions or have anything else to add please help me out. Question 3 on hook size is one that I probably need the most help on.

Here is my opinion:

1. 7″ Berkley Power Worm or 5″ Senko type (whatever is on Sale)
2. Black, Brown, Green, White (in that order, depending on conditions)
3. Sort of depends on a few factors such as cover type and line type. I use 20# Power Pro or Fireline so I get the heavier guage 3/0 hooks. I like the worm hooks for the Power Worms and the wide gap hooks for the Senko style.
4. This is an exposed hook so you can get by with a smaller hook. Use the Senko type bait but place a split ring that squeezes over the worm, then slide the hook through the split ring. You will save money on bait.
5. Again depends on the conditions. 6 1/2 medium heavy spinning if you are throwing a jig worm or whacky worm or 6 1/2 medium heavy baitcaster if you are pitching around wood or weeds.

Another think to consider is rigging: Carolina, Texas, Jig Worm, rock jig, etc. I would recommend that you keep it simple, gain some confidence with two/three techniques and then expand your game. The three I would start with would be:

1. Whacky around docks and the deep weedline. Just cast er out and let it sit between twitches. Go s l o w …
2. Florida rig worm. The Florida rig weights have a spring that pegs the weight to the worm. The deeper/thicker the structure/cover the heavier. 3/8 is a good weight in general.
3. Jig Worm. This is another presentation that works well in thinner cover or outside the weedline. I like a 4 1/2″ Creek Critters hand poured bait for a jig worm.

If you are just getting started, I’d go with a Bass Assassin four inch worm or a french fry. Both will catch a ton of fish, and the smaller size will make it easier for you to work and, I think will attract more action. You can order off of the website. http://www.bassassassin.com

thanks for the great info guys. I will give the bassassins a look.

I love zoom u-tails in either red shad or like a pumpkinseed w/ green tail. craw tubes are great as well in a brown w/ red fleck.

As was said earlier, smaller baits do attract more attention, but With a bigger bait, you can get more quality fish. 5 or 6 ” seems to be a good size for a worm, but keep in mind, a bass will eat something much bigger than you would think they could even fit in their mouth. This morning i got a 9 inch perch on a 5 inch worm…i was pretty surprised.

Pretty much anything will catch some fish, but the best way to start out is to find a weed line or a shore lined with timber and bounce the worm up and down continuously. If you cant get a bite, slow it down and crawl it along the bottom with occasional twitches and pauses.

my personal favorite is a colprit 6 inch red shad, texas rigged. with a couple squirts of chompers bait spray on it! i would like to thank bigfish679 for getting me into useing it!

YES worship before me! for i will put you on fish!

jk jk

I must say though, you have become a better fisherman with a little help from me, and the culprit worm!

Dont you love plastics?

yes i do and thank you cade!!!

One more thing to jason26, the bite of a bass is pretty easy to feel, but not so easy to react to. A lot of times, one will hit it really hard and you set the hook and miss it. I usually give the fish 2 or three taps and then i reel up the slack and nail ’em with a sweeping hook set.The reason why it is bad to set the hook on the first tap is because generally, when they pick it up off the bottom, they will grab the tail end. The second tap that you feel is when the suck it in. Sometimes the fish will grab and run as well. if they tap it a whole bunch of times and you are still missing them, then they are obiviously very small or maybe even sunfish or something else. Genarally, the bite will come on a pause when the fish are not so agressive and it will be just a “tap-tap-tap” type of thing. If you are working it a little faster and more irratically, the bass might just wham it one time and not let go. Sometimes, the bass will even grab it when you are reeling it up to the boat…