RiverEyes at RedWing with RingWorms

was out yesterday during the Monsoon…… I was lured by the reports of all the great fishing… but of course by the time I got there the conditions had changed…. the weather was changing, and the fishing pressure up by the dam was fairly intense considering the weather…… I went down there with the thought of fish on a tear so I did not even bother to bring minnows (or any other form of bait)…. thats a first for me, by the way…. fishing RedWing without bait… I figured it was kind of a leap of faith….. with all that Ive learned on this site over the last couple of years I figured SOMETHING would work….. and from my “clue like” title I bet you can guess what ended up bringin home the bacon…. errrrrrr I mean saugers……

for those who crave only details (and perhaps you have already stopped reading in disgust?)….. 2 of us fished mostly up by the dam for a little over 4 hours, the Wisconsin side was slow… we caught only a few there and they were smaller than the Mn side fish….. we tried Jigging spoons, blade baits, bucktails and finally RingWorms….

the fish instantly let us know that RingWorms were something they liked…. as soon as my smoke colored worm with a green tail hit the bottom it was fish on!… soon as I got back down… fish on again!…. needless to say my partner was scrambling to put one on his line so fast that I had to land the 2nd fish myself…. it was a sauger probably close to 20″ and I tried to swing it over the side… talk about your quick catch and release plan!… lol….. the fire line held… the hook held… the fishes mouth didnt….. *splash*…….

from then on we were nailing fish with Ringers…. had people asking “what the heck are those?” “where can I get some?”… maybe I should start an on the water tackle shop…. the fishing was pretty slow compared to what had been written about here, but we did pretty well……. numbers? ummmm… didnt count… probably around 40 I would guess…. mostly real nice fish….. lost one big one hit and fought like a walleye…. I was dying to try flinging some plastic at the shoreline but my buddy liked the action we were getting.. and really who could complain?

but ya know what? just what the heck is it about Ring Worms? Was talking with one of our fellow FTR guys yesterday….. and he speculated that maybe it was the twister tail…. hmmm maybe…. but I kept thinking about it…. such lines of thought fascinate me…. why do fish respond to certain things and not others? always interesting to me…. then I remembered years ago I was fishing from the bank on the wisconsin side below the Genoa dam one spring during the “run”…. I was using my usual twister tail, which has always been my bread and butter lure… when a guy walked down next to me, I was standing right ON the prime current break, you know.. the place where the eddy breaks and goes back towards the dam and the rest of the water goes down river… right there is a perfect spot to fish…… anyway….

I look over and he has on this bass fishing worm… heck it was even purple.. and pink I think… *wow*… what a clueless rube…. I felt sorry for the guy… all he had on him was a plastic bag full of “worms” and a few jig heads what some morons wont try!!…..

have you ever had one of them days when you started out thinking someone was a [censored] but by the end of the day you found out that someone was YOU? well… that guy kicked my *SS good and hard that day….. and you know what is even dumber? I never followed up to see just what the heck was the deal with them thar “worms”……. now years later… Im FINALLY cashing in….. and you know what… I have to say… I DONT think they are just the same as twister tails…. and I really have no idea why they work…. but one thing for sure.. they WORK……

oh…. and one final tip… to reward anyone with enough guts to hang onto this thread till the end…… yesterday I found that fishing vertical was great…. but slowly dragging them up river just like using a 3 way… was even better…..

so if anyone noticed a drenched guy in an old white and blue fiberglass trihull trolling slowly upriver using purple bass lures and catching decent numbers of fish… well.. that crazy man was me…… and I was crazy to not try them a LONG time ago…….. dont make the same mistake…… I never had to touch a minnow all day……

Oh ye of little faith. Have we not guided you down the path of wormness?

I hate to say I told you so but……..that’s what you have to do. Leave the bait home and try something else. It’s the only way to break the habit.

I, for one, am proud of you Eyes. You went out and tried something that others have told you about and you were rewarded.

Don’t be a one-trick pony!!! We’re not lying or trying to BS you when we tell you about presentations that work for us. Makes me feel good that you had a successful day using a technique that you learned about here.

Send Larry Erickson a thank-you card. We should all sign it.

Beav

That is a blast catching on plastic worms!!!! After borrowing more than I should have from Turk last Saturday, I never even asked him where I could get some. SO Where can I get some?????

Also, what does everyone think about other variations of plastic worms? HAve other styles worked well outside of the ringworm?

Thanks guys!!

Keep the rods bendin’!!!

Jim W

I tried the ringworms last Sunday, but was missing most of the fish. I decided to try the old stand-by 3″ power grub. I couldn’t keep my jig in the water. I’m guessing I boated 20 fish in two drifts. I started up near the sign and would drift just past the first wing on the Minnesota side of the channel.

I didn’t take bait either, why bother this time of year???

I had no problem with hooking fish on Ringies…. they glommed on and it was FISH ON!!…. good solid chomping…..

as for where to obtain them? Give Tim Hutchison (Hutch) a call… 608-326-6764….. and internet site of riverwalleyes.com…

I love this talk of Berkley Power Grubs on the river….I have taken most all of my biggest lake walleyes on the white 4″ Power Grub. I consider them to be “Gold” instead of white. Not that hard to find either. Cabela’s has them. I have found nothing that works better on a jig…. but all this talk of using them on the river and the colors that are going there, makes me want to order up some 4″ Purple!

I had some guys see me throwing these 4″ tails and ask if I am fishing for musky, but I have found that big walleye love the thump of the larger tail and the smell/taste of these large 4″ white Power Grubs. And, I seldom tip these with any live bait. Walleyes just gobble them up, as do big bass.

I have heard James referring to throwing big “mongo-sized” tails at wingdams… I wonder if these larger Power Grubs are what he is throwing? Hawger

You guys wait til January! No minnows, no cold hands! Nothing but fish slime! Gotta love it!

The worm bug was a sour pill to swallow for me, but I relented and tried it. That was last year, this year, now knowing they work, I tried some variations of the “ol’ worm” thing. I have found that there are days when the tail needs to be there and then there are days when the tail can be taken off and have greater success. I have also tried many different brands of worm. I have found that the Power Ribworm is the ticket, and it is available almost anywhere they sell Power Baits. Color tends to change also, but the darker colors usually seem to work best. The reds, purples, and browns (pumpkin,motor oil, ect). I have also found that the Power Crawler works wonders when the bite is a crawler bite, earlier in the fall.

Don’t forget the hair jigs, this is a killer “some times”!! This last Tuesday, farther down river from the dam, the only thing that would work for me was a hair jig with a very short black twister tail Power Grub. They couldn’t leave it alone, and bigger fish.

Welcome to the “worm farm”………..I am living proof, “you can teach old dogs new tricks” we just do them slower!!

Good Fishin’

TBO/MN

Cabelas has ringies as well as Bass Pro… and of course you can find those Berkley Pulse Worms and Power Ringworms in most Fleetfarms, etc.

Do a little digging, it won’t be hard for you to find some ringworms so you can hit the water with one of the best baits going. Just don’t be tempted to put BAIT on them!

James Holst

Moving Waters Guide Service

http://www.movingwaters.net

Hawger

The 4″ tails made by Berkley are, and I’m not kidding here, TOO small. We’ve been using minimum 5″ tails. I don’t think Berkley makes anything bigger than a 4″ tail, do they?

If you know otherwise, educate me and I’ll get on the hunt for some of those BIGGER Berkleys and give ’em a try.

James Holst

Moving Waters Guide Service

http://www.movingwaters.net

you know… I DID see someone using ringworms tipped with a minnow… dont recall seeing him land anything though… and I was thinking why tip something when you dont HAVE to!!

its just a confidence factor I guess…. Heck Im as guilty as the next guy…. particularly if the fishing gets tough.. you go with what you have the most confidence in…. its probably a “safe” thing to do… but often there are greater rewards to be had by trying something new and giving it an honest chance……

Yep Berkley does make a bigger tail, but like many of us here, I have not gone that big! Here is picture of Berkley’s 6″ Power Grub (with a 4″ placed just below it for comparison). I have used the 6″ on a Bait Rigs Essox Jig for Musky and have caught three on it! But for Walleye, never got brave enough to try one that big. I will now! FYI, I have a 100 pack of these 6″ sitting in front of me….lets see….100 times say…$1.00 each…. say, I may be able to order that new Red Barn Rod that I have been wanting after all!

Ha, just kidding… I’ll send you some ASAP no charge to try. You like white purple or pumpkinseed? Hawger

Would a guy be way off base using a sluggo? They make those suckers real long if need be?

Purple!

Jim,

Off base using a sluggo. Nope. Caught fish on them in the spring when the water gets crazy high.

James Holst

Moving Waters Guide Service

http://www.movingwaters.net

Great question Jim. I was standing in Gander last night, bag of 5″ kalens in one hand and a bag of sluggos in the other. I scratched my head and put both down. I’m gonna have to stop and pick some of both up. I forgot the golden rule last night, “You can never have too many plastics in the boat” right James!!!!!

Not sure how I would rig the sluggos, but neccessity is the mother of invention right??

‘Fowler

You can rig those sluggos on a jig with a decent hook gap. There’s just enough bulk to the plastic on the head end to take a jig as long as the collar on the jig isn’t extremely bulky.

I’ve not messed around with rigging them like you would if bass were your target but I’d assume that might be an option as well.

James Holst

Moving Waters Guide Service

http://www.movingwaters.net

Hey James,

I couldn’t find any ring worms at Cabelas, but did find these at Bass Pro, are they the same ones?

Bass Pro Shops® Squirmin’ Ringed Worm

http://www.basspro-shops.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=15668&hvarDept=100&hvarEvent=&hvarClassCode=7&hvarSubCode=1&hvarTarget=browse

If not, what are yours called and what is the brand? I have always used the Berkley’s Power Ribworm, they seem to work really well, are they “almost” the same?

Good Fishin’

TBO/MN

TBO/MN, Cabela’s does have them because I bought some there. I think they were 5 inchers.

we have been fishin the ring worms about a month now along with the 4/5 inch grubs. the eyes really went after the rings but would not go after the grubs as hard. When we throw them side by side the rings fall much slower than the grubs. we figured it must be the difference in the fall that is turning them on

James, funny you mentioned Berkley Pulse Worms. I used them this year and caught fish. I also used Cabelas 4″ neon ringed lizard and caught fish. Riversides ringed 4″ grubs….caught fish. Zipper Worms…..caught fish.

There’s no limitation to your imagination!!! Go nuts!

My personal opinion is that bulky, lightweight plastics drift naturally in the current presenting an easy to eat treat for the fish. You can use ring worms all year and never catch a fish if you don’t present them properly. The downstream drift is the key to catching the fish. And a ringworm on a light jig produces that drift better than any other combo that I’ve found.

Beav

I’ve been using ringworms since hearing about them from a friend and reading about them here, especially Beaver’s article. I’ve found they work great drifted in the current, and I’ve even caught fish after cold front by throwing them to a wing dam or other structure and just letting them sit on bottom, with an occasional bump to morve them a little. I have speculated it has something to do with the current passing over the ribs creating a turbulence or sound the fish cannot resist, as well as the natural appearance of the slow sink and drift. Also the texture and “crunch” the fish feel in their mouth I believe makes them hold on longer. Just my 2 pennies worth.

Another powerbait to add to your arsenal is the 3″ and 5″ power shad. Hasn’t replaced the ringworm as my favorite, but its worming its way in. Gold has really worked well this fall. Keep it vertical.

As long as we are talking about plastics, I have a question about the big plastics, that have been talked about here. Are the 4 to 6 inch plastics ( shad tails and twister tails ) being fished on light jigs in shallow water, such as wing dams and rip rap? Thanks in advance.

The answer to your Question is yes. The biger twister tails fish better on 1/8oz jigs verses the 1/16oz jig you will not get the same effect on the lighter jig head as the tail on the twister will not turn and throw off the extra vibration needed to get attention. Depending on the current in the area I am fishing I have found that the ring worms will fish very well with the 1/16oz jig head. The best tip I can give you is to use the lightest jig possible and still be able to maintain bottom contact on your cast with the ring worms. With the water coming up on pool 4 some of the wing dams you could get away with a 1/4oz jig but I suggest you start lighter and fish the shallower part of the dam before throwing on the bigger jig.

See ya on the river!

Dustin

I quess I have another question refering to the bigger plastics. Are these large plastics mostly a fall and winter tactic or will they work year-round for walleyes? Thanks again.

HOW DO YOU RIG THE RING WORMS? LIKE A TWISTER?

SNAKEYES,

You betcha! They work well year round all though in the summer months I have to admit I do a lot better on live bait. But on the other hand it would be fair to say that I have not given them a good working over and put down the livebait in the summer months.

I am pretty sure beav fishes plastics year around so maybe he could chime in on this thread and let us in on some of his past expeiriences in the summer months.

bearplot,

Yes, you just thread the ring worm on the hook just like a twister tail. To get the best action thread the ring worm on with the tail opposite the hook for more action and vibration.

See ya on the river!

Dustin

Yes, I fish plastics of all kinds during the summer months though they may not always be my first choice.

Unlike the vast areas of Lake Pepin, the pools that I fish are much narrower and riverine and I spend more time fishing wingdams and back channels and running sloughs. And all of these areas are prime candidates for crankbait presentations. So I’d have to say that I probably go on a 50-50 mix between cranks and plastics during the summer. In most cases I’ll fish the same areas with both presentations and let the fish tell me what they prefer.

One thing to consider during the summer is that the fish will often opt for a faster presentation. Speed triggers strikes. There’s no doubt about that. So no matter what you fish with, you can often pick up the pace alot. I’ve also found that fish are willing to put up with more current in the summer and I beleive they often prefer areas of increased flow because the water is more oxygenated and cooler.

All of my babbling aside….yes, you can and will catch fish on plastics during the summer. You can fish longer worms and worms with bigger tails besides throwing in a shad or twister tail every once in a while. I caught some nice fish on 4″ lizards last summer. But again, don’t be a one-trick pony. Don’t get stuck in a jig/plastic rut even though it’s a great technique. Be versatile and throw some cranks or drag some crawlers or leeches. Be prepared for anything and let the fish tell you what they want. But don’t be suprised if they change their preference from day to day or even hour to hour.

I’ve already pulled up on a wingdam and anchored. Fished cranks with no luck, fished plastics with no luck and moved on. Came back 2 hours later and caught 5 fish on six casts. We’ll never get ’em completely figured out, all we can do is keep our baits wet.

Beav

TBO

I was just down to Bass Pro and basically did ALL my gawking in the plastics aisle. Their Ringers are close enough to be the same darn thing.

James Holst

Moving Waters Guide Service

http://www.movingwaters.net

Thanks James…..

I’ll be on the river on Sunday, hope to see you…….stop and say HEY!!!

Good Fishin’

TBO/MN