Many times over the floating worm has surfaced as a winner on the bass
tournament trail. It is another one of those secret baits that doesn’t get
much print. The floating worm comes in a vast array of colors. From the
exotic to the bland. The bright colors are the best producers. This bait can
be fished in the early to late spring. When the fish are moving up to spawn
you can fish this bait on those cold front days when the fish are not moving
much. It is a good locator bait when they are active.
Almost all of the popular worm makers make a floating worm. They come in two sizes. Six and eight inch, are the popular sizes. Rig this bait on a bait caster with a six foot six medium heavy rod with line sizes ranging from twelve to fourteen pound line. Put a swivel as if you were making a Carolina rig ten to eighteen inches long in front of the bait. This will help stop some of the line twist and add a little weight to the lure. Use a 3/0 rigging hook and insert it into the worm as if you were Texas rigging it.
You can put a kink in the worm to give it more action. You can fish around vegetation, timber, flat banks, and deep suspended fish. Sometimes a spinning rod is the best equipment to use for throwing the bait. I like the baitcaster as the line twist does not affect the casting ability. When fishing vegetation you can throw the bait as close to the stuff as possible or up on top of it and slid it off into the water. Give the bait a slight jerk and let if sink then give it another jerk.
When the fish strikes the bait let them have it for a minute before setting the hook. If you are working timber, throw the bait past the trees and stumps and work the bait up to structure and let it sink. Let the bait sink down then start a slow jerking motion till you come to another tree or stump. This bait can be fished all during the year.
If your fish are suspended, add a small nail to weight the bait and count it down to where you know the fish are and then start a jerking motion in the area you feel the fish are at. This bait is very productive in late spring and early fall. As I stated earlier the colors are up to the individual. The brighter they are the better you can see them and can follow them as you jerk them over the surface. This is also a good back up bait when you are using a top water and the fish blows up on the top water and misses it you can cast this bait in the area and let it sink and most of the time the fish will hit this bait. This is also true with buzz baits. If the fish misses the buzzbait then cast back into the area with the floating worm and get ready to set the hook. This is mainly a shallow water bait that is good out to seven feet.
By Jim Reneau