Wormin' for Bass
Over the past several years the sinking stickworm has not only brought plastic lures back into the mainstream, it has produced an incredible number of catches and become a staple in bass boxes across the world.
The Senko was introduced by Gary Yamamoto several years ago and this soft jerkbait has become a favorite presentation of mine as well as a solid fish catching bait in practically any condition. There are several companies who have jumped on the bandwagon and produced a similar stickbait. This list includes the Yum Dinger, Berkley Sinking Minnow, Tiki Stick, Strike King Zero and my all time favorite, the Gambler Ace.
These worms are heavily impregnated with salt, which makes the bass want to hang on and not let go! Some of them are even coated with scents like garlic and anise to make them more appealing. I would like to discuss three rigging methods that I have found to be the most strike producing worm methods. They are the Texas rig, the jig rig and the wacky rig. We will also discuss presentation and color as well.
When you first study the stickbait, you might realize that it looks like a plain, simple non-fancy worm. Yamamoto actually got the idea for this worm from the shape of the old Bic Click ink pens. There is really nothing about this worm that really jumps out and grabs you.
I have had people tell me "It looks like that worm won't do anything" which is precisely what it's supposed to do! It's been labeled the "do nothing worm" which explains the slow horizontal fall that the worm is most famous for. This horizontal fall drives fish absolutely crazy and produces a multitude of strikes. When the bass see this bait, they consider it to be a nice meal and something that will not require a big chase to capture.
The majority of my hits have occurred while the bait is on the slow downward descent, but I receive many hits when the bait is sitting on the bottom doing nothing.
These stickbaits come in so many colors and combinations that it's impossible to list them all. When selecting your colors, take a look around you and see what colors are the most prevalent. You have heard fly fishermen say, "match the hatch", this is exactly what you are trying to accomplish when choosing colors of plastics. More>
