Spring Time Worming

Spring is a great time to fish! An awesome way to catch bass in the Spring that a lot of guys over look is a Texas rigged worm. Now everyone that has bass fished before has heard of or used a Texas rig, it works great and has been around for decades! Most people that think of a Texas rig will associate the technique with summertime fishing. And for good reason because the rig works so well during the hot summer months out on the deep weed edges and ledges. Most people wont even tie on a big Texas rig worm until May or June! I have found that right after ice out the Texas rig worm will catch them, and big ones! My favorite worm to use is the V&M Wild Thang worm. It comes in several sizes ranging from a 10.5" to a 8.5" and the smallest being 6.5". Each size has a ton of awesome colors to choose from! The Wild Thang series of worms have a very tight rippling tail action like no other worms in their class. The motion is so life like, it flat out catches them! I will choose the size of worm and color of worm based on the water clarity and sky conditions. The clearer the water and brighter the sky is I'll use the smaller 6.5" size in a natural color. But if I have a dirty lake and a darker sky I will use the bigger 8.5" and 10.5" sizes in darker colors. I like to rig these worms on a 4/0 hook with a 3/8 oz sinker and 16 lbs fluorocarbon line. I like the fluorocarbon because it gives me great feel of the bait as its worked across the bottom. My rod and reel set up is a 7'3" MH rod and a 7.1:1 reel. Having a high speed reel is important because it helps me to pick up slack line very quickly when I'm working the bait back to the boat or I get a bite and have to set the hook. Having the bait close to the bottom and around cover is key. I don't work the bait like you would in the summertime. Early in the Spring I like to keep in close to the bottom and barley lift it, working it all the way back to the boat. If you can find a weed edge, brush pile or deeper docks to work the bait around that's even better. I will fish several different types of cover and when I get a bite off a cretin one I will try to find more and duplicate that pattern all over the lake. Fishing the Texas rig in the early Spring is an over looked technique that will get bites! The next time your out give the Wild Thang worms a try and hang on!! "Do Whatever It Takes" Nik Autrey