Don't Sleep on the "Floatin'" Worm

With fancy new bass-catching lures being produced seemingly every week and new techniques being developed almost as quickly, sometimes the tried and true techniques of the past get "left behind" so to speak. The "floatin'" worm is one that anglers should not forget about. And, if you are not acquainted with this "age old" fish-catcher, please introduce yourself to it. You won't be sorry. While it excels from immediate pre-spawn to immediate post-spawn, it successfully puts bass in the boat throughout the summer and into the fall. During the hot summer months when the sounds of pleasure boats speeding past on the main lake rival the sounds of the Indianapolis 500, run as far as you can to the back of a tributary on your favorite fishery and work a floatin' worm around shallow cover. My best advice, "Hang on!" When the bass follow the bait fish to the shallows in the fall, show them a floatin' worm instead of a topwater bait, a square bill, a spinnerbait, or a lipless crankbait. The dinner bell will ring; you will get your line stretched. I promise! There is not a bass-catching technique simpler than a floatin' worm: a straight-tail worm, a j-bend hook, and 8 - 10 lb. test line attached to a spinning rod or light action bait casting set up. It IS as simple as that. Color? There are two options: bright or natural. The choice is yours. Yep, it is as simple as that. Some tie the hook straight to the main line; I do. Some choose to use a barrel swivel. It eliminates some line twist. Some say it adds castability. I keep it simple....it's your choice. And, don't forget that the fall rate and depth at which a floatin' worm sits in the water column can be managed based on the hook that is used. Obviously, the heavier wire and or the bigger size of hook used, the more weight that is added. This causes the floatin' worm to "fish" a little deeper in the water in the water column. Here is a little something that gets overlooked....flake. Yes, I said metal flake. Solid colors tend to fish higher in the water column, closer to the surface. If you want to fish a few inches deeper without changing the hook, switch to a color that is heavily flaked. By comparing the 1st picture to the 3rd picture attached to this article, you can clearly see what I am talking about. There are times when a solid color like pink or merthiolate is the ticket. However, often I find that a heavily flaked color is a better fish catcher. I invite you to put the fancy new lures and techniques aside and reconnect with anglers of the past by putting a floatin' worm to work the next time you are on the water. Be ready to "get the net!"