There are times when even the best fisherman can't seem to get a bite. Have you ever wondered why? Have you sat in your lazy boy watching pros catch bass after bass? I think many times we miss some little things that can make a BIG difference when you are on the water and we'll talk about a few of these today.
I hope I never forget the lesson I learned one day out in a very familiar lake. The lake is pretty small, under 100 acres and it gets hammered by tournaments and for good reason.
This lake has year after year been the best lake, as far as total weight goes, that my bass club fishes each year. This lake can also be a very difficult lake to fish, because you might only get five or six bites in a six hour tournament. While this may make things very challenging, you might possibly bring in the most weight for a single tournemt. For Michigan that's pretty good for a lake of this size. Since you don't get very many bites, you need to make sure that you take advantage of every single nibble.
I was fishing this lake and noticed this slight little "tick" in the line as the worm was falling. It barely felt like it hit a weed on the way down, I gave it a slight tug and the line jumped to the left, so I set the hook. The lesson I learned was that the bass were "sneaky" and would very lightly pick up the worm, and if you weren't paying attention, or not using the right gear you could miss the bass before it would spit the worm out. I make sure I use a decent rod that is sensitive enough to feel the lure. I like to use G6 series custom rods, that way I can order the rod the way I like it, and not just what is available on the shelf. At G6 Series Custom Rods, everything is made in America, and they have many years of experience building custom rods.
I also like to use 14 pound Vicious flourocarbon to give me that feel I need to realize that a bass was on and set the hook in time for those sneaky bass. Vicious now has the new Vicious Pro Elite flourocarbon available this year.
I will never forget watching an episode of Hook-n-Look, where they show you fishing like most shows do, but then they show you what happens underwater while they are fishing. It is really surprising what actually happens under the water where we cannot see. I have seen videos with bass stacked under a bush, with only inches separating them, I could not believe my eyes. Also a video of two bass fighting over a lure and the fisherman had no idea he was even getting a bite.
There are things you can do to improve your chances of getting a bite on a worm. You can adjust the speed of the fall by adding worm weights to your set up. The deeper you need to go, the more weight you want to use. For shallower and slower fall use lighter weight. Sometimes you want to use no weight, depending on the worm and how slow you would like it to fall. You can also adjust fall with weighted hooks to make them fall faster or slower.
You can also change your worm on the fly by using dipping dye to add color and scent with some of the great dipping dyes on the market now.
You can modify your worm presentation by the type of hook and the way you rig it. I like to use a o-ring in the middle of the worm and and use the o-ring to hold the hook. This is known as wacky style, you probably have heard of that before. If I am fishing in a very weedy lake, I like to rig my worm Texas style with a light weight.
There is a new way to wacky rig your worm and that is to wacky rig it with a jig hook. This is a lot like a flick shake rig, it gives the worm some extra movement. I like to add a worm weight to the front of the worm and wacky rig it. I will take a nail, or a worm insert weight and push it into the "head" of the worm. Sometimes I will use a worm rattle instead of a weight. This makes the head go down and the tail up in the air. I like to bounce this rig on the bottom, and this looks like a baitfish feeding on the bottom.
There are multitudes of different lines available and you would be surprised at how the line can make your worm fall. Flourocarbon sinks faster than mono, and different weights of line can affect the worm attractiveness to bass. If you go too big with the line, then you lose some of the subtle little movements that can really tantalize the bass into biting.
We've talked alot about speed of the fall, and different ways to adjust the speed. I try to adjust the speed when the water temperature is cold, I use a lighter weight so it moves slower. When the water temp is warm I use a heavier weight to make it fall faster. I also use a heavier weight when I am trying to induce a reaction bite.
There are different ways to retrieve a worm, even a senko if rigged Texas style will wiggle like a tail on a fish. You can yo yo your retrieve, let it drop and reel letting to bait go up and down. The colder the water, the slower you want to work it. You can bring it back with a straight retrieve, or a pause-jerk retrieve. I usually do a lift and fall retrieve, where I lift my rod a couple of feet, then let the worm drop. Most of the time you want to vary you retieve until you start getting bites and see what the bass tell you they want.
Even with worms there are multiple colors and presentations that you can use to increase your chances to get the fish you want. The best thing to do is start with a technique the you know well and are good with, then change it up when needed, and go with what is successful. By letting the bass tell you what they want, by them eating your lure they will tell you what is working and what is not. The best thing to do is continue to learn and spend time in the water. Fish with fury! Tight lines!
BY:
Joe Minor
Inside bass fishing
Pro staff
