Fishing the Ultravibe Speedworm

Everyone seems to have one bait that they can always count on, one they know will catch fish. Some would call it your confidence bait. Without a doubt, my confidence bait is the Zoom Ultravibe Speedworm. If you are not familiar with the bait, it’s basically a paddle tail worm with a slit cut in the tail. The tail is key to everything about this bait and the action is second to none. It comes in two sizes, the 5 ¾ inch version and the Magnum 7 inch version. Since it’s made by Zoom, the color selection is diverse and proven. My favorite is the regular sized version in Junebug.

This year, the Ultravibe did very well for me and caught both numbers of fish as well as big fish for me. I had the great fortune of being Angler of The Year in the BFL Gator Division on the Co-Angler side and it was almost all because of the Ultravibe Speedworm. Each tournament, it played a big role and caught fish for me.

When it comes to fishing with this worm, the techniques and applications are endless. My favorite way to go Ultravibin’ is to fish a 5 ¾ inch size worm with a 3/0 Owner Offset worm hook and a 3/16 oz Eco Pro Tungsten weight on 15 pound Seaguar IvizX. In Florida, we are blessed with lakes that are full of a variety of grass species; Kissimee Grass, Reeds, Hydrilla, Lily Pads, Pepper Grass and more. All of these places are good places to start, but anytime you have a mix of grass you increase your odds. I like to focus on sporadic patches of grass and reel it slowly over the grass and let it fall in between the holes in the grass. Let it sink and then start reeling again. For Lily Pads and Reeds, I like to yo-yo the bait between the deeper stalks. If you have ever fished a swim jig, it is the same concept. The fish will tell you what retrieve they want that day, so adjust to what they want.


Besides the standard Texas-rig and sinker, the Ultravibe can be fished in many other ways. For the Magnum sized bait, I like to fish it weightless and reel it on top of the water like a soft plastic frog. The tail creates a great buzzing action and the fish will really attack the bait. Because the bait is so thick, casting this bait without a weight is effortless. Another way to fish this bait is on the Carolina-rig and I have done very well with the smaller size attached to a C-Rig and ½ oz weight. The bait design allows the bait to be fished in numerous ways and I still haven’t found a way that didn’t work.

If you are looking for a new confidence bait, or maybe just a new way to catch fish; try the Ultravibe Speedworm and hold on.

By Tyler Brinks

A Lookback At 2010, The Year of Sasquatch!!

Although the Season is not quite "Over" Many of us are heading to the deer stand instead of the boat ramps... All except Those of us hardcore folks.

As many of you may know, or at least i hope you know, i started Sasquatch Soft Plastics in December of 2009, so this season really was the "inagural" season for the company...

I had a Good Tournament Season in 09 fishing BFL's And Stren Series Events as a Co-Angler, Made My First Top-10 in only my 4th ever tournament and cashed a respectable check. but took this year off... Bought my first bass boat, a 2001 Triton TR-20 and Did what anyone SHOULD do when buying there first bass boat and spent some time Learning how to drive it...

I myself caught my first Sasquatch Bass in early april ( Green pmpkn 3/4 oz football jig with matching SSP 4" Edah Craw) but the year really started off with a bang in March when i asked a former boating partner and friend, Steve Ives, to try some of my 4" E-Dah craws in a FLW AFS touney he had coming up on Lake Of the Ozarks. Steve Ended up Placing 4th overall in the Event...

Now in 2010, my plan was to not only spend time learning to get used to my new boat, but also learning some new techniques i had learned from some respectable anglers in my 09 season. Being a Hardcore spinnerbait & flipper i knew this would be quite the task. While these techniques do win tournaments, lets be honest... Being versatile wins more! So i spent some time offshore, which is not easy when not having top of the line electronics mind you.. I took some time carolina rigging, deep cranking, finesse fishing and even, with the introduction of the Sasquatch Soft Plastics 5.25" Spooky Fluke, fishing docks with a fluke instead of a spinnerbait... Belive me, it was hard!!

Now saying that i am a die-hard spinnerbait angler obviously rules out most plastic baits for me, as i do NOT like any trailers or trailer hooks for that matter in the way.... So it wasnt until the Triton Owners Tournament in June on Kentucky lake that i really got to see my Product line really shine..... As most of you may know already, June + Kentucky Lake = Offshore. So time to ditch the Sniper Spinnerbait rod and do what i had been working on all spring ( when not in less that 1 ft of water sight fishing ) and bust out the cranks and football jigs. With the first cast it might as well have been my first day using a baitcaster... Im feeling things with my rodtip ive NEVER felt before... shellbeds, dropoffs from 6 ft straight to 30 ft.. I didnt know what to think, but i knew it had to be a haven for large fish.. I used a watermelon red, green pumpkin and black and blue 4" Edah Craw and 3.5" Skunk Ape on all of my jigs and the bass inhaled them! Also got into a school of fish on the second day that wouldnt let my double fluke rig hit the water without gobbling it up. That trip made me more confident in my own product than i can even write about. And while not doing so well in the tournament i still learned valuble lessons that i will never forget.

Upon returning home from Kentucky Lake i began to have a new respect for those offshore guys and spent a good deal of the rest of the season studying Navionics Maps on my iphone and really learning how things work offshore. But i always had my spinnerbaiting and flipping background to fall back on if the offshore game did not pan out the way i planned. And i will admit that most of my fish this year were caught while fishing in my comfort zone which brings me to this...

Growing up we learn to recognize & idolize anglers by there strengths, for me KVD was the guy who could sling a spinnerbait faster than anyone in the game, Dion Hibdon is the Jig Fishing king and Larry Nixon was a Worm fishing wizard.... So at what point do i ditch my comfort zone techniques and move offahore to play with the rest of the guys whose strengths are just that, offshore fishing. This trip i took to kentucky lake in early october proved to myself that even with a kentucky lake stick in the boat, i can still catch quality fish the way I fish... My heart tells me to go with what i know, and be proud of the outcome. And im comfortable with that, its just....... Idk...... 2011 will show me if i need to rethink things. This is a Game of learning and even Bill Dance said himself that he still learns new things while on the water.

As far as Sasquatch Soft Plastics goes, i couldnt be more happy! I have amazing prostaffers. I thank you all for your continued support of some guys dream to bring something new to the plastics market. I recieve prostaff offers weekly and to all of those who apply, i thank you! I am astounded by the interest you all have in my products. I have a record of all that have applied and hope to add everyone someday.

Be sure to Look for me and my prostaffer, Allen Hackert as we fish the 2011 Bassmaster Weekend Series on Kentucky Lake!!!!

By Derek Kaalberg

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Cold Water Jig Fishing

When the water temp gets to 52 degrees what is the first lure you have in mind to throw?  For me it’s a jig and not just any jig, I think, football head jig.  My favorite spot to fish it is a river near my house.  There is a long stretch of river that has a very steep sloping bank, near shore it is a foot deep but by the time you get out 12 feet from shore your boat is in 13 to 14 feet of water.  I want to share with you my trick for getting bass in the boat, in those cold water situations.

            When I am looking for a place to fish with water temps in the low 50’s, I look for big fallen trees and deeper water (deep being 10-15 feet).  I want downed trees with a lot of branches and big trunks. In Michigan, during this time of year, the leaves are falling off the trees along the river, so I also look for places where the leaves have piled up on top of the water.  The fish will hole up in this type of coverage looking for baitfish.

            Knowing the area to fish is important and now we will discuss jig choice.  My jig of choice is an Atomic Tackle Company ½ ounce football head jig in PB&J, especially when I fish the fallen trees.  However, when I am fishing the matted leaves on the surface I change to a 1 ounce Atomic Tackle Company flipping jig in PB&J.  I like to add a Strike King Rage Tail Craw in green pumpkin or watermelon red as a trailer.  I cut off the last little bit of the Rage Tail Craw before putting it on the jig.  Here’s a tip: just a dab of super glue on the end of the plastic near the skirt will help keep your trailer from sliding.  To finish my jig presentation and help get rid of any smell given off by the super glue, I dip the jig in JJ’s Magic Sauce in the clear version unless I want a little chartreuse on the end of my trailer. 

            Then I rig the football head jig on a 7 foot medium heavy Quantum rod and 7:01 Quantum Code reel.  I use 12 pound Vicious® fluorocarbon.  I know what you’re thinking, “Why fluorocarbon?”,you can use braid if you want but I believe I have better sensitivity with the fluorocarbon which allows me to feel more bites.  As for the flipping Jig I use a 7 foot medium heavy Quantum rod and 7:01 Quantum Code reel, spooled with 50 pound Vicious® braid. 

            So, we have the place, the jig, and the rod and line choice, now let’s discuss position of the boat. When using the football jig I position my boat just outside the tree and cast into it as close to shore as I can get.  Once the jig hits the water I let out a bit of extra line and let it sink to the bottom on a slacked line.  Despite what most people may tell you, I do it this way in case a bass hits it on the way down?  I feel the slack line allows the bass to grab the jig but not feel the pressure from my reel.  If a fish has not inhaled the jig by the time it hits bottom, I slowly drag the jig back to the boat.  Bring it back slowly, because with water in the low 50’s nothing is moving fast and you want to mimic the live bait in the area.  A slow moving jig when you are fishing around fallen trees will also reduce the risk of snagging a limb.  As you work the bait  back to the boat you should feel the bait as it climbs over limbs, and it will slow down even more, and then most of the time as the jig falls back down to the bottom from the limb it will get hit by a bass. 

            When I move to fishing the leaves piled on the top of the water, I fish the flipping jig just as I would if I was punching grass mats.  I look for what is keeping the leaves from flowing down river and flip my jig on top of the leaves next to it.  Most of the time the jig will sit on top of the leaves for a moment and then sink beneath the surface, until it reaches the bottom.  Once it hits bottom without a hit, I quickly bring it back to the boat to flip again. While fishing the flipping jig I still have a semi slack line but not much, I want to be able to set the hook as soon as I feel the pressure of the fish. Most often the bass will hit the bait as it sinks downward and I want to hook it quick. 

            I hope this helps you catch those bass in cold water, when everyone else is having problems putting bass in the boat. You can develop this technique and be the envy of your buddies who have had no luck and are considering putting their boats away for winter.

By Chris McDonald

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