Big Worm Summer Time Tactics
By: Scott M. Petersen
When summer starts to take full swing not only will the water you fish start to change, but your baits will to when keeping up with the summer bite. Summer time finds bass moving towards open water areas and a hunger for bigger baits. This month in the Big Bite News Letter we are going to talk about big worms and summer time fishing. For some that have not tried to fish 10″ worms before this may be a little bit of an eye opening tactic, but let me tell you from someone who has fished these tactics for many years, this is one of the particular bites that I look forward to every season. So grab your rod, and put on our life jacket lets go summer time big bass fishing with Big Bite 10″ worms.
What part of the country you live in will designate somewhat how you go about this big worm tactic. For fishermen in the north most of this fishing will be done in the weeds and open water rock areas. For fishermen down south this big worm tactic will be done more on what is called ledge fishing conditions where deep water areas break into deeper water channels. These two tactics may be somewhat different in some ways, but alike in others.
For many fishermen that are used to throwing 6″or 7″ worms the first comment that you get out of fishermen is how will a bass get this big worm into his mouth to eat? How many times have you had a 6″ bass attack a 5″ stickbait, believe me if a bass wants to strike he will find a way to get all of this 10″ worm into his mouth. In fact I have had 12″ bass eat a 10″ worm many times looking for that big meal in just one bite.
Just The Facts
Big Bite offers you two 10″ worm options the Kriet Tail and the B2. Each worm measures 10″ but are different in makeup and action. The Kriet Tail is a worm with a wide tail that will move a lot of water and will attract attention. This is a great worm option to fish in the cover of weeds or wood as it will let the bass know where it is at all times. The Kriet Tail worm is offered in 15 Big Bite top catching colors.
If you are looking for more of a finesse presentation out of a 10″ worm then Big Bites B2 worm is your top choice. The B2 has a slimmer profile and tail that gives you a great swimming action. This is a top choice when you are fishing in open water areas or want to give the bass a big worm option to bite during cold front or heavy pressured fishing conditions. The B2 is offered in 7 of Big Bites top catching colors.
Texas Rigged
One of the best ways to fish a big worm presentation is Texas rigged, and is probably the most popular among fishermen. I do not care if you are fishing a weed flat, weedline or open water rock area a Texas rigged 10″ worm is a go to bait when conditions call for it. To set the stage from what I have found, big worms work best during the summer time, I have not been able to get the bass fired up with this big worm tactic early or late into the fishing season. This is many times a summer time big worm bite when everything is at its peak.
Some thoughts on rigging 10″ worms are as follows. If you are going to use this presentation as a flipping or pitching presentation you will want to peg your weight to the worm. This will keep the worm and the sinker together for this type of presentation, but if you are fishing your 10″ worm presentation in a weed or ledge situation you will want to leave your weight un-pegged on your line. This will allow your weight to move up and down your line freely. To a bass this many times looks like a worm or fish chasing a baitfish and will at times fire them up into biting so any time to can leave your weight un-pegged you are better off when fishing in weeds or open water situations.
Match the weight to the conditions you are fishing, I would say that my top two weight choices are 3/8oz and 1/2oz do not try to overpower the worm, let the worm work its way down to the bass, not plummet down into the cover to be unseen. When it comes to heavy weeds you will have to beef up your weight. If I am fishing in heavy cover I am not afraid to use up to a 1oz weight to get my bait and the attention of the bass. This will get your worm through the cover and will create some commotion on the way down which will many times get noticed and turn into bites.
Looking at equipment this is power fishing 101 all the way. I generally use a 7’6″ to 7’10” flipping stick to work this tactic. Match this rod with a quality baitcasting reel in 6.3-1 speed reel and spool this with either Sunline Sniper or Shooter 20lb to 25lb line. The reason for the beefed up reel and line is when you get a bite you have to get the bass coming towards you up and out of the cover towards the boat. My worm of choice for fishing in weed conditions is the Big Bite Kriet Tail.
Finesse Football Head
Another popular way to fish a big 10″ worm the last few years is to use a bigger finesse football head, you could say this is a shaky head presentation on steroids. Many times these football heads are once again in the 3/8oz to 1/2oz range these two sizes are my main choice. Most of the time this tactic is used when fishing an open water presentation on either rocks or ledges, because of this rigging style you will not be able to get this through the weeds, you are best to fish weeds with a Texas rig presentation for that.
When it comes to equipment you are almost using the same equipment that you used when fishing the Texas rig. If you would like you can downsize a little because you are fishing this presentation in more of an open water situation instead of in the weeds. I fish this presentation most of the time on a 7′ medium heavy action baitcaster, teamed with a 6:3-1 baitcaster, spooled with 14lb to16lb Sunline Sniper or Shooter line.
Many times I will fishing this big worm presentation after I have caught fish on another power fishing presentation like a crankbait or swimbait presentation. I can throw my big worm on the same structure and take a few more bass, taking some of the biggest bass of the school that were reluctant to take a crankbait presentation. I have also fishing this big worm presentation when faced with fishing in a cold front or pressured conditions. It is not common that bass see a big worm presentation so they are not as reluctant to take a swing at this presentation when presented in front of them. It also could come down to the fact that if I am going to eat I might as well eat something big if I am going to eat at all. My worm choice for the finesse football head presentation is the Big Bite B2 worm.
So the next time you are looking to switch it up a little grab that pack of 10″ Big Bite Kriet Tails or B2 worms and get to work. Either of these worms will work when you are looking for a big bite. The Texas rigged and finesse football are the top two presentation when it comes to 10″ worms if you have a new tactic you would like to share with other Big Bite fishermen, please log onto the Big Bite Facebook and share your presentation with us. To see all of the Big Bite 10″ worm options and colors please log onto www.bigbitebaits.com
