Rules of Worm fishing

[Msn26753]

Just curious...  Im still a newbie at bass fishing.. Been fiahing 5 years i guess but still always question 90% of everything i do,  unless im catching, then i dont question nothing.. Lol.. 
Anyhow,  shakey heads..  I started using them last fall..  Was getting alot of bites on a thumpin dinger tied to a shakey head..  I donno why,  they say i suppose to texas rig them..  But hey it was working..  Started throwing a texas rig ribbon tail this year..  And i seen some guys that had a shakey head rigged with a ribbon tail..  Started thinking,  its not recommended on the bag...  So i guess my question is what determinds what worms shoukd be texas rigged versus shakey head..  And i heard if the worm was round then its a floater, but if its flat on one side its a sinker..  I assume you woukd want a shakey head on a floater...  Now i guess i was getting so many bites on that thumpin dinger because on the fall, the tail would thump..  Anyhow,  just looking for opinions.. I started fishing crabkbaits,  and just started getting into worm fishing,  so take it easy on me..  Im not to big of a dummy... Lol

[Capt. BassinLou]

  So i guess my question is what determinds what worms shoukd be texas rigged versus shakey head..  .. 

Only you can really determine that. Just cause its not recommended on the package doesn't mean you can't fish them that way. Thinking outside of the box can catch you loads of fish. 

[BrandonK]

As much as certain plastics are recommended to be rigged a certain way, I say throw it all out the window. The fish may not have ever seen a ribbon tail worm on a shaky head and presented in that manner, which is a good thing for you. If it's working, I wouldn't worry about whether it's the "right" plastic for that rig. The "right" lure is the one that is catching fish at that moment.

[BrandonK]

Only you can really determine that. Just cause its not recommended on the package doesn't mean you can't fish them that way. Thinking outside of the box can catch you loads of fish. 

Yessir, you beat me to it

[Princeton_Man]

I don't fish a shakey head a lot, but when I do, I usually use shorter baits like craws, beavers, & grubs. I fish baits like ribbon tail worms on a T-rig and occassionally NuTech jig.

[BrandonK]

That ribbon tail worm on a shaky head could resemble a salamander nose down feeding on the bottom, so I can see how that could work. Just think about what it is you are trying to make your presentation mimic and rig/fish it accordingly.

[Msn26753]

So, a texas rigged will lay completely on the bottom, or will the weight lay on the bottom and the worm float above it a little bit?  Ive just started looking deep into colors of why Watermelon works some areas and green pumpkin works in others.. I never noticed the watermelon being more translucent and the green pumpkin being solid, so thats why translucent works better in clear water then muddy water... Im a learning.. lol... Where do yall throw Red Shad color? Muddy water im sure, but how would you determine what to throw and when between a Red Shad versus Pumpkin.. they are both solid, but different colors... Like clay colored river water, versus green stinky swamp water... Thats the kind of stuff Im trying to learn.. Example: Got a lake that has a river run within 20 feet of it, but that river does not feed the lake.. So in the lake Junebug is the goto, but in the river, the Green pumpkin or red shad is the goto... I guess Bass are as easy to understand as women....

[Hoop Goobner]

The bass don't read magazines, messageboards, or watch fishing tv shows and instructional you tube videos.  I don't know how many times over the years this has been proven to me.  Personal experimentation and experience is your #1 resource, everything else is just a guideline.

With that said, those other resources (including UB) are wonderful because you get to see other's experimentation and experience, and you can also get tons of ideas to expand your own.

I'm just trying to reinforce what others have said, that there is no wrong way if it's working.  A lot of the latest greatest lures and techniques came about because somebody was using an existing bait/method "the wrong way".   

[BrandonK]

check out Zman plastics. They can be a real pain to rig on keeper hooks but the important part is that they float. So think about how that can change traditional presentations and make for a more enticing bait

[coldfront]

Only you can really determine that. Just cause its not recommended on the package doesn't mean you can't fish them that way. Thinking outside of the box can catch you loads of fish. 

technically, shaky heads are t-rigged (if you peg the weight).  t-rigged to me means hook point buried in plastic.  texposed is a little different.

I'd fish ANYTHING on a shaky head if they would bit it.  finesse worms, big worms, lizards, craws.

[SFL BassHunter]

I have no problem throwing anything on a shakey head. I do sometimes look for something that has a floating tail so that the bait stands straight up. With a bait that doesn't float the tail will drop and the shakey head will be at the bottom with the bait in an arch position. Does not mean it won't catch fish. So like like Brandon said, throw that out the window. Try different worms, and baits and see which gets bites.
Sometimes a bait that lays on the bottom (TRig, sinking bait) will work better, other days a bait that stands will work better (TRig Pegged with floating bait, or Shakey Head).

[Msn26753]

Have any of yall ever heard that if the worm is round its a floater and if its flat on one side its a sinker?

[BrandonK]

Have any of yall ever heard that if the worm is round its a floater and if its flat on one side its a sinker?

I have not. I believe it is the composition and density of the plastic used that will determine it's buoyancy

[D.W. Verts]

There is really no way to rig, or fish, a worm wrong.

[Donald Garner]

There is really no way to rig, or fish, a worm wrong. 

X2

I took a guided trip to Lake Fork a few years ago.  The guide asked me if I've ever fished a shaky head. I told him no.  Well he rigged up a 3/8 shaky head and threaded on about 12 inches of the 'Plastic Worm Mold Center Line'.  After a couple hours of catching Slot Limit Bass he asked me how I liked Shaky Head Bassin.  I have one rigged up all the time in my boat.  I like using Zoom Trick Worms when I Shaky Head Bassin.   

Like mentioned by the guys earlier you can rig any soft plastic up on a shaky head. 

Plastic Worm Mold Center Line >  This is the piece of plastic from the center of the worm mold.  The plastic worms are attached to this in the mold.  You open the mold up and cut the plastic worm away from it.  Depending on the size of the mold will determine how long that center line is.

[D.W. Verts]

I've used a LOT of the overmold stuff too!

[loomisguy]

I seldom T rig anything anymore. I like a shaky head with the screw lock, keeps the bait from balling up in the hook gap and I think it's a better presentation. Even in the summer time with the ol' Monster.

[Oldfart9999]

Worm fishing could have it's own page there are some many types, sizes and techniques, probably the only type more complicated would be jig fishing.
Rodney

[Msn26753]

Yeah..  I think 90% is overthinking...  I think i overthink everything...  Heres my thoughts while fishing..
Am i throwing right color.
Do i need a sinker.
Maybe sinker to heavy
Or maybe its to light
Maybe i shoukd switch colors
Maybe there isnt a bass over here
Maybe there is and im throwing wrong color
Maybe i should try over there
No because if theres one here i will miss it..
I wonder if any of these other bass boats are catching any.
Maybe they stopped biting
Dang i bet my wifes pissed because i been out here for 4 hours...  Lmao

[cport]

Dang i bet my wifes pissed because i been out here for 4 hours...  Lmao

^This^

[saltystick]

The bass don't read magazines, messageboards, or watch fishing tv shows and instructional you tube videos.  I don't know how many times over the years this has been proven to me.  Personal experimentation and experience is your #1 resource, everything else is just a guideline.

With that said, those other resources (including UB) are wonderful because you get to see other's experimentation and experience, and you can also get tons of ideas to expand your own.

I'm just trying to reinforce what others have said, that there is no wrong way if it's working.  A lot of the latest greatest lures and techniques came about because somebody was using an existing bait/method "the wrong way".   

It would be nice if bass recognized our lures - especially soft plastics. They react or they don't and whether T rigged or Texposed matters not if the lure is fished wrong (IE presentation). There's a lot to be said regarding presentation and some lures can be fished different ways on different rigs.

[TheLastRodBender]

The only 'RULE' with fishing is there are no rules.   Like others have said... bass don't read the same books we do.  They have their own hidden library somewhere in the lost city of Atlantis.  We're just trying to piece it together the best we can. 

[Capt. BassinLou]

The only 'RULE' with fishing is there are no rules.   Like others have said... bass don't read the same books we do.  They have their own hidden library somewhere in the lost city of Atlantis.  We're just trying to piece it together the best we can.

.... ^^^ this pretty much sums it up ^^^

[saltystick]

To go one step further (theoretically):

Here is my take why fish strike lures and specifically the the lure shown below - a wacky riggen mini-stick.


I thought about the generalization of cues and agree: unless a lure is packed with negatives, fish won't strike. But recently I've been contemplating fish aggression as a function of time, irritability and object vulnerability. As we all can agree, the length of time in the strike zone - (distance from a lure) is crucial and in most cases, the longer in it the better. What many may not agree to is that most fish are inactive before a lure begins its job of provoking fish to strike vs convincing it that it represents anything it normally eats.

In order to prompt a state of temporary aggression, a lure must include a combination of design factors fish are sensitive to: size, action, speed and visual aspects such as shape and color/ flash that in combination contrasts with the water or any background. All animals are super aware of moving objects via a super-sensitive senses. My dogs go crazy when they spot a heron near my pond from 50 yds. away and through the back door glass no less. Owls spot mice in total darkness and are alerted instantly leading to an aggression that is unavoidable. Fish are no different.

Humans have a tactile sensitivity to feel something that touches our skin. We immediately react to small stinging insects that tickle the skin before stinging and become more sensitive with each insect bite. Fish I believe fall into the same awareness category with an increase in sensitivity that irritates it into striking an object - not to eat it but to stop the irritation of its senses. Sometimes we get a second chance to increase that sensitivity with another cast; sometimes only one cast is possible and then a fish turns off, no longer interested though still aware.

Time-in-place (slow moving) and subtle lure action account for the increase in aggressiveness we strive for. A bull stuck with two banderillas must attack the man that put them between its shoulders and dies trying in order to stop further pain (inhumanely barbaric if you ask me). A fish ignores everything (even nearby live prey) - focusing all its attention on the object causing its discomfort and then attacks it - sometimes multiple times on the same retrieve.

Just another thought that make sense to me why fish are vulnerable to unnatural objects that may or may not move naturally. Again, we don't fool fish with our lures - we simply irritate fish into striking them and accept the fact that fish sense the real thing and man made objects equally. Fish feel the difference between the two with it's senses and at times attacks the latter more so because its simple brain is wired to.

Raining all day and a good excuse to ramble.

[Captsteve]

good train of thought

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