Things You'll Need:
- Fishing rod and reel
- Fishing line
- Selection of plastic worms
- Cone sinkers
- Long-shanked hooks
- Selection of jig heads
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Step 1
Rig your plastic worms. If you have two fishing rods, tie a jig head onto one and a Texas rig onto the other. The best jig heads for fishing with plastic worms weigh from 1/8 to 1/2 of an ounce and are shaped like mushrooms. But ball-shaped jig heads work, too. Slide the worm onto the jig so the top of the worm fits snugly against the jig head. To make a Texas rig, slide a cone-shaped sinker onto your line, then tie on a long-shanked hook. Thread the top of the worm onto the hook so the hook protrudes about 1/8 of an inch down from the top of the worm. Run the worm up the shank of the hook so the top of the worm is at the top of the hook. Turn the hook 180 degrees, and bury the point of it into the worm to make the rig weedless.
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Step 2
Decide where you want to fish. Plastic worms are most productive around aquatic vegetation and other cover that holds bass. A Texas-rigged plastic worm will keep you from snagging in even the heaviest cover, while a worm fished on a jig head is more useful where cover is sparse, since the hook is exposed. Plastic worms fished on jig heads are particularly effective around drop-offs and other places where there are changes in water depth.
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Step 3
Cast the plastic worm into the water and let it sink to the bottom. Reel in any slack line, then lift your rod tip to about the 12 o'clock position. If you feel any resistance, set the hook. Otherwise, lower your rod tip to the 9 o'clock position, reeling line in as you do so. Stop reeling when your rod is in the 9 o'clock position, then slowly raise your rod back to 12 o'clock. Repeat this process until your lure is back to the boat.
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Step 4
Vary the speed of your retrieval. Sometimes bass like a plastic worm that moves quickly, other times they will not hit it unless it is sitting motionless on the bottom. Experiment with different retrievals until you catch a few bass, then use that retrieval until the fish quit biting. If the bass are feeding off the bottom, cast your worm out and retrieve it without letting it hit the bottom.
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Step 5
Try different areas. Bass like to hide in the shade of boat docks. Cast your plastic worm close to the boat docks, and get underneath them if you can. Emergent vegetation like lily pads and bulrushes also hold bass, and are good places to fish with Texas-rigged plastic worms.
