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John N. Felsher's Bass Fishing Adventures
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Genuinely new lures rarely hit the tackle shops these days. Most lures
simply copy or improve upon old ideas, but sometimes, even the oldest
ideas still work best.
Nothing dates back as far as sticking a wiggling worm on a hook and
letting it drift. About a million years, two months and three days ago, Jimmy
Youstone watched a worm wash into a stream. As it drifted downstream, a
megamouth bassosaurus shot out from beneath some hydrilla and gobbled
it.
Impressed and hearing his own empty stomach growl, Youstone dug
through some wet leaves and pulled out a fat, juicy earthworm. Instead of
quickly stuffing it into his mouth as usual, he fashioned a crude bone hook
and rammed it through the worm’s bulbous egg sack. He then tied the hook
to a piece of braided mastodon sinew and attached the other end to a 6.5-
foot length of medium-light switch cane. He then flipped the worm into the
hole where the bassosaurus gulped it.
Incidentally, Youstone became the first fishing celebrity. His rock
carvings, syndicated by Early Stoneage Prehistoric News, became a huge
hit among fellow troglodytes. However, his wife complained that all he ever
did was scrounge through wet leaves or search for better canes and
braided sinew. He never planted the rock garden or polished the stones in
the cavedominium anymore. Soon, he moved to a bigger cave to house his
new hollowed out log with the expanded casting deck and bow-mounted
trolling paddle.
Eons later, modern man created plastic worms in an array of colors and
shapes that would terrify Mother Nature. Fishermen attached these
marvels to Texas or Carolina rigs before wacky worms burst onto the bass
scene.
According to one story, a man and his wife hired a lake guide. Catching
a few fish, the two men completely ignored the woman who quickly grew
bored. She didn’t want to interrupt the men’s fun to ask for help, so she
picked up a worm, ran a hook through its middle and flipped it into the
water. When she started catching more fish than the others, the men finally
noticed.
According to another story, some tourists rented a boat. The marina
owner dumped, make that, sold them some brightly colored straight worms
that sat unsold in his binds for months. Too cheap to hire a guide and not
knowing how to rig a plastic worm “properly,” the novice anglers stuck a
hook through the bulging “egg sack” and tossed the worm toward some
weeds. Upon seeing them return with a mess of fish, local guides inquired
about the successful method. When the guides saw the rig, one remarked,
“That’s the wackiest worm I ever saw.”
Regardless of origin, wacky worms work. To rig a worm “wacky style,”
insert the hook through the egg sack on the “neck” of a straight worm
instead of “down the throat.” Push the hook completely through the plastic
and leave it exposed instead of inserting it back into the worm. Use little or
no weight. An angler can even make a wacky worm weedless by attaching
a rubber band from the hook barb to the eye to create a weed guard or by
using a factory hook already equipped with a wire weed guard.
To fish a wacky worm, simply throw it near cover and let it sink. With
nearly neutral buoyancy, a wacky worm slowly sinks horizontally with both
tips quivering and shaking. After it hits bottom, pop it back up to the
surface, move it a few feet and let it sink again. A wacky worm naturally
undulates in the water like a night crawler washed into the lake or spirals
down like a dying baitfish.
“A wacky worm is the only lure that I know of that can land right next to a
bass and not spook it because it doesn’t make much of a splash,” said
George Cochran, a two-time Bassmaster Classic champion from Hot
Springs, Ark. “When it hits the water, it floats a little then barely sinks. I
almost work it like a topwater bait. Twitch it a little and stop. It sits there
just a second. Twitch it again. It’s not a bait to work all the way back to the
boat. If a bass is there, it will hit it. If not, reel it up and throw it again.”
Bass usually won't smash it as they would a crankbait, spinnerbait,
topwater plug or even a Texas-rigged worm. Because it looks and feels
natural, fish frequently just suck them down and continue doing what bass
do. This calls for acute attention to line action, a light touch and sensitive
rods. Sometimes, fishermen only notice line moving in a contrary direction
without feeling any strike.
When a bass takes a wacky worm, resist the temptation to set the hook
immediately. Let the bass swim with it. Gently lift the rod to test for
resistance. Set the hook as the line moves off or after feeling resistance.
The hardest part about using a wacky work is casting it. Because of its
light weight, bass anglers might opt for lighter spinning tackle and
monofilament lines in 8- to 12-pound test. A light rod with a flexible tip and
a smooth casting reel makes throwing wacky worms easier. Use clear lines
in clear waters where wacky worms perform best.
simply copy or improve upon old ideas, but sometimes, even the oldest
ideas still work best.
Nothing dates back as far as sticking a wiggling worm on a hook and
letting it drift. About a million years, two months and three days ago, Jimmy
Youstone watched a worm wash into a stream. As it drifted downstream, a
megamouth bassosaurus shot out from beneath some hydrilla and gobbled
it.
Impressed and hearing his own empty stomach growl, Youstone dug
through some wet leaves and pulled out a fat, juicy earthworm. Instead of
quickly stuffing it into his mouth as usual, he fashioned a crude bone hook
and rammed it through the worm’s bulbous egg sack. He then tied the hook
to a piece of braided mastodon sinew and attached the other end to a 6.5-
foot length of medium-light switch cane. He then flipped the worm into the
hole where the bassosaurus gulped it.
Incidentally, Youstone became the first fishing celebrity. His rock
carvings, syndicated by Early Stoneage Prehistoric News, became a huge
hit among fellow troglodytes. However, his wife complained that all he ever
did was scrounge through wet leaves or search for better canes and
braided sinew. He never planted the rock garden or polished the stones in
the cavedominium anymore. Soon, he moved to a bigger cave to house his
new hollowed out log with the expanded casting deck and bow-mounted
trolling paddle.
Eons later, modern man created plastic worms in an array of colors and
shapes that would terrify Mother Nature. Fishermen attached these
marvels to Texas or Carolina rigs before wacky worms burst onto the bass
scene.
According to one story, a man and his wife hired a lake guide. Catching
a few fish, the two men completely ignored the woman who quickly grew
bored. She didn’t want to interrupt the men’s fun to ask for help, so she
picked up a worm, ran a hook through its middle and flipped it into the
water. When she started catching more fish than the others, the men finally
noticed.
According to another story, some tourists rented a boat. The marina
owner dumped, make that, sold them some brightly colored straight worms
that sat unsold in his binds for months. Too cheap to hire a guide and not
knowing how to rig a plastic worm “properly,” the novice anglers stuck a
hook through the bulging “egg sack” and tossed the worm toward some
weeds. Upon seeing them return with a mess of fish, local guides inquired
about the successful method. When the guides saw the rig, one remarked,
“That’s the wackiest worm I ever saw.”
Regardless of origin, wacky worms work. To rig a worm “wacky style,”
insert the hook through the egg sack on the “neck” of a straight worm
instead of “down the throat.” Push the hook completely through the plastic
and leave it exposed instead of inserting it back into the worm. Use little or
no weight. An angler can even make a wacky worm weedless by attaching
a rubber band from the hook barb to the eye to create a weed guard or by
using a factory hook already equipped with a wire weed guard.
To fish a wacky worm, simply throw it near cover and let it sink. With
nearly neutral buoyancy, a wacky worm slowly sinks horizontally with both
tips quivering and shaking. After it hits bottom, pop it back up to the
surface, move it a few feet and let it sink again. A wacky worm naturally
undulates in the water like a night crawler washed into the lake or spirals
down like a dying baitfish.
“A wacky worm is the only lure that I know of that can land right next to a
bass and not spook it because it doesn’t make much of a splash,” said
George Cochran, a two-time Bassmaster Classic champion from Hot
Springs, Ark. “When it hits the water, it floats a little then barely sinks. I
almost work it like a topwater bait. Twitch it a little and stop. It sits there
just a second. Twitch it again. It’s not a bait to work all the way back to the
boat. If a bass is there, it will hit it. If not, reel it up and throw it again.”
Bass usually won't smash it as they would a crankbait, spinnerbait,
topwater plug or even a Texas-rigged worm. Because it looks and feels
natural, fish frequently just suck them down and continue doing what bass
do. This calls for acute attention to line action, a light touch and sensitive
rods. Sometimes, fishermen only notice line moving in a contrary direction
without feeling any strike.
When a bass takes a wacky worm, resist the temptation to set the hook
immediately. Let the bass swim with it. Gently lift the rod to test for
resistance. Set the hook as the line moves off or after feeling resistance.
The hardest part about using a wacky work is casting it. Because of its
light weight, bass anglers might opt for lighter spinning tackle and
monofilament lines in 8- to 12-pound test. A light rod with a flexible tip and
a smooth casting reel makes throwing wacky worms easier. Use clear lines
in clear waters where wacky worms perform best.
Getting wacky could mean putting
more lunker bass in the livewell
more lunker bass in the livewell
TOP: Mike Iaconelli, a
former Bassmaster
Classic champion from
Runnemede, N.J.,
shows off a bass he
caught while fishing a
drop shot rig.
LEFT: Mike Iaconelli,
a former Bassmaster
Classic champion from
Runnemede, N.J.,
shows how he rigs a
drop shot with the soft
plastic bait above the
sinker.
former Bassmaster
Classic champion from
Runnemede, N.J.,
shows off a bass he
caught while fishing a
drop shot rig.
LEFT: Mike Iaconelli,
a former Bassmaster
Classic champion from
Runnemede, N.J.,
shows how he rigs a
drop shot with the soft
plastic bait above the
sinker.
