Summer time fishing means one thing to me…it’s time to break out the big worms. By big worms I mean “BIG” …anything from a 10 to 12-inch worm. There’s a saying… “If you want to catch big fish, you need to throw big baits.” It’s no secret that big fish like a big meal and most big bass don’t want to have to exert a lot of energy to feed. So, a big worm is a great bait to entice those sluggish largemouth bass.

Now don’t get me wrong, I will still pick up my faithful 6.5-inch trick worm more often than not just because I have so much confidence in it but my body starts to shake and quiver every time, I throw either a Texas rigged 10.5-inch V& M Wild Thang, or Straight Wild or even a Zoom Ol’ Monster. These are my three favorites and all will catch fish. The 10.5-inch V&M Wild Thang and the Zoom Ol’ Monster both have great ribbon tails which have a lot action. But there are days when the V&M Straight Wild is a better choice when the bass aren’t as aggressive. The Straight Wild worm is also great for rigging on a big 5/16th or 3/8th oz. shaky head. The shaky head technique is a finesse technique used when the bite is really slow. It’s a great way to put a limit of bass in the boat on those tough summer days. Worms of all sizes are used on a shaky head from 4 up to 10-inch worms.

The thing about fishing a big worm, is that it’s great in all situations whether you’re fishing a hard drop off, punching hydrilla(grass), fishing lily pads or dragging it through a brush top. A big worm is never a bad choice due to its versatility. Now let’s talk what colors are best. If you ask ten anglers their favorite color worm, you’ll probably get ten different colors. But I’m going to give you a good rule of thumb to follow when it comes to color that former Bassmaster Classic Champion Dion Hibdon gave me back in 2004. Stick to your earth tone colors like watermelon, watermelon/red, green pumpkin, red bug and black neon (black with red flake). With these 5 colors, you can fish anywhere in the country and catch fish especially with green pumpkin. Now that being said, every angler has his “go to” color that he has a lot of confidence in. If you have one favorite color, throw it! Because the more you believe in a certain color, the better you’ll fish it. Of the five colors I’ve given you here, there’s one that will work 90% of the time…green pumpkin! There’s not a single major bass tournament where someone in the field does not throw some form of soft plastic in green pumpkin. It just might be the most popular soft plastic color of all time!

To wrap this up, remember this, no other bait has been responsible for more bass caught that the plastic worm. It is without a doubt the number one bass lure of all time. A lot of professional anglers like Tommy Martin, Larry Nixon, Bill Dance and Roland Martin have all made a good living throwing the plastic worm. So, the next time you reach into your tackle box, grab a soft plastic worm! Till next time, don’t forget to set the hook…. especially when you’re throwing a worm!

Steve Graf
Owner/Co-host
Hook’N Up & Track’N Down Show
And Tackle Talk Live

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