years ago(mid-90s) I saw this on the Roland Martin show and I tried it - and man, what a fish catcher! Maybe you've done it, maybe you haven't - if you haven't, you should try it... it's called 'the bubblegum worm technique'(anyway, that's what Roland called it). It's primarily for fishing aquatic weed growth, but it works in sparse cover as well. Here's how to rig it:
- first, get a pack of Zoom Trick worms - preferably bubblegum color (I know, it seems crazy in today's world of green pumpkin/everything, but it WORKS!) These worms
float, and that's part of the technique.
**I find it best to use this with spinning gear, as it's quite light in weight - you could use it on baitcasters if you prefer, but it's gonna be kinda hard to cast.
- on your main line coming from your rod/reel, tie on a a 3/0 wide gap hook(no sinker!) & rig the worm weedless Texas style. If the cover is sparse, you can also rig it 'Tex-posed'.
- now, pull out about two feet of line and cut it off - you now have your worm at the end of a 2 ft leader.
- now connect your main line and your leader/worm with a good quality swivel.
main line>swivel>leader>worm
How to use it:
Anywhere you've got weeds, even thick places where you would most likely throw a topwater frog, this will work! Simply cast it out and slowly stop/start, twitch it, let it rest... be
random, not mechanical. If you come to a hole in the grass, let it sit for abit, then give it a twitch without really moving it horizontally. When they grab it, give it just a second, then
cross his eyes.
Because it's working very close to the surface, you get to SEE the strike 90% of the time... so it's wicked
fun too!
In sparse cover, I tend to work it with my rod tip down - in
thick weeds, I keep my rod tip up high.
As I said before, it works great in weeds, but it works well in sparse cover too. It's also a GREAT spawn-bedding technique as you can throw it out and just let it lay - the worm will float, or if you're using a heavier hook, sink ever so slightly... don't be afraid to throw it right where the water meets the bank - you'd be surprised how shallow fish can get. It's a very
NON-threatening presentation, and that's the key on why it works so well. Also, because it's soooo weedless, you can throw it spots nobody in their right mind would throw! LOL
Give it a shot - you might just catch a PIG of a bass.