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How to Fish With a Rubber Worm

How to Fish With a Rubber Worm
The rubber worm is a bass lure that anglers use mostly in heavy vegetation. The properly rigged rubber worm will enable the angler to cast into "slop." These heavy weeds provide cover and shade as well as a plentiful food supply for summertime bass. There are very few lures individuals use in this type of setting, making the rubber worm a valuable asset in a tackle box.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:
  • Spinning rod and reel 20-lb. test braided line Rubber worms Bullet weights Offset worm hooks
  • Spinning rod and reel
  • 20-lb. test braided line
  • Rubber worms
  • Bullet weights
  • Offset worm hooks
Step 1
Offset worm hook and bullet weight
Offset worm hook and bullet weight
Spool a spin-casting reel with 20-lb. test braided line to the reel's capacity. This type of line will enable you to pull fish through the weeds without fear of it snapping. Slip a 1/16-oz. bullet weight onto your line with the cone-shaped nose heading away from the end of the line. Tie on an offset worm hook to the line.
Step 2
A Texas-rigged rubber worm
A Texas-rigged rubber worm
Texas rig a worm onto the hook by threading the rubber worm onto the point through the thick end, pushing the point of your hook out the side less than an inch from where it went in the top, and turning the hook to face the worm. Push the hook into the soft rubber body but not with enough force to cause it to break through the other side.
Step 3
Locate a dense patch of weeds in the water. If you are in a boat, you need to float near the weeds but not into them. Cast into the heart of the weeds and let the rubber worm sink to the bottom. Watch the line as the worm sinks for any odd twitches that do not seem natural. If you detect any strange line movements, pull back and set your hook with gusto.
Step 4
Slowly and deliberately raise your rod tip to make the rubber rise in the weeds. The way it is rigged will allow the lure to pass through the weeds without the hook, which you buried inside the worm's body, snagging in the plants. Reel in about two feet of line and let the rubber worm fall back to the bottom. Be alert for a hard strike as well as any twitching of the line where it enters the water that could indicate a fish has taken your worm.
Step 5
Retrieve your rubber worm in this systematic manner, bringing it in two feet as it rises, letting it fall and sit for a few seconds, before raising it up and reeling again. Set the hook as hard as possible at the sign of a bite to make the point come out of the rubber worm's middle and into the fish's mouth.
Step 6
Display patience when fishing using this method. Do not be quick to abandon it. Take the time to gain experience, especially at identifying the slightest bite and at setting the hook. Use the Texas-rigged rubber worm to cover as much of a weedy area as possible. Bass, pickerel and pike will be holding in such places on hot days.

Tips & Warnings

 
Don't be afraid to flip a Texas-rigged rubber worm on top of thick lily pads and then let it slide into the water. Fish may frequently be waiting below for the worm to fall off the pad and then hit it hard.

Article Written By John Lindell

John Lindell has written articles for "The Greyhound Review" and various other online publications. A Connecticut native, his work specializes in sports, fishing and nature. Lindell worked in greyhound racing for 25 years.

Write for Trails.com

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