Summer Swimmin Worm Technique Deadly

I have to give credit where credit is due. I went fishing with Jim Strader the other night on a private lake in Indiana. Now you are correct, this lake is well managed and FULL of largemouth bass. However there is not one thing you can do that will MAKE a fish bite when it does not want to and I learned a new technique from Mr. Strader that I would like to pass on to you. It seems to cure some of that Lock Jaw of summer.

It is a summer worm rig that you fish a little bit differently. First you get some Mr. Twister Keeper hooks..You stick the keeper into the worm to hold it and then hook the worm so it is weedless. You put on the smallest bullet weight you can find, depending on what kind of cover you want to fish and how deep you want to work the bait.





Cast the bait to cover let it drop to the desired level, and then instead of lift and drop you simply reel the bait in steadily. ( Oh yes, I forgot to mention that the best worms to use are Mr. Twister Tail worms) The fish LOVE it. Vary your retrieve, and when you feel a fish stick him. No don't let him have the bait, don't wait, get the rod ready and pull back for all you are worth. This bait imitates a swimming salamander. You ask, how can it do that without legs? Simple, as Jim explained the salmander tucks its legs up under its belly giving the same profile as the worm you are fishing.

This technique works best with Fireline, and I have to say the new Spidercast Reels are fantastic for an Old GEEZER like me with bad wrists. I think the darn things weigh all of 3 ounces. You can cast all day with with this reel on almost any good rod. With my arthritis, this is a real plus. It has a very smooth retrieve, and casts like a dream

Back to fishing. I have learned never to doubt Jim Strader when it comes to fishing tactics. While he does fish the front of the boat, he leaves some nice openings for you and I caught almost as many fish as Jim. the true test of how the system works is how my thumb looked for several days after I went fishing for Bass with Jim.

I went through half a bottle of a product called New Skin that puts a protective barrier of film on skin. Hamburger might have looked better than my thumb after unhooking these fish. Fish that do that to your finger are GOOD fish. The largest was around 5 pounds, (Jim Strader Caught that one) the smallest was about 1.5 pounds. In 2 hours we never went more than 15 minutes without getting a fish on. Total was somewhere around 18 fish in the 2 hours, and several times we had doubles on.

The lake is about 40 acres and water temperatures were in the low 80's. Storms were moving to the north of us, and a low pressure area was moving in. Almost perfect conditions for Bass Fishing. We fished the edges of grass that has grown up on the lake. Fish seemed to be holding very close to the grass, taking the bait sometimes on the fall and at other times following the bait a ways nipping at the tales.

I missed very few fish when I set the hook as soon as I felt the fish hit. The Fireline did an excellent job of transmitting the hit and in making the hook set work.
The Keeper Hooks, from Mr. Twister are one of the keys to the system but it may work with worms rigged weedless on other types of hooks, but Jim swears by the "Keeper" Hooks.