When I got into club fishing I was the only worm'n guy in the club . Fishing in the back  of a boat my worm of choice was a six inch jelly worm and 1/4 ounce weight . I had to fish fast and    effectively . One two day event i was in   the back of the boat while the driver zoomed down the bank rapid firing spinnerbaits . I smoked him and finished 1st. Oh , this dude was  mad .

 

Too this day I still fish worms faster than most . I keep enough weight on it to keep it on the bottom and hop it back quickly . If I'm fishing brush I often hop it all the way to the boat . I think at times  the bass follow it   and hit it  away from the cover .

I've read about John Powell. He fished in many early B.A.S.S. events and did well. His method was cast close to shallow cover, hop the worm 2 or 3 times, and reel in to make another cast. He fished the worm about as fast as you could fish it. He was looking for the quick strikes, from more shallow bass. The Texas rig is such a good, versatile bait, it's hard to fish it wrong.Slowly swim it in, hop, or drag it. All can work on any given day. It's my very favorite bass lure, for over 25 yrs now.

larry nixon ...

 

https://www.the-dispatch.com/sports/20170420/nixon-credits-plastic-worm-for-success

3 hours ago, scaleface said:

When I got into club fishing I was the only worm'n guy in the club . Fishing in the back  of a boat my worm of choice was a six inch jelly worm and 1/4 ounce weight . I had to fish fast and    effectively . One two day event i was in   the back of the boat while the driver zoomed down the bank rapid firing spinnerbaits . I smoked him and finished 1st. Oh , this dude was  mad .

 

Too this day I still fish worms faster than most . I keep enough weight on it to keep it on the bottom and hop it back quickly . If I'm fishing brush I often hop it all the way to the boat . I think at times  the bass follow it   and hit it  away from the cover .

I had a similar situation many years ago too. I was using a blk/blue Culprit. My partner that day was throwing shallow cranks, but not doing well. He spent more time picking weeds off his bait than anything else. He got all ticked off at me, but was bullheaded and wouldn't change baits. I took 2nd place, and afterwards I overheard him telling another guy how I was all luck with a plastic worm. All luck? No. I was fishing the right bait, that's all.  I fished very few club tournaments after that. Too many hot heads and sore losers. The deadly Texas rig struck again.

51 minutes ago, greentrout said:

larry nixon ...

 

https://www.the-dispatch.com/sports/20170420/nixon-credits-plastic-worm-for-success

Sometime in the early 1980s, I went to a sport show in Kansas City. Larry Nixon gave a seminar on structure fishing. At the end of his seminar, he held up a plastic worm and said" learn this". I listened. It's very hard to beat a Texas rig worm through most of the fishing season for me. I've been addicted to a light"tap" for a long time now.