The Baits and Gear
Big Bite Baits Finesse worms -- https://bit.ly/3HDDbfK
Zoom finesse worm -- https://bit.ly/3aKllZg
Yamamoto Senko -- https://bit.ly/3jPPAmn
Phenix K2 Torzite Spinning Rod 7'1" Med Lt -- https://bit.ly/3CglG37
Phenix K2 Torzite Casting Rods -- https://bit.ly/4htIv7g
SPRO Jason Christie Elite Spinning Reel -- https://bit.ly/4k391Vu
SPRO Jason Christie Elite MG Casting Reels -- https://bit.ly/3EUuYXS
Seaguar InvizX -- https://bit.ly/3tzJaLO
Hey guys, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Drew Benton here with my friends at bassresource.com to talk to you about some worm tactics—more particularly the wintertime time frame.
A lot of times people don't think about worms during the winter time. They're cranking, they're throwing jerkbaits, hard baits, a plethora of different techniques that you can throw in those water temperatures—anywhere from the 40s to, you know, mid 50s is what I would consider wintertime. A lot of people are doing different things but do not sleep on the worm.
And that's one thing that I've learned—as many places as we go across the country, they eat these things everywhere, and it's one thing that you've got to have in your boat at all times.
Wintertime—you know, the water's cold. Those fish are—people think that they're really lethargic. The bait fish are what is lethargic. And the forage—and that's what you want to mimic. And that's the reason why I go with a straight tail worm on a shaky head. I love this bait. It just simply gets bit. Whether you're on spotted bass fisheries, largemouth bass fisheries, it just gets the job done.
I'm going to be fishing this on 45° banks. I'm going to be fishing it in brush piles offshore. I'm going to be fishing it on bluff walls. I'm going to be fishing it around docks. Literally anywhere that you want to target bass with this bait, you can target it. You just change your shaky head size.
This one here is a 1/8. This is going to be for your shallower stuff, but you can go 3/16, 1/4. You can have three or four of these things rigged up with the same worm for different depths, different scenarios that you come across.
And I actually have this one on baitcasting gear with 15 LB line. We're down here in the South on Lake Hartwell right now, and I'm fishing this thing up shallow for cruisers, for bedding fish around docks with dock cable. So I've got this bigger line and this baitcast setup to get them out from under those docks and away from those cables fast.
But you can throw this setup on spinning gear. You can throw it on baitcasting gear, whatever you're more comfortable with. But again, it's something that's very versatile that just plain gets bit.
And that's the key anytime you're spending time on the water—especially in the wintertime when it's cold. You've got to be getting bites. Those bites keep you warm and, you know, as subtle as this is to the fish, it just simply gets the job done.
Any kind of straight tail finesse worm works. You can even put a Senko-style worm on this bait, on this shaky head, and it'll get bit too. I like something straight tail. I don't like a ribbon tail. I don't like, you know, a paddle tail or anything with a lot of action.
You just want to pick up—and that—and it just hops on the bottom. Just like that and stands up. And just pick it up and let it fall. Pick it up and let it fall back to the boat. And this very subtly just gliding through the water column back to the boat, and it's bouncing off over cover, hitting cover as it comes down.
And all it's got to do is hit the right piece of cover with a fish sitting by it, and he's coming to eat this thing.
That, you know, that's pretty much my go-to worm for the wintertime. Anytime the water temperature's super cold, you can't go wrong. Be sure to try that next time you're fishing in those early months.
