Curly Tail Worms



Curly Tail Worms are some of the most common soft plastics that are used for largemouth bass.  So many of these worms will work on a variety of different rigs to catch tons of bass.  Some of the most common rigs are the Texas rig, Florida rig, Carolina rig, shaky head jig, a weightless rig, a split shot rig, a drop shot rig, scrounger jighead or even a swimbait hook.  A slow stop and go retrieve works best with curly tail worms, but you can also have some success with a slow and steady swimming retrieve.


Finesse-Sized Worms (4 to 6″ Worms)


The finesse-sized curly tail worms will work great for catching greater numbers of largemouth bass with mostly smaller bass.  These types of worms are perfect for smallmouth bass, but they are also great for catching lots of largemouth bass.  They are definitely an action type of bait for largemouth bass.

Some of the more popular curly tail worms in this size range are ringworms.  Take a look to learn more about using ringworms for largemouth bass.


Medium-Sized Worms (6-8″)


The curly tail worms in this size range used to be the standard for worms and largemouth bass fishing.  The 5″ wacky worm has taken over that title nowadays, but plenty of anglers still fish with a curly tail worm in this size range.  It’s a good size for action with some bigger bass potential too.


Big Curly Tail Worms (Over 8″)


The big curly tail worms are great for targeting big largemouth bass.  Anything over that 8″ size would be considered a big worm, but the 10 to 12″ worms are usually the preferred sizes for anglers fishing the southern part of the country for big bass.  Worms in this size range will catch big bass all over the country as long as the lakes you are fishing are home to some big bass.


Popular Fishing Techniques


Flipping & Pitching Them Around Cover

Whether you are using smaller curly tail worms or the larger worms, flipping them around shallow water cover is one of the most popular ways to catch largemouth bass.


Fish Them Slowly Through the Water Column

Use a simple lift and pause retrieve with some occasional erratic jerks to tempt bass that are suspended in the water column.  Most of your bites will come on the slow fall on the pause of your retrieve.


Hop Them Along the Bottom

Use your favorite soft plastic rig and work these curly tail worms along the bottom.  Largemouth bass will almost always hit the bait on the fall, however, don’t be shocked if some bass hit the bait as you are lifting it up since the curly tail worm gives these baits a nice swimming action too.


Swim Them

Some anglers choose to swim curly tail worms for largemouth bass.  This can also be effective especially when using smaller worms that are similar in size to minnows.  Pick a bait fish color and slowly swim these worms and you’ll catch bass.


Popular Fishing Rigs


Carolina Rig

Carolina rigs are one of the most popular rigs for targeting largemouth bass in deeper water with curly tail worms.


Florida / Texas Rig

This is the go to worm rig for most anglers.  It is a great rig and it is often the best way to present a worm to bass in areas of cover.


Drop Shot Rig

The drop shot rig can be a great rig for a curly tail worm, however, most bass anglers do not use this type of presentation.  They should at least consider it though because it can be very effective in certain situations.


Standup Jighead

A standup jighead rigged weedless is an awesome way to fish a soft plastic, curly tail worm.


Weightless Rig

The weightless rig can also be very effective when bass are feeding in the shallows.