Paddle Tail Worms can be used with a variety of different rigs for targeting largemouth bass. There are many different paddle tail worms on the market that come in a variety of sizes. You can fish them shallow, deep, in open water, around shallow water cover and any other area that you may find a largemouth bass. Paddle tail worms should definitely be in your tackle box if you like to fish with soft plastics for largemouth bass.
Popular Fishing Techniques
Use a Jerkbait Retrieve
Paddle tail worms work great on a jerkbait retrieve. Use a swimbait hook, Texas rig or shaky head jig and work the bait with an erratic jerk and pause retrieve. Most of your bites will come on the pause.
Hop Them Along the Bottom
Paddle tail worms look good when hopped along the bottom as well. Use your favorite soft plastic bait rig and slowly work these worms along the bottom. Many of the paddle tail worms look good on a shaky head jig as their tails will lift up off the bottom because of the style of the jig.
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.
Popular Fishing Rigs
Carolina Rig
A Carolina rig can be very effective for working these worms slowly along the bottom.
Drop Shot Rig
The drop shot rig is a great rig for many paddle tail worms. Some of the bigger paddle worms don’t look as good on the drop shot rig, but many of the smaller, finesse-sized worms and medium-sized worms look great with a lift and fall retrieve.
Florida / Texas Rig
The Texas rig and the Florida rig is another way to rig these baits. Peg the weight when using the Texas rig and fish it slow around cover and you’ll get plenty of bites.
Standup Jighead
The standup jighead is a great way to present the paddle tail worm. With these jigs, the paddle tail will stick up off the bottom as the bait comes to a rest. Lift the bait and drop it back down. Repeat this around all types of cover and you’ll draw plenty of strikes.
Swimbait Hook
The swimbait hook allows this bait to glide down through the water column and the tail will still sit up off the bottom with a similar look as a shaky head jig.
Weightless Texas Rig
The weightless rig is a nice way to present paddle tail worms in the shallows. Work these worms like you would fish a jerkbait when fishing them on a weightless rig and you’ll get a lot of bites.
