Nightcrawlers are one of the best baits for smallmouth bass when water temperatures are above 60 degrees.
Half Nightcrawlers
The half nightcrawler trick is a great way to put more numbers of smallmouth bass into your boat. It will catch plenty of smaller bass, but the big bass eat these downsized worms as well. On many occasions, a half nightcrawler will out fish a full nightcrawler.
Pinched Nightcrawlers
For some anglers, they report better success by just pinching a small piece off the tail of a nightcrawler. The theory behind this is that the scent of the inside of the worm helps attract smallmouth bass to the bait. Whether this works better or not, pinched nightcrawlers are super effective just like a regular nightcrawler.
Wacky Rigged Nightcrawlers
Wacky rigged nightcrawlers have excellent action when fished a variety of ways. Still fishing under a bobber or on a drop shot rig are just 2 great ways to fish a wacky rigged nightcrawler. Cast these baits to cover or drift them along the bottom. If you can present them to a hungry smallmouth bass, you are going to get bit.
Best Live Bait Rigs
A well placed worm under a bobber or slip bobber is one of the better ways to target largemouth bass that are suspended in the water column.
This rig is a great live bait rig. Most anglers use the Carolina rig when fishing deeper water.
The drop shot rig is an awesome way to fish a lively nightcrawler. Fish it shallow, deep, in open water or around cover and you can have a lot of success.
A simple jighead and nightcrawler is one of the easiest ways to target largemouth bass when you are fishing away from heavy cover. For example, docks, a weed edge, weed pockets and rocky bottoms are good places to fish a jighead without having to worry about getting hung up.
The split shot rig is a great rig when you just need a little extra weight to get your nightcrawler down farther through the water column. Most anglers use this rig when the bass are shallow and it can be super effective.
