Big soft plastic worms work great for targeting bigger largemouth bass. In some lakes, you may not get very many bites with the 10″ and 12″ worms, but the bites you do get will be quality bites. If you are fishing lakes that have big bass potential, you may want to try using a bigger worm, especially during the summer time.
Tips for Fishing Bigger Worms
Use a Big Hook
The biggest mistake most anglers use when fishing with a big worm is that they don’t upsize to a large enough hook. Go bigger and you’ll have a better chance at hooking up with that big bass that eats your worm.
Upsize Your Tackle
You may catch a 5, 6 or 7 pounder and on some lakes, it may even be bigger so make sure you are using heavy enough tackle. For most situations, you’re going to want 20 pound test line as the minimum and a heavy action rod and reel to match.
Big Worms Catch Big Largemouth Bass
Big bass love big baits and big worms are one of the best baits to use for big bass. You will still catch some smaller bass, but you will get a lot more big bites with the 10″ to 12″ worms.
Popular Fishing Techniques
Flipping & Pitching Them Around Cover
Flipping and pitching a large worm is one of the best ways to target big largemouth bass. Just make sure you pair the big worm with a heavy rod and heavy line so you can get those big bass out of the heavy cover.
Hop Them Slowly Along the Bottom
You can use a variety of rigs to hop a big worm slowly along the bottom. Mix in some pauses and hold on.
Fish Them Slowly Through the Water Column
You can also fish the big worms slowly through the water column. The bigger worms will often have some weight to them, so a weightless rig may still have enough weight to get the bait down. If the worm isn’t falling fast enough, try adding a small split shot weight and then fish the bait slowly through the water column with a lift and pause retrieve. This technique works great when bass are in the shallows and when they are suspended close to the surface.
Popular Fishing Rigs
Carolina Rig
A Carolina rig is one of the best ways to fish a big soft plastic worm slowly along the bottom.
Drop Shot Rig
A drop shot rig is a great way to present a big soft plastic worm to some huge bass whether you are fishing around shallow water cover or in deeper water too. Most anglers will not use this presentation, but they are missing out because it is an awesome way to fish a large worm.
Florida / Texas Rig
The Texas rig or Florida rig is one of the most popular ways to fish big soft plastic worms for most anglers. Fish it around all types of cover and you’ll have a chance to catch some big bass.
Standup Jighead
If you use the standup jighead with these big soft plastic worms, don’t think of it as a shaky type technique. Just fish it the same way you would fish a Texas rig and you’ll do well.
Swimbait Hook
The swimbait hook gives these big worms a nice gliding action down through the water column. It’s a nice way to get a reaction strike from a big bass.
Weightless Rig
The weightless rig can be effective too for throwing these big plastic worms. Fish it with a quick twitch and then a long pause. Expect the bites to come on the pause.
