Fishing Tackle | Soft Baits | Worms
Swimming worms are gaining in popularity with the Swimming Senko leading the charge. There are a variety of swimming worms emerging on the market, but you can easily swim any curly tail worm as well. The swimming worms with a paddle on them work great for many different species of fish. Anglers catch many different species of bass, northern pike, salmon, trout and even muskie.
Tackle Recommendations
Rod, Reel & Line
It all depends on what type of fish you are targeting and the water clarity. Some anglers throw these worms on heavier jigheads with heavy action rods and muskie gear. Others throw them on lighter jigheads and more of a medium action setup when targeting smallmouth bass in clear water. The situation and type of fish will dictate how heavy or light you go with your rod, reel and line.
Best Rigs
Jighead
A simple jighead will work well when using swimming worms. If you are swimming these baits just above the cover or in open water, you won’t need a weedless setup.
Shaky Head Jig
Swimming worms look great on a shaky head jig. Swim them in and you will get plenty of bites. Stop the bait and let it go down to the bottom and the shaky head jig will help the bait sit off the bottom as it rests. This can entice some big fish bites.
Swimbait Hook
The swimbait hook is how most anglers will fish their swimming worms. It is super effective and can be fished around all types of cover or in open water.
Underspins
Rigging a swimming worm on an underspin is a great way to fish them. Cast them out and wind them in slowly and hang on.
Best Fishing Techniques
Swimming Them
These worms were made to be used with a swimming action. Cast them out and swim them in with a slow and steady retrieve and you should get plenty of bites. Mix it up with an erratic retrieve and at times this technique will produce even better.
Hopping Them Along the Bottom
Hop it up off the bottom then let it fall back down. Make sure you have a heavy enough weight so the bait swims down on the fall. You will get most of your bites on the fall.
Jerk & Fall Retrieve
The jerk and fall retrieve can be super effective when the bass are ready to feed, but not super aggressive. Some of these bass will hit the bait on the fall, but they may not hit the bait with a slow and steady retrieve. When the slow and steady retrieve isn’t working, you can try this method to generate a few more strikes with these baits.
More Tips
Boatside Bites
When fishing in murky water, I do get a lot of bites closer to the boat. So many anglers bring in their baits and flip them in the boat. The problem with this is that you’re going to miss a lot of fish that are willing to hit the bait near the boat. This doesn’t work well in clear water as most fish will be scared of the boat, however, it totally works in murky water.
What Eats Them
Largemouth Bass
Smallmouth Bass
Northern Pike
Walleye
Spotted Bass
Many other fish will eat a swimming worm as well.
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