Finesse worms are extremely popular for smallmouth bass. A drop shot rig and a finesse worm is the most common way to fish these baits, but you do have lots of options since finesse worms are very versatile.
What Sizes are Best for Smallmouth Bass Fishing?
Finesse worms in the 4 to 6 inch range are very popular for smallmouth bass. The smaller worms do attract a lot of bites from smaller bass, however, some very big smallmouth bass can be caught on a 4 inch finesse worm. To consistently catch larger smallmouth bass on these worms, most anglers would use worms in the 5 to 6 inch range.
How to Rig Finesse Worms
Most finesse worms look great on a simple jighead, but there are a variety of different jighead types that will work great. The drop shot rig is a great rig for finesse worms and some anglers like to use a Texas rig or Carolina rig.
Best Techniques
Hop Them Along the Bottom
Finesse worms look great when hopped along the bottom. Use a lighter jighead, small Texas rig or a drop shot rig and just hop them along the bottom with some pauses mixed in. This is one of the most consistent ways to put good numbers of smallmouth bass in the boat.
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Fish Them Slowly Through the Water Column
Finesse worms look good fished slowly through the water column, especially when you rig them wacky style. Some finesse worms are heavy enough and they sink quick enough to be very effective with a weightless, wacky rig. If you need to get a little deeper quicker, use a lighter jighead or split shot rig to slowly sink your bait through the water column. Use a twitch and pause technique and get ready to feel those bites as most of them will come on the pause.
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Shaky Technique
The shaky technique works great for drawing strikes from smallmouth bass that are not in the mood to chase a faster moving bait. There are many different finesse worms on the market that look great with this technique.
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Swim Them
The curly tail finesse worms look great with a slow and steady retrieve.
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Vertical Jig Them
You can definitely have some success by vertical jigging a variety of finesse worms when smallmouth bass are found in deeper water.
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Dead Stick Them
At times, dead sticking can be very effective. Use a finesse worm that has great action with without needing a lot of action from the rod. The baits that have some scent to them will usually draw more strikes as well when dead sticking.
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