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Jig Worm (Video Included)

Wade's World Fishing: A jig worm is what its name describes: a jig rigged with a trailing plastic worm. More specifically, this is a regular lead-head jig in one of three popular styles – round, mushroom and stand-up – with a worm trailing on the hook. The worm may be rigged either with the hook exposed or weedless (hook point inserted in the worm body).

This rig is typically considered a finesse presentation, when bass are in a neutral or negative mood. It is especially good for fishing weed edges when the bass are tucked into the cover. However, a jig worm can be a good alternative to a Texas-rigged worm on deep structure, bluff facings, boat docks and riprap banks. Basically, the jig worm is simply another pesentation that many anglers don’t use. It is fished with a gliding or a lift-drop retrieve, depending on the specific situation an angler faces.

While the jig worm is considered to be better for producing numbers of smaller bass rather than big fish, it can also yield the latter, especially when bigger jigs and worms are used in deep structure areas where big fish spend most of the summer. Here are additional tips for catching more bass with jig worms.

• Jig worms are usually fished on spinning tackle, and long rods are better (6-7 ft. medium action).
• If fishing in open water, use 8- to 12-pound test fluorocarbon line. If fishing around weeds/aquatic vegetation, use heavier braided line with an 8-foot fluorocarbon leader. The braided line can be ripped through vegetation without breaking when the jig worm snags.
• Use Super Glue to glue the worm to the back of the jig head. Simply add a drop of glue to the back of the jig head, snug the worm up and allow to dry.
• Best worms to use are 4-6 inch straight-tail finesse worms.
• When fishing a jig worm in thick vegetation or submerged brush, if a bass hangs up, keep tension on the line and go to the fish or wait for it to swim out of the cover on its own. Do not attempt to “horse” a fish with light tackle/line.