The Benefits of Remembering Lessons Learned on the Water

Read the other day about a fella who caught his first bass on a Mister Twister plastic worm back in the early 70s...about the time I was just getting into bass fishing. He was taking note of the fact that, as a result of that catch, curly-tail worms usually have been his first choice over straight-tail worms.

"It's the adage about catching the fisherman before catching the fish," he explained.

"Over time," he continued, "I found that I used straight-tail worms in certain situations, be it drop-shotting or skipping, but rarely did I choose a straight-tail model when Texas-rigging them to be fished around docks or brush. Mentally, the image of the worm 'swimming' on the fall with the curly tail gave me confidence."

This angler explained that he fishes a lot of docks, which are the most prevalent cover on his home lake. He fishes them two different ways: casting a Texas rig with a 1/8-ounce tungsten weight to the corners and skipping a wacky-rigged Senko under the docks.

"Typically, early in the day, or when there is a lot of cloud cover," he said, "the Texas-rig outproduces, but as the sun rises, and the fish move back under the docks, the Senko catches increase. Probably a third of the strikes on the Texas-rig are on the fall, with the remaining coming as I work it back along the dock or out in front of it."

A couple months earlier, while trying to better imitate a medium-sized bluegill (the main forage in his home lake), this fella tried a 5-inch straight-tail Roboworm Texas-rigged. He immediately saw a huge increase in bites...probably two to three times the amount he had been averaging with various curly-tailed worms.

"Not just numbers," he explained, "but size as well, including an 8-pound pig the second trip I used them. This continued for the next seven outings...not that unusual, given my SoCal location. Water temperature was within three degrees of the same every trip, and every day was sunny and bright. Once I figured them out, there were only minor adjustments to make.

"The first day we had any type of real cloud cover for any length of time," he continued, "I immediately noticed that the number of strikes on the straight-tail worm were way down. The number of strikes on the Senko were the same (increasing as the day wore on), so I tried a couple different colors and sizes without much difference.

"It wasn't until I finally rigged up a 7-inch purple Berkley Turtleback worm with a curly tail that the light switch went on. It was producing like the straight-tails had over the previous trips. That action continued until after the clouds cleared and the sun stayed out. I went back to a straight-tail worm and got the expected results for that time of day.

"My fisherman's hunch is that in low light, when fish are scattered a bit more, not only are darker colors better, but more action makes the worm easier for the fish to find. When the light and the fish visibility increase, the more natural and subtle presentation of a straight-tailed worm then will win out...at least during the summer, with 80-to-83-degree water temperatures."

As another reader outlined, "What you experienced, is textbook. You're fishing neutral fish. They aren't actively feeding, but they will eat an easy meal should it come within their strike zone.

"You have better results with the straight-tail worm during times when finesse is the way to go. The tail doesn't undulate and displace water. Instead, it quivers and looks alive but easy prey.

"The cloudy conditions more than likely involved a barometric-pressure drop, and the fish were actively feeding. When that happens, the strike zone gets bigger, and larger offerings become good producers. The swimming action and water displacement alerted the fish to its presence, and they responded by attacking it.

"Your experience was a classic example of how less action is better when the fish aren't in a feeding mode, and it has happened to everyone who has fished for bass with lures for any length of time. You made a great observation, which just added to your 'on the water' knowledge. Remember it, and you'll make good lure choices in the future."