How many times have you fished a plastic worm for bass?

I would like to have a nickel for every cast with one on the end of my line.

Many consider this bait the ultimate bass bait for several reasons.

For instance, it is easy to fish, small bass and monsters can equally take it, they can be fished in the most dense cover without hanging up and they don&8217;t cost all that much.

Here is another one of those &8220;how many times have you&8221; starts.

How many times have you or someone you have fished with say, &8220;There&8217;s a bite&8221;, while using a plastic worm and see them (or you) drop the rod and let the line go slack?

You answered yes as all of us have I&8217;m sure.

We believe that the bass is taking the worm so we give him a little time before a sweeping hook set.

Now, how many times have you missed that fish?

Let&8217;s take a look at ways to catch more bass on plastic worms.

When a bass hits a plastic worm, no matter how big or small, they strike it in the middle.

They very rarely strike the tail as many believe.

If you find this hard to fathom than why did the original worm makers (Mann&8217;s and Creme) often put a marking on the fat part of the worm in the middle?

Why do so many crankbaits have a spot or marking in the middle?

Simple.

It is the strike point of the bass.

Let&8217;s break down a single cast.

You cast the worm to the bank.

It settles to the bottom and you begin to work the bait as you choose.

Suddenly, the familiar &8220;tap&8221; you are used to feeling.

Then another &8220;tap, tap&8221;.

Finally, the fish will swim off with the worm or he will not &8220;tap&8221; it again.

Now, here is what just transpired on that cast.

The initial &8220;tap&8221; was the bass striking the worm in the middle to kill or incapacitate the prey.

The second &8220;tap&8221; was the bass literally spitting the bait out in order to direct it to be ingested.

The third &8220;tap&8221; is the bass picking the worm back up, this time by the tail, in order to ingest the prey properly and without choking. The lesson here is simple.

When you feel that first tap or strike, set the hook.

The bass has the bait in his mouth and has the hook as well.

Do not hesitate.

When you feel that first tap count &8220;one, two,&8221; and set the hook on three.

Most of the time, I don&8217;t even get to two before I set the hook.

From a Bass Assassin 11-inch worm down to a Zoom 4-inch ringer, the bass take the bait the same way.

Don&8217;t hesitate.

The early hook set gets the worm and the bass.

FISHING REPORT:

Lay Lake

Water Temp: 75 with a slight stain

Spotted bass are being caught off of main river points and wind-blown banks using jig head worms and medium diving crankbaits.

For the worm bite, try a 3/16-ounce gourd green or kudzu 4 to 7 inch finesse worm.

Try a Bandit 300 Series in Pineapple or Purple Splatter-back.

Largemouth are fair to good in the grass early using junebug or rootbeer colored Toads.

Pig &8216;n Jigs are also a good choice here.

Black/Blue or Black/Purple in 3/8-ounce to 1/2-ounce with a large trailer is always a good bet in the weeds on Lay.

Hybrids and stripers are biting below Logan Martin Dam on bucktails and topwater.

Lake Mitchell

Water Temp: 73.5 and clear

The spotted bass here are chasing shad into wind-blown pockets and can be caught on crankbaits with any chartreuse on them.

There is also some surface activity so keep a topwater bait tied on when chasing the spotted bass.

The largemouth are biting well in Hatchet Creek and Weogufka Creek.

Try a white spinnerbait at daylight in 1 to 7 feet of water.

White and yellow trick worms are taking lots of largemouth far back in the pockets of these two creeks.

There are plenty of bass to be caught in the artificial &8220;reefs&8221; constructed by APCO and the State.

Try a 1/4-ounce pig &8216;n jig in black/blue color