In case you haven’t been outside lately, the heat and humidity are unbelievable in Northeast Texas. The water temps are in the high 80’s- low 90’s and it is not going to get any cooler for a few months.
Bass are cold blooded creatures and this warm water will fire up their metabolism and they will be ready for much larger meals. Now is the time of the year I reach for a MEGA worm.
Don’t get me wrong, 10” curly tailed worms catch plenty of fish. It is just to me, they lack the bigger profile of today’s bulkier straight tail worms.
My favorite MEGA worm is an Xcite Lures- MAXIMUS. It is a 10.5” straight tail worm that floats. Yup, it has no salt in it and it floats up past the hook point. I used this bait paired with a Santone wobble hog to win a Legend Boat earlier this year. It is an absolute Hawg Snatcher and is one of my go to baits when I am head hunting. My favorite colors in the Maximus are Midnight Flash and Green Pumpkin Purple. I usually throw this bait on a ½-1 ounce Santone wobble hog shakey head. If I am fishing it at night or in a lot of grass, I will opt for a 3/8-5/8 ounce tungsten bullet weight that is pegged with an Owner Oversized 7/0 worm hook.
Another amazing presentation for the Maximus is on a Carolina Rig. Every time you move your rod tip or twitch the reel, the Maximus will float up and flutter down, but still will float above the hook point. When I am C-rigging this worm, I will go with the standard ¾ oz weight with multiple beads and the same Owner 7/0 hook as on the Texas rig. But, for the most part I will slowly crawl this back to the boat, instead of a typical jig and stop or pump and go retrieve.
The areas that I target with this worm are usually 12-22 foot deep. Since the thermocline is now fully established, that is as deep as I will fish. I use this worm to locate above average bass. I am not saying that you can’t catch smaller fish on it, because you can. It is just that to me, it appeals more to the larger bass and has a larger profile in the water.
When you get a bite, don’t think that the fish will have a problem getting the bait in their mouth. Do you hesitate to set the hook with a traditional 10” ribbon tail worm? Noooo. This is worm is no different. When you get a bite, reel up the slack and set the hook from 6-12. These MEGA worms don’t require any super human body builder type hooksets that are so over hyped these days.
Another trick is that I will dip the tail of the worm in ISPIKE it dipping glo in chartreuse or orange. I will not dip the midnight flash colored worm though. I don’t know why it works, but it does….or at least it does for me.
If you are still swinging for the fences this summer, try a MEGA worm the next time you are out and see if it won’t put a Summer Slawnch on the deck of you boat.
http://xcitebaits.com/maximus/
http://www.santonelures.com/store/store_product_detail.cfm?Product_ID=43&Category_ID=15
https://www.ispikeit.com/product/871/2xdip-n-glo-garlic
Story by Shane Smith
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