Any avid fisherman knows that the largemouth bass survive on small creatures like bluegills, shad, minnows and other small baitfish, as well as frogs, leeches, insects, crawfish, and other small creatures of that nature. Of course, the most common bait used by anglers everywhere, whether it be live or with artificial soft plastics, is the old fashioned worm. When you’re a kid, you just grab a bucket of nightcrawlers and a bobber and go to work. When you’re an adult, or a bit older, you grab a Senko, ribbon tail worm, maybe a flatworm for dropshot fishing… but either way, a worm just flat out catches them. Always has, always will.
In the summer months, bass anglers will even tie on a big ol’ 12-inch curly tail worm and drag it along the bottom to catch bass. Seems pretty long, especially if your body of water has bass that aren’t all that much larger, but a 12-inch bass will absolutely hammer a 12-inch worm. Even smaller bass will take a run at a mondo worm on occasion, but a two-foot snake? Maybe not… there’s a reason they don’t make 24-inch Strike King Bullworm.
But one fisherman in Florida discovered that a bass will eat a worm that is pushing two feet when he found a snake that was roughly 22 inches long inside a 16-inch largemouth.
In the video, the fisherman begins to pull the snake from the bass’s mouth, and it feels like it goes on forever until he finally reaches the end. Some of the comments were calling it a parasite, but it’s absolutely a snake, as you can see some of the bones (parasites don’t have bones). The comments also got oddly upset that he pulled it out, like he “stole” a meal from the fish… but we’ll ignore those comments.
He then holds the snake next to the bass to prove that the snake is a good bit longer than the largemouth, and it’s pretty astonishing. So the next time you think that 6-inch Senko or YUM Dinger is a little too big for your pond… guess again.
Top Big Worms
Now that we know a bass will try to scarf down a big worm, let’s take a look at some of my favorites for catching them. Just about every brand makes a big worm, something in the 10-inch to 12-inch range, and feel free to rely on your favorite brand, but there are a few others that are worth a look… bigger, longer, more unique… let’s take a look.
Now granted, this is definitely a “bigger fish” approach. Yes, small fish will bite a big worm, but if you’re primarily fishing around 12-or 14-inch bass, you’re going to get a lot of short strikes, or they’ll just pick up the tail and swim off without getting the hook. Sometimes you’ll feel a few bites in a row while they chomp down to the hook, but generally, your larger bass will inhale the whole thing.
Gambler makes a conventional 16-inch worm that can be dragged around on a Texas rig, Carolina rig, or even a magnum shaky head presentation.
Gambler ER16 16″ Worm 2pk – $5.89
Fishing super long and skinny worms has become pretty trendy this year. It’s a popular Japanese technique that has finally made its way to the States, much like the urchin has this year too. Geecrack makes an 18-inch finesse worm, ideal for dragging around the bottom on a Neko rig or even a drop shot. You can also pitch it around weightless on a wacky rig.
Geecrack G Crazy Worm – $11.99
Netbait is a really great soft plastic brand, one that makes quite a few different profiles that I like. But when it comes to big worms, they have a 15-inch finesse worm that is pretty impressive.
NetBait BaitFuel Finiki Prop Shot Worm 15″ – $6.99
