All About Bass Fishing - Guide To Fishing Deep With Artificial Worms

If you’ve eliminated spoons and jigs for deep water, worms become the next option. Cover will often be the determining factor. Select a rigging method that will allow you to fish the desired depth, in or near the cover holding the bass. Often bass holding deep are not actively feeding, but choose to hold in cover at these depths for the comfort zone provided there.

3 Most Important Factors About Fishing Deep With Artificial Worms

Artificial worms can be fished in deep water using heavier weights, one-half ounce to one ounce.
Texas-style allows you to fish in and around brush in these deeper waters without getting hung up.
Drop-shot fishing allows the angler to fish for bass suspended just off the bottom.

3 Most Effective Fishing Methods

Worms rigged Texas style allow you to fish worms in deep, heavy cover.
Vary size and style to include lizards and creature baits.
Drop-shot and Carolina-rig worms allow you to fish an area several different ways.

Use artificial worms to probe deep-water cover.

Begin your search in deep cover with a drop-shot rigged worm. If the weight creates problems while working the cover, switch to a conventional Texas-style rig. If the cover is not too dense, you may also want to experiment with a Carolina-rigged worm. With all three rigging styles it is important to lift the lure until you feel it go over a branch, then allow it to return to the bottom in a new area of the cover. Because you are fishing in cover use a big enough worm to be noticed - 6 inches minimum.

Drop Shot

One of the advantages of the drop-shot method is using light tackle, line and worms. This method will often catch the most bass, but has one drawback – you may lose bigger bass in cover because of the light line. Start with 8-pound line, a 3/16-ounce drop-shot, weight and a light-wire size-2 hook rigged weedless, 18 inches above the weight. Let the weight settle to the bottom and keep a taught line so you can feel when a bass takes the worm. Begin by leaving the worm in place with no action imparted by the rod. Wait, then twitch the worm to give it a life-like action. Experiment with moving the worm up and down without moving the weight. The best way to fish this setup is straight up and down, directly below the rod tip.

Carolina Rig

Use this method to quickly search deep flats and creek channels. Rig a worm or lizard on a 15-pound fluorocarbon leader which is 3 feet below a swivel, on a 4/0 worm hook. Above the swivel add a sliding sinker 1/2-ounce to 1 ½ ounce on heavier line, braid if you have it. Once the weight reaches bottom drag it along the bottom, staying in contact with bottom and cover elements. For large areas, use your trolling motor to move the setup around the area. Strikes may be difficult to detect when the bass first inhales the worm. Pay close attention to the feeling of added weight and set the hook if it feels different in any way.

Texas Style

The meaning of the term “Texas-style” has become vague. To clarify, it refers to the concept of burying the tip of the hook back in the body of the worm. You may use this method for drop shot or Carolina rigs as well, but here we are talking the conventional rigging with a sliding slip sinker and worm hook. To fish cover in deep water, use a 6-inch or larger worm or lizard, rigged Texas style on 14-pound monofilament or fluorocarbon (or heavier) with at least a 3/8-ounce weight. Use this rigging to work deep into the cover allowing it to fall to the bottom after each lift over branches and other cover elements.