Last week my best fishing buddies and I went to a high desert lake here in Arizona called Roosevelt Lake. It seems like we can always figure them out there. We started throwing deep cranks, which have been the lure of choice for a while. Boy were we wrong. This is where the good old ribbon-tailed worm comes into play.
We started at the Tonto Creek end of the lake and the water was chocolate milk from the recent rains. This was no good so we headed back to the main lake points. Again, throwing cranks. We fished this way for hours without a bite.
Ribbon-Tailed Worm for Bass – Saved the Day
That’s when we decided to make a switch. We pulled out our 7” ribbon-tailed worms and within 5 minutes it was on. In that last hour of fishing, all of the damage was done. We ended up putting 8 bass in the boat and losing a few more in the structure.
I even decided to test and see if that was all that they wanted and put on a deep-diving jerkbait for about 20 minutes without a single hit. This messed me up, but I had to try it. Pretty soon it was back to the 7” Berkley power worm and within two casts, I had another bass.
What started out as a bad day, turned into an epic hour. The ribbon tailed worm fishing for bass was king.
There is something magical about that long and skinny profile in the summer when they are in a negative or neutral mood that just seals the deal with largemouth bass.
Ribbon-Tailed Worm for Bass – The Rig
We were fishing in 10-20’ of water and throwing 7” worms. We were Texas Rigging them with ⅜ ounce bullet weights and a 3/0 round bend worm hook. I really prefer the round bend worm hook to the wide gap for skinny worms like the ribbon worm or the straight-tailed trick worms.
Get Your Ribbon Tail Worms Here
Get Your Lead Bullet Weights Here
Get Your VMC Tungsten Weights Here
I will also add that we had one fisherman on the boat, that was fishing topwater and never got a hit.
The fish were deep and wanted the worm fished slowly. It was a drag and long pause presentation that won.
Ribbon-Tailed Worm for Bass – Epic Day and Full Moon
That’s one of the joys of bass fishing for me. It is figuring out a pattern and what the fish are looking for. Long story short. Never give up. Make switches to the areas that you are fishing, the baits, and the presentation, and what is a slow day may turn out epic.
While we have caught days with a lot more fish, this day was one to remember. It is sometimes good to go back to how I started and see that the old ribbon-tailed worm is still a powerful tool in the arsenal of bass fishing.
I hope that this can help you put a few more in the boat on your next bass fishing expedition.
To your ribbon-tailed worm fishing success,
Jonathan Burke