Curly tail worms were one of the original soft plastics. The iconic lure has been seen in magazines and tv shows throughout bass fishing history.
The versatile plastic can be fished a number of ways in various versions.
The standard set-up for a curly tail worm is an offset worm hook paired with a bullet weight (Texas rig) and bounced along the bottom, steadily retrieved or erratically retrieved with pops and pauses. When bounced along the bottom, a curly tail worm mimics reptiles, amphibians and crustaceans. When steadily or erraticly retrieved, a curly tail worm mimics baitfish. Naturally colored versions and dark-bodied with chartreuse tail versions tend to have the most consistent success.
Newer versions of the worm such as trick worms and stick worms trigger bites through subtle vibration when the worm falls through the water.
Effective setups for trick worms include rigging weightless with an offset hook and retrieved with pops and pauses or hooked in the center of the worm (wacky rig) with a wacky rig hook and retrieved in a pulsing manner. A piece of split shot can be added to the line to reach greater depths.
Naturally colored and/or red trick worms in 10-inch plus versions are effective at targeting big largemouth bass on structure in deep water, especially in the winter and summer months.
4-inch to 5-inch stick worms in most colors rigged weightless with an offset hook or wacky rigged are great for farm pond bass.
2-inch to 3-inch naturally colored stick worms are great on a drop shot rig or jig-head (Ned rig) in clear water streams and lakes for smallmouth bass.
