“ Bass will eat a straight tail worm on a drop-shot anywhere in the country .”
6.5-inch Googan Slim Shake worm as his top drop-shot options .
“ Bass will eat a straight tail worm on a drop-shot anywhere in the country .”
Berkley ’ s PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm has set the bar for a new generation of scent-rich worm / baitfish imitators . It has played a starring role in smallmouth beatdowns in particular , all over the country .
“ Less is best ” is the common theme of drop-shot practitioners , who generally rely on a tantalizing “ in-your-face ” presentation to trigger bass bites . Dropshot worms of recent vintage ride that theme . Most feature soft plastic bodies that quiver at the slightest movement . Some ooze bass-tempting odors .
DROP-SHOT ‘ EM facing backward reduces snags . The addition of a nose weight makes it far more effective under windy conditions and gives it greater depth reach than an unweighted wacky worm .
Wormy Hybrids
Few bass see a lot of live nightcrawlers during their lifetimes , yet the worm silhouette has immense appeal from a bass-eye perspective . Why so ? Fish may well think of it as a leech , young snake , eel , overgrown insect , young gar and who knows what else when presented with this underwater Rorschach Test .
Soft plastics makers have reasoned that coupling the worm shape with other creature features compounds the appeal . Ribbontail worms continue to propagate . Eel , leech , sculpin and salamander hybrids have decades-long histories , too . Extending the hybrid trend today are worm / crawfish combos .
Getting the Drop
If you need proof of the broad reach of “ finesse ” among pro anglers today , just look at the number of drop-shot rigs on bass boat decks today .
HYBRID WORMS
Zeus Worm , Strike King – Rose helped develop this 9.5-inch bait , which he calls “ the most versatile lure in the Perfect Plastic lineup .” Zeus offers both a ribbontail and a straight tail in a single worm . “ Pinch off the curly plastic and you have the perfect Neko , shaky head , or wacky worm . It ’ s the most unique design ever in a casting worm .”
Big Bite Scentsation Quarantine Craw – From Big Bite ’ s new line of scentimpregnated baits comes this 4.5-inch blend of slender stick worm and flapping craw claws .
“ Drop-shot worms play a huge factor in all my tournaments ,” Becker says .
The Pennsylvania pro cites a 4-inch Googan Drag n ’ Drop worm and a
Scentsation Cliff Hanger , Big Bite Baits – Slender 5-inch worm has the look and feel of a fine hand-pour .
Scentsation Smasher ( 3.5-inch and 4.5- inch ), Big Bite Baits – Slender double-taper body shapeshifts between worm and bottom-dwelling baitfish like sculpin and goby . Action aplenty .
Presentation tip : Neal is among the many who make the drop-shot first pick in FFS face-offs .
“ If I find bass suspended , I try to get the bait a few feet past them and let it sink to the bottom ,” he says .
With the enhanced properties lure makers have added to today ’ s soft plastics , it ’ s hard to think of the lowly worm as lowly anymore .
Upgrade your worm arsenal with some of these next-generation worms before you hit the water this season .
DECEMBER-JANUARY 2023 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 59