TAKEOFF
TECHNIQUES
WATSON’S APPROACH TO THE WEIGHTLESS WORM
A FEW TRICKS THAT MIGHT HELP YOU FINESSE MORE FISH WITH THIS CLASSIC RIG
a
photoS by kevin pieper
By Curtis Niedermier
s a former drill sergeant in the U.S. Army, James Watson
is a pretty tough guy, but he’s still not afraid to pull out
a spinning rod and finesse up a few keepers by twitch-
ing a weightless worm just under the surface when the situa-
tion requires it. His technique, while not entirely unique, is a
slightly different approach from the norm.
the Worm
Watson uses 6-inch straight-tail worms such as the Luck-
E-Strike Live Motion Series Con Man and rigs them Texas
style with a 3/0 offset round-bend worm hook.
Favorite colors include Merthiolate, which is a bright red-
dish orange color, black, and an off-white milky brown color he
calls night crawler. Generally, the brighter colors get used in
clear water, and the darker colors get used in stained water.
tackle
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Here’s where Watson really strays from the path.
“I like to throw it on 10-pound-test Maxima Ultragreen
monofilament and a 6 1/2-foot, medium-action Waft bait-
casting rod with a Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris CarbonLite
reel,” he says. “Vary rarely do I use a spinning rod. A lot of
guys will throw a spinning rod with 10-pound braid and an 8-
pound fluoro leader, and that will work. But I found that I can
get a lot out of the right kind of stretch and pull. You don’t
want to be too quick on the draw [when setting the hook].
That’s a mistake that people make when visually fishing for
bass with a floating worm. If you have braided line and you
have a fluorocarbon leader, your reaction time can almost
snatch it away.”
The short length and medium action of the baitcasting
rod allow it to load up on the cast even with the light worm.
Watson says he can really whip the bait a good distance, and
with roll-casts and careful targeting, can place it right where
he wants it.
When Watson uses It
Prespawn, spawn and early postspawn all fall within the
window of opportunity when a weightless worm can be
fished in shallow water effectively.
“That time of year I have a rod-and-reel combo set up just
for it,” Watson says.
The primary limiting factor is water clarity.
“Anything real super muddy where you can’t see that thing
more than a foot away, that’s just too dirty,” says Watson.
“This is a visual technique. In off-colored water it’s still effec-
tive depending on how aggressive those fish are guarding or
set up on the beds.
“In the prespawn it’s effective to cover water – and during
the spawn. In postspawn it’s very effective to just slow down
and throw it ahead of you, and you’re looking for bass that
are still guarding their old beds.”
flWfIshIng.Com I feBruary-marCh 2018