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You know, there's probably not a single bait, and I carry a ton of baits in my boat, hard baits, soft baits, etc. that I could pull out right now that has caught more bass than a soft plastic worm. Today, we're going to talk about straight tail worms and curly tail worms and when to use which one. I can remember when I was a kid, which ain't been that long ago; I'm only 36 years old, if you were big into bass fishing, you could pretty much have one of about every bait there was on the market. It's not like that anymore, you could spend hours and hours looking at all the different brands and different worms. But really and truly, what it boils down to is a curly tail worm has a lot of action, and a straight tail worm doesn't have quite as much action.
So, when would you want not as much action and when when would you want a lot of action? The first thing to really consider is the time of the year. This is going to be relative to where you are in the country because it's more specifically about water temperature. When it gets hot in the summertime, say the water gets about 70 to 75 degrees or even warmer, that's when those curly tail worms really, really shine. Those fish's metabolism is really high. They're all jacked up and feeding a lot. A curly tail worm can look really natural, like a small snake or a really big earthworm.
Now let's say it's early spring or late winter, or you're on a body of water that's been fished a whole lot. Those fish have seen a lot of those curly tail worms. You still want to throw a worm, but you just want to tone it down a little bit. That's when you reach for that straight tail worm. The straight tail worm looks natural all the time. To be 100% honest, there's never a bad time to throw a straight tail worm. Whether it's a Senko, a Trick Worm, or something like that, a straight tail worm can always shine.
So to recap, in my opinion, if you're on a highly pressured body of water or the water is cooler, especially if you're around smallmouth or spotted bass, you're going to want to go with a straight tail worm. But, if it's hot weather, especially if you're around a lot of largemouth, that's when you reach for those curly tail worms. They have more drawing power, meaning a fish will come from further away for that big bite. I hope this has taught you just a little bit about worms. Good luck on the water!
