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By Chris Jones
Southern Staff Writer

June 15, 2010

I’ve rigged and use many weightless worms over the years but there is one set up I find myself going back to again and again; a Texas or Texposed worm with a leader and barrel swivel.

I almost always use the Yamamoto 6 1/2" Kut Tail Worm when using this technique. I have some favorite colors, of course, but they’re not the only colors that work: Pearl with large black and small gold (303) is my number one pick. If I’m not throwing 303 I’ll go with Black (020) or Watermelon w/ large black and small red (208).  I’m sure the color is not nearly as important as the rigging.

Let the water color or the forage tell you what color will work the best for you.

Rigging the Weightless Swimming Worm

I like to use 2 hooks for this set-up, a Owner 5/0 Offset Shank Wide Gap (5102-151) and Gary Yamamoto’s Sugoi 5/0 hook. I tend to utilize the Owner most often. It’s heavier hook and causes the worm to fall a little faster. If I am fishing shallow cover or want to keep a visual eye on my swimming worm then I will go with the Sugoi and fish it Texposed.

The majority of the time I use a size two or three quality barrel swivel with this rig. I like to use a chrome/silver swivel to add just that little bit of flash. You may not think that the small amount of flash that swivel gives off would attract a fish but it’s made the difference for me many times. Maybe it creates the sense of something big chasing something small . . . whatever it does, it works.

Fluorocarbon is the hot ticket right now, and yes, I use it with this rig if I’m fishing this rig in a clear lake and plan on fishing it in deeper water (7-10 feet). When I’m not using fluorocarbon I use mono/copolymer. I treat this rig as a power fishing technique not a finesse technique. The lightest I go is 12lb and I go no larger than 17.

I tie the swivel on first and then 7-10 inches up the line I tie the other end of the swivel to the main line. Then I hook to the opposite end of the leader. I like the shorter leader so I can still skip and throw this bait into tight areas and under docks, pontoons and so on.

As far as getting the Kut-Tail on the hook, I have a system for that, also.

Look closely at the worm and you’ll see a seam that runs down the back. I line up where my hook goes in the head of the worm with that seam and come out about half an inch down the seam. When I turn the hook around to put the point into the plastic again I push the hook into that same seam again to keep it as straight along that line as I can.

There is a slight trick to rigging it just right; you want a little bit of sag between the hook eye and the hook point. This will give the worm its best swimming action.

Working the Worm

Working the bait is not hard. When the Kut-Tail hits the water I give it just a 2 or 3 second pause; lots of time my line will just swim off. If not then I start my retrieve just like walking a topwater: Twitch...Twitch...Twitch. You want to give a little bit of a pause between twitches. If you have rigged it right that swimming worm will do the best underwater dog walking you have ever seen.

I hold my rod tip just above the surface of the water to do my twitches and when one does inhale it I do a sweeping hook set almost like you would with a Carolina rig.

This is a great way to cover water when fish are fairly shallow. I know most of us have heard or used what is called a floating worm in this fashion. I promise this set up will catch you a better grade of fish because of the beefy Kut-Tail Worm. Take a Kut-Tail Worm Swimming Today!