Ranger Rob on Speedworm

Rig it with a 1/16th oz Florida Gambler Screw-in weight and a 3
or 4/0, EWG worm hook.The worm MUST be rigged(with the hook)
so that the Vibra-tail end's up pointing down.It must be "down"
so that it can 'slap' the water when you buzz the bait across
the water's surface. Run the hook in and out of the seams you
will see on those worms.They are made by the s/p 'mold' and
are 180 degrees apart and align with the top and the bottom of
the tail. By doing this, the worm rig will be "arrow-straight"
after screwingin the weight.


I have fished this bait a great deal this past fall, and this winter
when the water temperature is high enough to get them
to bite on the surface. I was amazed at the number of strikes this
bait produces. I have never seen any bait that works on top get
this many strikes. This bait and the Senko produce more strikes
than any baits I know of. The Speed Worm is really going to take
off an become a hot bait this year. It is the greatest search
bait I have ever seen because of the speed at which it can be
fished and the huge number of strikes it gets.The average size
bass is very large also. This is definitely not a muddy water bait.
I have found that this bait works best when I find water with
2 feet of visibility or more. Ideally I will fish it in water
where the bottom is clearly visible even at 6-8 feet. My favorite
color for this clear water is definitely watermelon-red flake.
A color that seems to produce very well regardless of the water
clarity is black sapphire. I have not fished a color of this
bait that did not produce for me. However, these 2 colors have
really stood out. Without the proper tackle, this would be a
tough bait to fish correctly. You must begin the retrieve at
a high speed where it is instantly on the surface just like a
buzzbait. However, the worm does not have the resistance of
a buzzbait to help in getting it to the top. You need a very
fast reel and long rod to get instant control and keep the bait
up without getting the rod out of the hooksetting position.
The wrong equipment will have you holding the rod tip very high
to keep the bait up. This makes it impossible to set the hook.
Here's what I use,and it has proved to be perfect for me after
trying at least 10 different set-ups.
A 7'6" medium action Lamiglas rod, model XPC764. The reel
is a Pflueger Trion or President baitcaster with a line recovery
of 28". This combo allows you to get the bait up and maintain
a 9-10:00, ready to set the hook, rod position. Strikes on this
bait are explosive and have a high hookup percentage with
this equipment. I have found that rigging this bait properly
is by far the most important ingredient in its productivity.
In fact, rigging it in any other manner leaves you with a
less than average bait. You need a Florida Rig-screw in sinker in
1/64-1/16 oz. A 4/0 or 5/0 EWG hook. I definitely prefer a 5/0 EWG
Gamakatsu hook. When rigged,the point of the tail must be in a
downward position, pointing into the water rather than toward the sky.
This is the most important part. To do this you must locate the
2 seams in the worm. Keep the hook point going into and out
of the worm right in the seams. There are 2 reasons for doing this.
It keeps the worms tail down in the water where it has constant
resistance. This keeps the tail swimming at all times.
Rigged upwards, the tail looses its grip of the water. It will
stop swimming every few feet. You will immediately notice if you
have the worm rigged improperly because it will be very difficult
to get the bait on the surface at the beginning of the retrieve.
Rigged down, it comes right to the top. The reason you always
want to keep the hook centered in the seams of the worm is
line twist. Rigged perfectly in line with the seams, you will
get 0% line twist. Also, at the same time,twisting would cause
the tail to come out of the water. In fact, this is the exact same
way you should rig all plastic worms. Through the seams,
tail pointed downward. This is the way the manufacturers
originally intended all worms to be rigged, as opposed to the
black side on top. Look at any worm and you will get the picture.
Again, rigging the hookin perfect alignment with the seams will
result in no line twist. A shad type worm rigged with the black
on top, leaves the tail lYing on one side of the worms body.
This makes it twist automatically. If you do not already rig
your worms in this manner, give it a shot and you will be pleased
and rewarded. You asked about color and I went a bit overboard.
This should tell you how impressed I am with this bait. I never
go on the water without having one rigged and ready.

By Ranger Rob


Originally Posted by Ranger Rob