Bass fishing with swimming worms is an excellent way to catch big bass. Throughout the spring season as the bass make their shallow-water push, other bulkier presentations can spook the bass as they prepare for their annual spawn. Whether you’re targeting shoreline vegetation, pad stems or even wood cover, these kinds of worms are excellent at eliciting reaction strikes from otherwise lethargic bass . . .
Photo by Shaye Baker – check out his Wired2Fish – Culprit Fast Vibe review
How to Fish it . . .
Florida anglers have long relied on the Culprit Fast Vibe to trick shallow clear water bass. Its size and action tricks these easily spooked bass into aggressively eating.
The first method is fairly simple. For a little extra weight for casting, start with a very small weight of 1/16 oz., use a long rod that is not too stiff so you can more easily cast the light rig. Rig it tail down and with 30- to 40-lb braid. You simply cast as far as you can and buzz this bait across the surface. The Fast Vibe is not just a Florida method as I’ve used this all over the country and in Canada, wherever the water is clear, shallow and calm. It looks very natural, like an excited minnow.
Think of the Fast Vibe used in this way as a finesse buzz bait that you can stop and let sink during your presentation. Sometimes fish will eat it if you pause and let it sink, but keeping it going is usually what works best. If you get close to the boat and have a fish following it, let it go the the bottom and slightly twitch it to get them to eat it. It is a very fun visual way to fish.
The second way I fish this bait is swimming it just below the surface. This can be done with a heavier weight of 1/8- or 3/16-oz. I do this to cover vast areas of clear water with weeds that may be a little deeper or too windy for the surface presentation. I switch to fluorocarbon line here since it is a slower retrieve and in their face where braid might get noticed. Braid to fluorocarbon leader is also good. Try to make contact with the cover you are fishing.
The third way I use this bait is fishing it around docks for late spawners and fry guarders. On a shaky head, this bait looks more like a fish, with its kicking tail. It makes both late spawner and a fry guarder think a little fish is trying to eat its eggs or fry. I use 15-lb. braid with a 14-lb. leader most of the time on a spinning rod for the shaky set up.