The Best Plastic Worm

The Best Plastic Worms... For Me

Feb 15, 2020

In my desire to find the ideal soft plastic worm for me, I've sifted through as much available information as I have time to find.
I've purchased enough soft plastic worms to fill several bins and worm wallets.
I've visited as many Walmart stores, Academy Sports, and local bait shops as I can discover across my region. 
How many worm colors are there? I don't know for sure, but there aren't many I haven't looked at.

All of which led me to settle on the plastic worms I describe here. These are the one I believe are the right choices for me.

Now, this does not mean I have stopped looking for new ones, or new ways to use them. In fact, I create my own Frankenworm, "monstrosities,"... discarded worms others throw away. I weld them back together and thus 'resurrected,' these beasties go on to a new life on the end of my line

Heck, I did whole blog post on that, here: Frankenworms!

I still keep an eye out on popular fishing pages and sites, too, watching for kernels of, "worm wisdom," among experts and amateurs alike.
So this is a never-ending quest.

It also does not mean that my choices must be your choices. You do what you want, but hopefully this might help you sort through the vast 'worm jungle.'
However, one can only do so much of this "academic research" before some conclusions reveal themselves. At that point, I had to make some decisions about WHICH worms I will use.
To that end, I've sampled and used all of the ones mentioned below, and they have earned a more-or-less permanent place in my tackle box.
 

The Criteria
Out of all this searching, the following 5 criteria emerged for potential candidates in my worm bag.

- Longevity
They need to last as long as long as any soft, rubbery worm can

- Popularity
They should be used by many anglers because they work

- Performance record
They need to catch fish, proven by popular use

- Cost
They should be affordable so you can have several types, styles, and colors

- Availability
They need to be where you can obtain them, when wanted

After all this, and upon careful consideration, my winners are... drumroll please...

#1: The Zoom, "U Tail" 

#2: The Culprit Original Worm.

#3 The Zoom, "Trick Worm." 

#4 Honorable Mention, Tom Manns, "Jelly Worm"


#1 - 6" Zoom U Tail

Zoom U-tail

Now, let me first admit this is not my go-to personal worm choice. More on that later.
But, you cannot deny that this worm checks all the boxes outlined above, and it has proven itself to be one of the most effective baits around.
So putting my personal choices aside, the Zoom U-tail has been given the Top Spot.
Lets look at why that is, as we keep an eye on our criteria.

In terms of longevity, the Zoom U-Tail is made from high quality materials, and will last a long time if you store it properly in the package. Sure, they can get chewed up by the fish, but so can any soft plastic bait.
But, I have some U-Tails that are so old I don't know where they came from - and they are as good as ever.

Popularity? As far as I can determine, The Zoom U-Tail doesn't hold the title of the most worms ever sold; that belongs to another further down my list.
But I'd find it hard to believe that they aren't the most popular worm sold, today.

And that is because they are available EVERYWHERE, in the greatest number of offerings. It may be that the Zoon U-Tail has caught more fish than any other, simply because of this.
I can't prove that, but I'm willing to bet on it.

The Zoom U-Tail is sometimes referred to as a, "swimming action worm," or more often, a "ribbon tail" design.

It is intended to be kept moving fast enough for the tail to ripple and move in the water. So, like all of these ribbon tails, it's best fished in warmer water when the fish are actively interested in such things. 

The most common shelf package has 20 worms in a resealable cellophane bag, and they are about $4.49 per pack at my local Walmart. This makes each worm 22 cents apiece.
You can hardly buy live bait for that!
You really do get more for less with these.

As a plus, they come in a wide variety of colors. Their website says 400 colors, but many of those are special order, or limited-run production. Some haven't been made in years.
Down on the shelf at your local retailer, its gonna be 20 or so different hues.
While you may really only NEED two colors - one light and natural, one dark and dense - fish may be attracted to one of many hues at some point in time or another.
And fishermen certainly are!
So, at these prices, you can have a whole color palette of Zoom U Tails.

#2 The Culprit Original Worm

Culprit Worm in, "Tomato"

Here, we go - this is my favorite among the swimming tail worms.

And it is that tail that is the key; it moves in the water in what I would call a "snakelike" manner. Culprit calls it a “kicking” tail. 

Even when the bait is crept along the bottom, it still moves sinuously to catch the attention of nearby bass.

The Culprit is 25% longer than the Zoom U Tail, too, and it has a corresponding boost in girth. In other words, they a bit bigger and beefier.

So when a larger worm with a lot of movement is wanted, this is a standout.

Truth be told, if you never chose another type BUT the Culprit, it's all you would need.
Yes, I'm biased - but that's because it is true.

They are also durable and they hold up well. 

I have one in my box that has been in use for years. It is the color scheme Culprit calls, "Tomato." It is a two-tone chartreuse-and-red job, which you can see in the pic above. 
I found the thing along the shore one day, just lying there all chewed up - but still intact.
"Waste not, want not," I always say, so I tossed it into my bag. 
And there it sat, forgotten... for several years.

Then one November day, I got a wild notion to put it on the hook and promptly caught a nice bass with it.
To this day, I STILL have that worm and use it, from time to time. It is like an old, long-lived friend, by now.

We also should say something about the Culprit Original Worm color selections.
I lost count at 75 currently listed colors on the Culprit webpage.
Like the Zoom brand, that's also colors that may or may not be in production.
Down at the retail level, you'll find about 10 different colors on the shelf.
Here again, basic colors are probably still your best bet, but if you like two-tone colors, like the "Tomato" color shown here, Culprit has 'em. 

For solid and two-tone colors, the 7-1/2 inch models come 18 to a pack; in the colored tail models, you get 13. The Culprits are currently $4.98 per resealable pack at Walmart, making each Culprit worm cost 28 cents each. That minor 6 cent difference over the Zoom U-Tail makes them a real bargain.
Culprit also makes a 10" worm for the same cost, with 10 in a pack.
The Culprit worm has been a proven leader for more than two and a half decades, and I definitely recommend them.

#3 6 1/2" Zoom Trick Worm



At my pole position, #3, we find the Zoom Trick Worm.
This worm has won the loyalty of customers for a couple of primary reasons:

1. It's "floating" abilities
2, Its finesse possibilities

Right off, let me clarify that this isn't really a "floating" worm. It does sink - but it sinks slowly compared to other plastic worms. It is almost a suspending bait.
For this reason, it is generally thought of as a surface oriented lure, often fished weightless in a slow-swimming way. In this regard, it is usually referred to as a finesse fishing bait.

Conspicuous by its absence on this worm is the ribbon tail - there is none. It has a thick, straight, worm-like body, that tapers to a bulbous tail. When you think of a "worm," in the literal sense, this fills that niche.

The problem with the swimming-action tails on the other worms is that they can wrap around woody stems and weeds in the water. This may hang up the retrieve, and might come across as false takes.
Since these have nothing but a sinuous worm-like body, that isn't a problem.
This means that when the fishing calls for a creeping-type retrieve, moving through cover, or over wood tops, rocks, and weeds, this is the one to pick.
And, boy, do I love to fish it this way! Flicked and slow crawled this way on spinning gear, it is edge-of-your-seat, explosive fishing at its best. 

It has also become popular as a drop shot bait, and for senko and wacky-rigging.
It can be fished any other way you like, too. On a Carolina Rig, for example, it gives long, swooping, slow-fall drifts. But my favorite way to fish the Trick Worm is as a  drag lure, worked through heavy cover.

Like all Zoom products it shares the same attributes as the U-Tail worms. Its tough, inexpensive, widely available... and it's probably the only one that comes in colors like blaze orange, chartreuse or bubble-gum pink!

You get a pack of 20, and they cost about $5.50 per pack. This makes it possible to have plenty of these on hand, too.

Honorable Mention - Tom Mann's "Jelly Worm"

Early Jelly Worm Advertisement

Since it's introduction in 1967, the Mann's "Jelly Worm" has been the top selling worm over time. It was also the first scented, packaged worm to hit the market, and the company started by Tom Mann is still molding baits that catch fish and win tournaments.

Referred to as "Jellies" by their fans, the 11" model helped Paul Elias claim the all-time B.A.S.S., 4 day weight record of 132 lbs, 8oz. on Texas' Falcon Lake in April 2008.

They have always come in basic colors with "fruity" names, like grape (purple) and strawberry (red), and were originally given pleasant fruit scents to match.
Today, the color line has been expanded, and all Jellies are now given a light, generic berry scent that is still kinda nice.

The Jelly Worm has a small paddle-type tail, making it sort of an all-around choice. It's main niche, would probably be Spring fishing around weeds and wood, in shallow water.
Something like the Zoom Trick Worm.
But, I was a little surprised at its sinuous swimming action, once it gets away from the heavy cover. Drop it in a hole in the weeds or wood, and it wiggle-swims like a belly dancer.

But the real claim to fame for these is the baits' feel and consistency - the Jelly Worm is made to be softer than those that came before it and most other worms made today. 

They look alive in the water, they fish well with slow or swimming retrieves, and the bass hold on to them. 

For deep water, try the larger sizes.

On a further positive note, the Jelly Worm is sold at pretty moderate prices.  
A pack of 15, 6" Jelly's at my local Walmart costs $3-4, and the 12" giant size are around $5.
That's pretty good for a bait that has been around for 55 years or so, in a fiercely competitive market.
They still work, and I'm a fan. 

So there are the 4 models I have been using; I look forward to the next warm season to come. 

Yes, there are a lot of other worm choices out there, and they each have their ardent proponents. I may have left off your favorite.  

But, don't worry - I expect I'll get around to them eventually!

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Writers should always strive for a job well done... even half-baked ones like me. So if you found value in this article, please like, comment, and share it. 

Do you have questions, compliments, or suggestions?
If so, post them here, or email me at...dahutist@gmail.com

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Palmetto Fly n Fish

Thanks so much for reading, and...

Tight Lines,

David Hutton
Palmetto Fly n Fish

© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2018/2024 

DIY Fly Tying Vise

DIY Fly Tying Vise

14 Feb, 2019

We, as fly tyers, obsess over many things, from our favorite hooks to whether wax is worth it. But the one thing that gets us drooling - or cursing - is our main tool, the tying vise. 

There are many different vise choices, from the sublime to the ridiculous..., and just as many users ready to extol the virtues of their pet design. 

One can spend as much money as he or she wants to purchase one, too, but we seem to gravitate towards those vises in the $100-$500 range.

- For those who buy at the top end, there is a boisterous testimony to the joys of owning a high quality tool that may last a lifetime.

- For those at the lower end, there is the pedestrian joy found in utility, and fulfilling a need without excess.... using a tool that may last a lifetime.

But what if you spent nearly nothing and, in fact, made your own fly tying vise?

Well, people used to do just that. 

We think nothing of dropping the equivalent of a car payment on a vise, but we live in affluent times.
In years past, your grand-dad or his fishing buddies, well, they may not have had money for such luxury items as tying vises. 

But they still wanted, and perhaps, needed one.
So they learned to make their own.

Here, from 1946, are instructions to make your own functional vise, from common materials. It requires only basic shop skills and simple metal working tools.

Will it impress the folks on the Facebook fly tying pages?

Sure, a few. 

Probably not the ones with $500 vises.... or those who think they need one to tie flies.

But when you think about the function of a vise - to hold a hook - you might find it is just what you need.

1. OBTAIN a 14-inch length of brake-rod from a Model A Ford.

Square the ends with a file and with a hack-saw cut a 1 3/4” slot exactly in the center of rod on one end. This is the hardest to do, and most important part of the job, so take your time and be careful to get the slot straight.

* If you're thinking its gonna be mighty hard to find a Model A brake rods laying around these days, you're right.

But a 5/16" mild alloy rod should do the trick.

2. After slot is sawed, use an ignition point file, to file the outer half inch of slot smooth. This, too, is important as this is the part that holds the shank of the hook firmly.

3. Now, put a thin metal shim in the slot to hold the slotted parts in the original position, measure back from slotted end 3/4” of an inch and center punch.

4. Using a No. 21 drill, drill a hole all the way through the rod.

Now be careful again and using a No. 13 drill, drill through just one part of your slotted end. Using the thin metal strip as a check, you won't have any trouble.

5. Now, use a 10/32 tap and thread the small hole for your vise handle.

6. Get a 10/32 machine screw, 2 3/4” long (iron) from any hardware store. The type of head means nothing as it will be cut off; also get a couple of extra 10/32 nuts.

7. Take the screw and make a right angle bend 3/4” inch from the threaded end, taking care not to damage threads. Now cut off head of bolt and round cut end with file; run the two nuts on bolt about 1/2 inch and jam tightly. 

Screw this in the threaded hole and you have your vise handle.

8. Measure four inches from the slotted end of rod, mark, and place in vise. Bend to a right angle, making sure that the slot will be in perfect line with the rest of the rod and that the vise handle will be on side facing you.

9. Cut a 5/16 inch thread, 1 3/4” inches long, on solid end of rod and get two 5/16 in. nuts and washers.

10. Obtain a hard wood block 1 3/4” wide, 4 3/4 in. long and ¾ - 1” in. thick.

11. One inch from end of block, on center line, drill a 3/4” hole 1/2” deep.

12. Drill the rest of the way through the block with a 5/16 in. drill. Using washers and nuts mount vise on block and with the addition of a small C-clamp, your vise is ready for table edge mounting.

While this is not a high grade manufactured vise, it does a good job for the average fly-tyer or beginner. It also makes a good back up tool, and is especially good for tying the simple rubber spiders, crickets, nymphs and other flies so popular now.

— Courtesy of Ohio Conservationist.

Contrails Lead To The Fish

…Look Up, Before You Fish

David Hutton, Palmetto Fly N Fish 

update Jan 2022

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Where are the fish? 

As anglers, this is our greatest question - El Numero Uno. 

All the gear, rods, reels, lures and gadgets are worthless if you are, "fishing where the fish aint." 

So fishing success ultimately boils down to one question:

WHERE are they?

Where We Look vs. Where They Are

For most of us, the hopeful answer to "where?" is covered by two words:

"shallow water." 

This means anything from 10 feet to ankle deep. 

Why shallow water?

Well, you can see into shallow water, for one thing; it is familiar, non-threatening. 

Shallow water has visual things you can fish around - weeds, wood, rocks, docks, etc. It isn't vast, and formless, like deeper water.

So....

• We fish towards shore from boats
• We fling lures and flies towards visible, shallow targets and "cover"
• We stay near the shore, and fish features of the shore, like points. 
• If we're fly anglers, we are mostly bound to the shallows by our chosen equipment. 
• If we are gear fishermen, we have an entire fishing industry that caters almost exclusively to shallow water fishing.

And, while we get shut down often enough, we occasionally find fish in the shallows... enough to keep us interested, and make us think they sit by a log all season waiting for us to appear.

However, there's a paradox: the big, adult fish we most often want to catch aren't keen on shallow water. 

They DON'T just set up camp by that log all year.

They also don't like bright light, and they don't like feeling exposed. 

So they live deeper. Usually, in the deepest water in an area. 

But when the weather and water conditions are right, these fish WILL go shallow, which saves the day for us. 

An Indicator for Their Movement

Fish want 3 main things:

• Food
• Protection
• Stable conditions in their environment

Look at that list. Now think about shallow water, with its instability, exposure and limited protection, and bright light. 

Not really their cup of tea, is it?

So, they stay in the safety of the deep, dim water most of time.

But, they have a problem - a lot of their food may be in shallow water.

So they must come there to feed when conditions are right.

When that happens, we say something like, "Man, the bite is on today!"

Yet, we still don't really know what encourages them to be there, and more importantly, just when the big fish will move shallow.

Now, suppose we had one reliable indicator that helped us know when those special fish might be coming in range? 

Well, we do. And you see it all the time, without realizing it.

It is the aircraft contrail.

What Is a Contrail, Anyway?

Most people will read that and say, "Huh? The what - contrail?"

If you are alive today, and not blind, you are likely aware of aircraft contrails; you look up and see them and know an airplane is up there.

But almost no one gives them a second glance.

So, the idea that contrails in the sky can help you catch better fish, well...it sounds crazy.

But stay with me here, and I'll explain.

Contrail (short for "condensation trail")

kŏn′trāl″, noun 

Artificial, line-shaped clouds produced by the hot exhaust from aircraft engines; formed at moist, icy-cold, extreme altitudes above the Earth's surface. 

Hot, hyper-velocity exhaust, comprised primarily of combustion products, and super-heated water vapor, blasts out from the engine. It hits the sub-freezing air at high altitudes, instantly condenses into ice crystals...and forms contrails. 

WWII Bombers With Contrails

But it's the ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR that creates the contrail ice crystals. That is the connection.

Moisture is The Key 

Previously, I mentioned that certain conditions will encourage fish to move shallow. Stable weather is a big one, in large part because stable weather normally allows latent moisture to develop in the atmosphere - the kind of moisture that hangs around.

Therefore, when you see a fat, lingering aircraft contrail, you know one thing immediately: there is a lot of moisture in the air above.

And this atmospheric moisture causes a singular effect that is important to fish...

it reduces the intensity of the sunlight striking the earth and its waters. 

Stratocumulus clouds

Normally, we recognize atmospheric moisture in the form of clouds.

Remember, though, that both clouds and contrails require sufficient atmospheric moisture to form....the kind of moisture that reduces light intensity.

In the contrail, we now have an indicator of this fish-friendly condition. 

The Contrail Rule of Thumb

• When you don't see contrails, or only very small, thin ones, then moisture is low, maximum light intensity is on the water.... fish are likely to stay deeper.
  
  
• When you see thick, long, lingering contrails, you can expect reduced light-intensity, other clouds - and fish may move shallower.
  
  

Short, Thin Contrails..

Atmospheric moisture zilch... maximum light on the water, deeper fish

Long, Lingering Contrail w/Late Day Clouds...

lots of light reducing moisture aloft, fish may move shallow

Why Fish Care

With a couple exceptions, nearly all of the fish we might want to catch are strong sight feeders.

For many fish, particularly gamefish, sight is a primary feeding mechanism. 

This means they need light by which to see.

BUT, they don't like intense light for reasons related to both safety and comfort. 

So, the more moisture in the atmosphere, the less intense is the light that enters the water. 

And this sets up a beneficial condition that may encourage the fish to move shallower.

For example, compare a sparkling bluebird sky to an overcast day, maybe even a bit rainy,....what we call a "dark day," one with reduced light intensity.

We say the pure blue sky is 'good fishin' weather.'

"Launch the boat Mabel - the sky is blue!"

But, have you ever wondered why the "dark days" seem to offer better fishing?

Is it because, with the less intense light afforded by the cloud cover, the fish are more willing to leave the murky depths and move further into the shallows where we mostly fish for them.
I think so.

We like the bright blue sky. But the fish don't.

Summary

If we fished in the very deepest water in an area, more often, we would probably encounter more and better fish.

But for most people, that is uncharted territory -  both literally and figuratively.

They simply aren't schooled in fishing such waters effectively, and their supporting industry almost never promotes that kind of fishing.
So, it's a mystery, and it seems like a waste of time.

They stick to the more shallow depths because that's what they know, that's where they feel comfortable.

Okay, rather than upset that apple cart, we'll roll with it.

Accepting that, we can now rely on an indicator that better fish may be moving into the shallows where we actually fish most of the time...
That indicator? The long, thick lingering contrail in the sky.

These will normally be accompanied by clouds as the day goes on, you can expect reduced light intensity - and perhaps more fish where you mostly cast your lines.

So look up every day.
Watch the contrails.
Track their development over time, and look for patterns.

Then you may soon be saying...

"All right - NOW get out your poppers, boys....look at them contrails!"

Okay, say that and people are gonna reckon you're a kook,...until you catch that whopper!

Thanks for reading and Tight Lines!

David Hutton
Palmetto Fly N Fish
© 2018, 2022 All rights reserved

1. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrail

2. Federal Aviation Administration, "Contrails 101,"

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/apl/noise_emissions/contrails/

3. "A Primer on Solar Radiation Data," 
https://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/pubs/shining/chap3.html

4. N.A.S.A, "Water Vapor Confirmed as Major Player in Climate Change," 
https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/vapor_warming.html

5. "The 10 Basic Types of Clouds," https://www.thoughtco.com/types-of-clouds-recognize-in-the-sky-4025569

Sharing My SECRET

Location "X" Walkabout

Feb 3, 2019

NOTE: Everything you see here will be under 8-12 feet of water by summer. Keep that in mind as you follow along.
I did some more photologging and note taking, today, at location "X," while the water is still low from the drawdown. I also made a few more discoveries.

I went with the intent of adding some numbered markers to a couple of the select "hotspots" I previously uncovered.
And I did just that. And they look alright.
But I decided I like using old plastic bottles and beer cans, better. 

Why use trash as markers?
Because, a brightly colored marker, with a number, is an obvious sign of "something." 
It says to people,

"Stop here. Look around. Someone put me here for a reason...." 

Quite often, in fact, they will take remove such a marker, out of spite. They don't know why its there, so they rip it down.
People sometimes suck.

But any of a zillion cast-off beverage containers, well... they are essentially unseen by the angling horde. I mean, who notices yet another bit of trash? They are the perfect marker.

However, there is a "secret" to these markers: I affix them vertically.
Cans and bottles, well, they float, or lay, on their side by nature.
But, if you know what you're looking for, a vertical Mountain Dew can sticks out among all the other horizontal eye clutter.
If you're NOT looking for it, on the other hand, its just another bit of flotsam.



When the water returns - these will be unseen except from the water.
The markers in the tree will probably be moved a little lower, though.

Discoveries
The channel is flanked by breaklines on either side, which rise to wide flats on the west side, and relatively steep banks on the eastern side. But on close examination, I found several areas where these breaklines switch to hard edge jumps - call them miniature cliff faces, 3-4 feet high.



Sloping breaklines in foreground, sharp edged in rear. This flat runs for about 300 yards.
It is also sandy in a number of places; I expect it will be a bedding site.




Deep running cut, leading to a flooded back bay



A "break," or anomaly, along one of the sharp edged breaklines. 

Will it hold fish along their migrations?

I also got a closer look at the bar at the upper end, where the channel turns 90 degrees to the west. It has a large pool behind it, separated from the main channel by a saddle. This pool has a couple feet of water in it, now - it will be 8-12 feet deep when the water comes back up.



Creek channel sweeps to the left, saddle bar in middle, and deep pool w/submerged tree Can we get some water covering this, please?

UPCOMING
Next week, I'll do a general trash clean-up around the area. I'll bring my 7 year old grandson, Jeremy, and maybe have a casting lesson or two.
God knows, I can use all the help I can get.

I also found some good advice under the bridge... a rather odd place to find such a thing, I suppose. But good advice is where you find it.




Thanks for looking, and Tight Lines, 

David

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