Are you one of those bass anglers who has a ton of plastic lures, most of which you rarely use? Many of us are in the same situation and most of my other plastic lures are used even less since I started using sinking worms a few years ago.
Several years ago I was complaining to my friend Frank Tennity about fishing some Adirondack lakes that contained nice bass but I was not catching a lot on the traditional lures that I normally used. I was catching a few bass but ended up snagging a lot of weeds, even on plastic worms rigged Carolina style.
Frank replied, “Have you tried Senkos?” When I admitted that I hadn’t, Frank said to come down to his camp on Honeyoe Lake and we would get an lesson on using them. Since Frank is a avid bass angler, a tournament angler and a fishing guide, I realized that this would be a golden opportunity.
It proved to be a great time and a great education. We fished about five hours that day and caught approximately 50 bass of all sizes. I learned a lot about sinking worms and, more importantly, gained the confidence to use them.
Unlike the normal plastic worms with curly tails or other modifications that are meant to be dragged or skipped along the bottom through vegetation, sinking worms really look like fat nightcrawlers. They are heavier and can be easily cast without any weight. As the name implies, these heavier worms will sink slowly when they hit the water.
Actually “Senko” worms are a brand name for the ones developed and marketed by bass pro Gary Yamomoto. However many anglers, including myself, use the copy-cat “sinking worms” made by other companies at half the price. There may be a difference but the bass haven’t noticed.
They come in many colors and sizes. Some are even salted and scented which some anglers believe makes the bass hold on to them a little longer giving you more time to set the hook. I have the best luck with black, green pumpkin, watermelon or motor oil colors. I prefer the five-inch size although some prefer shorter or longer.
Although sinking worms can be rigged and used Carolina or Texas style like other plastic worms, most people prefer to use them “Wacky style.” Simply use a large worm hook, size one to four, on the end of your line and hook it through the middle of the worm so the ends flop on either side.
Cast this out to likely bass cover such as over submerged weeds or along the edge of dense lily pad areas. As it hits the water, flip the bail on your reel and take up slack. Frequently, you’ll get a strike as the lure falls.
If there is no strike on the initial cast, lift the rod tip, take up slack and let it fall again. Retrieve it this way or by keeping the rod tip high and retrieving it slowly. Hits may be subtle such as the line moving sideways or they may be powerful when a big largemouth inhales and dives for the bottom.
When I asked my friend Frank why they are so effective he said that part of the reason is probably that when bass are in submerged weeds they can see the bait sinking slowly above the weeds and have a chance to hit it. With other plastics being dragged across the bottom you may not reach as many bass due to visibility. Other anglers have different theories but they agree that sinking worms are pretty effective in many situations. Ed Noonan - an outdoor writer, bass fishing guide and tournament angler - says that sinking “Wacky’ Worms are his go-to bait in most situations.
One bass tournament angler with an attitude commented that they are so simple “any idiot can use them.” But the last time I checked they did not give points for degree of difficulty in fishing, like they do in diving or aerial skiing competitions!
A couple people have commented that sinking worms cause untold numbers of bass to die from ingesting them. Of course, this is overlooking the fact that most bass are hooked in the lip when striking this lure, unlike the regular plastic worms which are often taken deep in the throat. And most of the sinking lure brands now are made of bio-degradable materials. Keep in mind that one of these persons is a weather reporter from Syracuse who is wrong more than he is correct and the other one believes in Bigfoot.
Like all lures or baits, these don’t work on all days or in all situations. But if you are frustrated by weeds or not having much action, grab some of these and “sink your way to success.”
Adirondack Loons Need Your Help
One species that continues to fascinate many people is the Adirondack loon. This bird is seen as the iconic symbol of the Adirondack waters and its calls and habits are entertaining for locals and visitors alike. Thanks to BRI Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, there is an increase in population due to research and publicity that has led to increased protection in many ways.
But loons only lay one or two eggs a year and there are many hazards or obstacles to successfully hatching and raising a chick or two. Many of the loons in the central Adirondacks have not raised any young in the past four years for a variety of reasons. Some of this was due to infertility of the pairs but more of a factor was high water or disturbance of the nests.
Biodiversity Research Institute’s (BRI’s) Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation is pleased to announce the launch of a new campaign on Adirondack Gives, www.adirondackgives.org, the crowdfunding site for Adirondack region nonprofits. This campaign will provide support for the placement of trail cameras near approximately 30 common loon nest sites in the Adirondack Park to document nesting behaviors, clutch size and hatch dates for Adirondack loons, and to assess the primary factors (e.g., predation, human disturbance) impacting the birds during incubation.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) provided the cameras for this project. Support from this campaign, which is seeking to raise $1,100 over the next two months, will cover the cost of the lithium-ion batteries and high capacity SD cards used in the cameras.
“By placing cameras at a variety of loon nest sites, we are better able to assess the impacts of such factors as water level fluctuation, shoreline development, human disturbance and predation on loon nesting success,” explained Dr. Nina Schoch, Coordinator of BRI’s Adirondack Loon Center. “A pilot study we did in 2013 documented the failure of one loon nest likely related to intensive human disturbance on a busy campground lake, while another nest on a remote lake hatched two chicks successfully.”
Images collected in this project will be utilized by the NYS DEC to better manage loon nesting sites in the Adirondack Park to help ensure the successful hatching of loon chicks. This project is conducted under BRI’s federal and state scientific collection permits, and in collaboration with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
The nesting period is one of the most critical stages during the annual life cycle of loons to ensure continued survival, long-term sustainability and potential growth of their populations. Thus, it is highly recommended that boaters and paddlers give incubating loons their privacy, and watch them from a wide distance with binoculars, instead of disturbing them and potentially causing a nest to fail. It is important to learn about the normal behavior of loons (and other wildlife), so one can properly interpret when a bird is stressed by your presence.
To learn more, or to contribute to this campaign, visit www.adirondackgives.org, and click on “Help Unveil the Secret Lives of Loons.”