Entry 31-1
Mike Wurm's Weird Tactics
Unusual Tube Tactics
Editor's Note: Mike Wurm from Hot Springs, Arkansas, and a member of Strike King's Pro Fishing Team, has qualified for the BASS Masters Classic six times and for the FLW Championship four times.
Question: Tell me an unusual tactic that you use to catch bass in a tournament.
Wurm: Most people think about tube now as a leadhead, especially for smallmouth, or they'll Texas rig a tube and flip it for smallmouth. That is the usual way for someone who already knows about fishing a tube. One weird thing that I've done is Texas rig a tube with no weight. I throw the rig across matted grass, like you throw a rat or a frog. When I get to the end of the mat, I just kill the bait and let it float out. The retrieve resembles a baitfish.
That rig has helped me on more than one occasion in Florida lakes that have heavy vegetation. It also helps me in lakes like Rayburn, Ouachita and even Guntersville where there is matted vegetation. That is one way I can rig that tube in a weird way and get it to work for me.
Question: How did you come up with that idea?
Wurm: Most anglers cast rats and frogs to catch bass in heavy vegetation. You can get a bite or two on this tube doing this technique in that grass, but most of your hits will come when the bait slowly flutters down in front of the grass's edge. I usually throw a white tube, but the tube doesn't have to be white. You can use chartreuse, black or especially smoke red flake. Smoke red flake, with a little chartreuse on the tail, looks a lot like a small bream.
Question: Tell me in detail the combination that you use.
Wurm: I Texas rig the tube without any weight using a typical hook that you use for a tube. I use the longer version of Denny Brauer's Flip-N-Tube with a hard head because it is more durable, and it also is a lot heavier and easier to cast. You must throw the bait on a fairly heavy line because some of your strikes may come in the swamps, grass or moss, but most of them will come after you come to the edge of it.
Contents:
- Part 1: Unusual Tube Tactics
- Part 2: Strange Series 3 Crankbait Tactics
- Part 3: Unusual Jig Tactics
- Part 4: Different Series 5 Crankbait Tactics
- Part 5: A Unique Use For The Wild Thing
