bass fishing tips

Several years ago, I learned an exceptional bass fishing technique. I was bass fishing at Oliver Lake in northern Indiana and noticed a man in a small inexpensive boat catching largemouth bass one right after another!

And keeper size too! Now I am a respectful fisherman and usually keep my distance so as not to interrupt and scare the fish away. But after awhile, as he kept catching keepers, I decided to go over and say hi. He was a very friendly Amish fellow with a beard and straw hat. I noticed a rubber worm that he was using that was unlike any rubber worm I had seen before. Bright gold exposed hooks, purple body on a harness line. When I asked him about it, he told me it was "the stutsie" and that it was about the only thing in his tackle box - just in different colors.

When I asked how I could get one, he said they were made locally by the Amish and told me of a local tackle shop that sold them. I went straight to this bait shop and bought a selection to try. Boy, am I glad I did! I have never been so successful with any other bait. Period. However, I have learned a rigging technique that makes this neutral buoyancy worm even more irresistible. It is in the way it is rigged for presentation. The worm harness is tied to a separate 3 foot piece of line. This line is tied to the smallest swivel you can find, then just above the swivel, attach 1 lead split shot also the smallest you can find. This is a really light set up, and so, cannot be cast for great distances. But this bass fishing technique is so successful, you won't need to cast great distances. Just give your rod a little twitch as you troll around. The worm will not really float and not really sink. The very small weight of the swivel and split shot will eventually sink to the weed level with the worm just above the weeds. Right where you want to be! Just give an occasional twitch and get ready to rumble!

One more thing. This "stustie" worm has exposed hooks and will occasionally snag a weed. Bass will not bite this lure if it is dragging a weed. So remove any weeds each time you reel it in The stutsie has become my lure of choice and if you try it, it will be yours too! For more information, you can visit my website at Freshwater-Fishing-Tips.com

William Durre is a fishing author and expert at catching fish when others can't.