Wacky Worming
The Stick Worm Phenomenon
by
Bob La Londe

Gary Yamamoto probably wasn't aware of the revolution he was going to start with the Senko. It's a deceptively simple bait. Senko has become an almost generic term for describing this type of bait. With all respect for Mr Yamamoto since his version remains one of the most popular I have to say this type of worm needs its own name. There are dozens if not hundreds of manufacturers making a bait like this. I call it the stick worm after Gilbert of Mesa Tackle who first introduced me to it.

I'm one of the last to adapt to this bait. Why? Because it's too easy. I first tried them as a jerk bait. They worked ok, but that was never one of my confidence baits. One summer my cousin and I were dead sticking some regular jerk baits in heavy grass with wire weed guard hooks. We tossed them in and let them sink in open pockets. It was my cousin Jeff who thought of fishing the baits that way. Jeff caught the most and biggest fish. If had understood the stick worm then I am sure we could have done better with stick worms.

That summer Gilbert sent me some of his "Salt Stick Worms." Not sure what to do with them I t-rigged one weightless on a Daiichi offset worm hook. After tossing it a few times I went back to working a popper. I missed several strikes. I tried to figure out how to catch those fish. I like throwing a follow up. Just often enough for a little operant conditioning I've picked up a good fish that way. It wasn't working with the popper so I decided to try the stick worm as a follow up. After the next miss I tossed my stick worm into the same spot to pick up a nice bass. I was thrilled. That unusual pattern put a couple more fish in the boat. I really didn't credit the stick worm for the fish. I just figured it was throwing a different bait as a follow up that did it. Now I know better. It was the stick worm's natural action.

The following winter fishing was slow, but an occasional fish was boated slow rolling a spinner bait or flipping a jig. I found a few fish pre-fishing for winter tournament, but couldn't boat them on tournament day. My back boater Manual Garcia worked along behind me dead sticking a Senko on a wacky rig. He nailed two decent fish off one of my spots. Manual also missed a half dozen additional hits. Our fish were nothing spectacular, but I have to credit those Senkos along with one fish I boated later for getting us a fourth place finish.

The same winter I had a chance to fish with Lannes Brock, the former owner of a local tackle store,  Joe Haubenreich of Secret Weapon Lures. Lannes managed to boat a fish or two Texas rigging a stick worm. I was not impressed. Lannes is a good fisherman, but he had to get one largemouth to hit two or three times before he could hook it. He had to let it run with the bait for a while before setting the hook. Then he gut hooked it. A lot of work for a single small fish.

On a fun fishing day I went back to the bank I had fished with Manual and the tulies I had fished with Lannes. I tried wacky rigging a salt stick worm on an open bait holder hook. I had no problem hooking up. I decided that wacky rigging and dead sticking this bait really worked Unfortunately the bait holder hook snagged on the tiniest twigs. I found a wire guard straight hook eliminated snags in all but the heaviest cover. Unfortunately it also resulted in more missed fish.

In two consecutive tournaments I missed a lot of fish trying to get my wacky rig to work right. The wire guard hook wasn't sticking the fish, and the open bait holder left me breaking off or chasing my bait all day. My American Bass partner, Hammer (Kwame Kuanda), didn't give me a hard time about it, but when I was the back boater for Dave Greaves I took a lot of ribbing for all the missed fish.

With the help of the internet and a lot other fisherman I managed to figure out I would do better with a medium/heavy fast action rod and low stretch line. Warren Wolk, a midwest pro, finally gave me the last little tidbit I needed to nail down a solid combination. He suggested going to a higher quality hook with a mono weed guard instead of the cheaper wire guard hooks. He suggested the W.W.Hook by Reaction Innovations. I ordered some. Like a little kid with a new toy I headed out for a little play time when the new hooks arrived. My first five hits were landed in short order. It WORKED!. I did miss a couple later, but all of the fish I caught that day were hooked solidly in the roof of the mouth.

In my search for the perfect combination of line, rod, and hook the wacky stick worm became one of my goto baits. This bait is so good that I rarely worry about whether or not I'll get any bites. Instead I have had the chance to refine my technique a little bit. Now I just worry about getting them in the boat.

How do I fish this bait? Toss it out next to likely cover or structure and just let it sink on open line until it hits the bottom. It is easier than fishing with live bait. I spent a lot of time telling you how I figured this all out, but it is deceptively simple. When you drop it in the water it comes alive. Wacky rigging really lets this bait work it self. It drops through the water and both ends wiggle back and forth. It moves like a minnow slowly finning itself as it falls. I don't know how many times I 've stood almost mesmerized watching this bait fall through the water. There have been some great articles written about all the different ways this rig can be fished, but I really think it shines when fished wacky style. Cast it to a likely spot and just wait. Let the worm do its magic as it sinks. Manual Garcia does it with a flipping rod, but I like the way line loops easily off of a spinning reel. I can let the worm sink naturally and let the line feed off the reel. You can watch the line slowly feed out, and then something will change. Watch carefully. Sometimes the line stops too soon, or move a little faster, or in a different direction. Close the bail on the spinning reel and drop the rod tip when this happens. Reel up the slack and set the hook hard. Don't wait until you feel the fish.

While the drop is very productive its not the only time you get hit. Sometimes when you start to lift it will feel heavy. SET THE HOOK. A bass will also slap at the bait as you are pulling it back towards the boat. Sometimes you can let the bait drop for a moment to get that fish to gulp it down. Other times you can toss it right back to him.

Tossing a wacky rigged stick worm has to be the easiest way to catch bass short of balloon rigging a live minnow.

Flipping The River Just a few suggestions

Some folks say that all the big fish are caught flipping the river when the weather is warm. Well, I have to disagree about the river current being the only place to get fish to win. What you do have to do is figure the best time and place and be there for that time and then move on.

I have definitely caught some good fish out flipping the main channel, but I have yet to win a tournament out there. (That's a hint for folks who might remember I have gotten a check or two) Not saying its not the best thing for some folks, I'm just saying tournament time is not the best time to be trying to figure it out. Fish the areas you have confidence in and move on.

In a tournament you go with what you know, and then try something else if it ain't working. When you are fun fishing you should be trying to learn new stuff and new ways to catch fish in the area.

If you want to learn to flip the current there are two things you needs tons of practice with.

1. Flipping and pitching.
   You can practice this right in your living room, or back yard, or swimming pool. Just pitch and flip over and over and over and over and over and over ond over and over to a handful of targets that are at different distances from where you are standing. Do it until you can hit any target in your range 18 or 19 times out of 20. Then set a folding chair over top of your targets and try to hit them again by shooting the bait up under the chair and laying your bait on the target. Something the size of a paper plate is a decent target to start with.

2. Boat Control.
   Now you have to figure out how to handle your boat with the trolling motor to hold it dead still relative to the bank when you are in a rushing current.

Personally I believe that if you have enough trolling motor the easiest way to flip in the main river is to pull up the bank against the current, but lots of folks don't have a huge TM so they have to learn to backslide. That's where you let the boat drift down current and you use the TM to slow the back drift so you have time to fish the spots, and work your bait so it falls all the way down through the trash.

Once you have decent flipping skills and decent boat control skills then you can worry about which banks to flip. Also, which banks will flip best for you. Dave and I have pulled a bank before fishing behind another angler and caught fish. We even continued to catch fish after they slowed down and started working every side of every twig ahead of us. That particular day the way we were fishing was more effective than the way they were fishing.

So, you have your skills worked out, now its time to find some banks to flip. I'm not going to tell you exactly what works, because I am not a really strong flipping angler. I'll offer some things you can observe though to try and build your own set of confidence conditions. Here are some things to think about. Are fish likely to be moving in and out of the lakes at the time you are out there? Does the bank you are fishing flow through to a back water? Does it have a hard stop like a rock face? Are there deep areas along it? How deep? Are there any transitions from one type of bottom, brush, depth, current speed, etc to another.

Now when you catch a fish iimmediately stop and think about exactly what you were doing when he bit, and what season, weather, and water conditions may have been a factor in that exact spot at that exact time of day, and time of year.

I Just Want to
Catch Some Fish

Introduction:
Most of the time when I hear this its from folks who just do not want to spend the time.  They want me or somebody else to tell them exactly what time place and technique is guaranteed to put a pull on their string immediately.  It just doesn't work that way.  Yes, I can go out on my home water and be pretty confident I can catch atleast some bass most any day I go out, but I don't have a magic formula to guarantee anybody else to catch fish with out a lot of effort.  

It may take me all day to figure out how to put a couple fish in the boat on any particular day, and I may have to try a lot of different techniques and presentations before I find it.  I have spent a lot of time learning and practicing to get there, and I'm not even one of the best guys around here.  

Part 1 - Practice:
Practice encompasses a lot of things.  In bass fishing it can be as simple as taking the time to master various casting techniques so that you spend your time making quality presentations.  Learn to flip and pitch effective.  Learn to side arm and circle cast.  Learn to put your bait where you want it nearly 100% of the time.  Learn how to ease a bait into the water with hardly any splash.  Learn how to skip a bait under the brush or a dock, or because you want bass to think its a minnow skittering across the sruface before it falls.  Learn to cast into the wind, and how to cast for distance. Learn what equipment does each type of job the best, and learn how to use the equipment you have.  

A lot of those same people I referred to in the first comments of this article will reply something, like, "Well I can't go fishing all the time," or "I'm not rich like you and don't have to work."  I'm not rich.  The bank owns a larger share of my bass boat than I do.  I buy rods and reels one at a time, and I have started making my own baits so I can do more.  I do get to fish more than some other folks, but that is because I want to fish more than play golf, gamble at the casino, watch TV, or pick my belly button lint.

HOWEVER, going fishing is not where you sharpen your basic skills.  Golfers, don't sharpen their driving skills by playing a round of golf.  They go to the driving range.  They don't improve their putting by playing a round either.  They spend a half hour on the putting green. Fishing is the same way.  You perfect your basic skills with repetitive focused practice.  

Practicing bass fishing skills has a great advantage over golf.  You don't need to drive to the range.  You don't need to rent a bucket of balls.  All you have to do is pick up the fishing rod you already have and start.  Some skills can be practiced without even taking any time away from other activities.  Stand in your living room and practice line control flipping while you watch the evening news before bed time instead of laying in your recliner.  Spend the five minutes you were going to use reorgaizing your lint collection pitching down the hallway.  Tie on a practice plug or cut the hooks off a bait and play with your cat.  

I learned to flip and pitch in my driveway, and I learned to cast in my dad's backyard.  Playing with the cats didn't hurt either.  I lkearned to flycast in my Uncle Paul's driveway.

Part 2 - How Hard to Work:
Some folks just don't want to work at fishing.  Ok.  I understand that.  It can be quite a nice day or afternoon to just sit back in the shade of a tree and read a book.  Unless you get lucky and have a pretty good spot picked out bass fishing is probably not for you.  I'm not saying you won't catch any, but tournament style high pressure bass fishing is hard work. You might be happier just reading your book and sipping on a lemonaid.  That doesn't mean you can't fish.  Instead toss out a nightcrawler, dough ball, stinkbait, or a minnow on a float and relax.  Consider catching a fish a special bonus.  If you have patience you will eventually catch some fish this way too.

A little practice might still be helpful for when you hit the water, but maybe not as critical as for some other types of fishing.

Part 3 - I JUST WANT TO CATCH SOME FISH
Ok, while I realize its unlikely you have read this far and are one of those people who refuse to put any effort into fishing to achieve some success, but here is the most basic thing you can do to have some success.  Go to a stocked pond like the one at West Wetlands or Fortuna.  Toss out a simple bait rig and wait.  If others are having success try to see what they are using without being an obnoxious pest and then copy them.  Or if nobody is having any success see what they are doing and do something different.  

Part 4 - Just Tell Me
Well, I did.  I started this website.  There are hundreds if not thousands of good solid tidbits of information on this site. Read it.  Read every single article and every single post on the forums.  Sure there is some chit chat, and a few arguements between less stellar personalities in some of it, but there is an incredible amount of local fishing knowledge.  

Gila River - The gila river is a small stream for many miles before it flows into the Colorado River.  It holds a variety of fish and would probably be the best opportunity for a walking fly fisher.  Take plenty of drinking water or a good quality filter bottle.  Every several years the Gila hits flood levels moving fish, washing out new holes and deep banks, and in general revitalizing the streeam as a fishery.  Look for deep holes where large numbers of fish have been trapped after for the frist couple years after a flood or high water year.  

Colorado River - The Colorado River in Yuma Can really be broken up into three stretches.  The Lower River, Laguna Reservior, and Imperial Reservior.  

• The Lower River consists of the stretch between Laguna Dam and Morelos Dam on the Mexican border.  It holds every variety of fish available in the area.  It is a relatively shallow sandbar and stump infest stretch of fishery with great opportunities in some parts for big fish.  Huge flatheads and very large bass both come out of the this stretch every year.  A small flat bottom boat with a small outboard or mud motor would be the best way to explore and fish this stretch, but there are plenty of bank fishing opprotunites as well for the angler who is willing to drive down a few back roads and find a few dead ends to locate them.  There are two parks on this stretch of river which provide ready access.  West Wetlands and Yuma Waterfront parks.  There is a boat ramp at West Wetlands, don't go try to launch a big bass boat threre.  You won't even get it off the trailer.  

• Laguna Reservoir consists of one deep lake like area, a section of rver channel and a number of acres of shallow brush and tulie filled bass heaven.  Launching a boat is possible if you are brave, but plan for the possibility of being stranded without being able to load your boat.  The water levels fluctuate dramatically here.  A float tube is ideal for large parts of this, but stay well away from the dam.  When water levels are high it is possible to run a small boat all the way up to the base of Imperial Dam.  

• Imperial Reservior - This is the area almost everybody is talking about when they say "The River." It consists a fairly large main river channel that stretches from Imperial Dam for many many miles upstream, and hundreds of little backwater lakes and channels.  Many of the backwaters are large enough to have some noteriety of their own.  Most of those will be detailed int he section below about lakes.  There are several main launches on this section of the river.  Squaw Lake, Hidden Shores, Picacho, & Fisher's Landing are the best known launches on the river.
  Details on the various launch areas to be added later.  

Lakes
There are a number of lakes in the Yuma Area.  All those I know of are part of the Colorado River System.  
This Section To Be Completed Later.

Mittry Lake - Has a variety fo bass, catfish, crappie, and sunfish.  It has a nice improved launch ramp with a picnic area.  It also features several fishing jetties including one that claims to be barrier free for handicapped.
Map To Mittry

Ponds
I'm not sure where all the ponds are, but here are a few I know of.

Fortuna Pond - Holds good bass. I was told it was stocked with Florida strain many years ago. I have caught one over 6 pounds there myself and seen a couple over 8 and one over 10. It holds catfish, carp, and large numbers of small green sunfish. In the winter time Az Game & Fish stocks it with rainbow trout.

Growler Pond - Somewhere out near Tacna. I have never fished it, but its my understanding that Game & Fish leases several fields near it that are flooded during the winter for duck hunting.

West Wetlands Park - I believe this pond has been stocked with sunfish and catfish. I have never fished it, but I did study it while it was being built. It is good deep pond so fish should be able to do well in it even in the hot summer months.

"Don't Know the Name" Windsor Park I think. This pond is visible off 20th Street on the south side between Ave B and Ave C. I've never fished it, btu I talked to a guy who was fishing it once and he said he was catching small catfish.

Frontier Village I think - Here there is a string of three ponds connected by small concrete lined waterways. I do not believe that this is in anyway a self maintaining fishery. I have spotted fish in one of the ponds periodically, but a friend who owns a house there says whenever they forget to maintain it r the pumps get turned off for any period of time all the fish die off. These are 100% on private property and you could only fish them with somebody who lives next to them and is a member of their home owner's association.

Redondo Pond - Don't know a lot about this pond. It looks very interesting. I was told it was formed by somebody who was removing gravel for construction and hit a spring. It looks deep and has lots of brush and standing trees. It is completely on public land, but there is a private RV park along one side. The RV park advertises it has its own private lake, but as near as I can tell they don't own one square inch of the pond. The access from their side of the pond is private and they will yell at you for trespassing. You can access the pond relatively easily from the other sides. It looks like it would be ideal to fish with a small carry boat or a float tube. It is supposed to hold bass and good sized bluegill.

Canals
When I was younger I knew a number of people who fished the local canals for catfish and saw some good pictures. Don't let that fool you. There are both largemouth and smallmouth bass in the canals as well as an occasional striper and various panfish. I've never caught one in the canals, but I have even seen a school of crappie move up out of the depths once to shelter from the current behind something sticking out into the canal for a moment.

I have personally caught channels cats, largemouth and smallmouth bass, flatheads, and even a couple stripers out of canals in the Yuma area. When I lived on Ave A I used to fish the one that goes through town fairly often and I would occasionally fail to connect with a fish. Most times I would catch one or two small bass here and there. Other times I did quite well. The key is to find something different when chasing bass. It seemed to also hold true for catfish and stripers, although I admit striper catches in the canal were rare.

Since I moved out into the valley between 4E and 5E I have not fish the canals in and around town like I used to. There is one within walking distance of my house. Its concrete lined instead of dirt line like those in town and as I expected there do not seem to be as many fish in it. I did confirm to my satisfaction that there are some fish in it the other evening. I saw a couple small bass moving up under one of the bridges. I also recently talked with a gentleman who has caught several fish in other parts of it.

The big canal in the area is probably the Gila Gravity canal. It comes out of the river at Imperial dam proceeding south on the east side of the river until it goes through a large aqua duct under the mountains near Mittry Lake. On the other side it goes south and east until it goes through another aqua duct under the Gila River. That stretch between Imperial Dam and Mittry Lake is where I caught my very first ever bass in 1976. It has produce many fish for me over the years and a number of people catfish along it. The stretch from below Mittry to the Gila River is good as well with similar results as the stretch above. A little ways below the Gila it splits. One canal goes south and crosses Hwy 95 near Fortuna Road. That stretch also produces some really good fish. Unfortunately the banks are covered with brush and there are few places where you can get to the water. Just after it crosses under Interstate 8 it is concrete lined and eventually winds up being the canal that runs near my house. The other split from the Gila Gravity canal goes east and cross Hwy 95 just south of the Gila River. It also is a good fishery producing bass and catfish along its entire length. I originally fished it many years ago in the Tacna area, but the entire length of it produces fish in varying sizes. I have had one or two days when a buddy and I have easily caught over a hundred fish.

Even many of the little dirt "ditches" hold fish. All of those I have fished do. I've caught some bass in them up to 3 or 4 pounds, and I chatted with some guys one morning who had a couple six pounders an 8 and one over 10 that came out of one of those little ditches. I would have to conclude that any canal in the Yuma area that always has some water in it will hold fish.

Bait Casting Basics

The following works for me. With experience you will probably find some difference or idiosyncracies that are different, but work better for you personally.

Most modern bait casting reels have two different adjustments you can make.

Basic Controls
1. Some form of braking system or anti backlash control.
a. Shimano and Pfleuger have a centrifical (centrifugal)braking system where you can turn on or off additonal brakes.
b. Quantum and Daiwa use a magnetic brake adjustment.

2. Spool tension. Basicially a knob usually on the same side of the reel as the handle that allows you to apply friction directly to the spool of the reel.

Some old school anglers do everything with their thumb, set the brakes at zero, and the spool tensions to total free spool. Most can't do that or choose not to in favor of taking advantages of a modern reel.

Getting Started
I learned from Lannes Brock that most new reels seem to need a sort of break in. They seem to work better and smoother after you use them for a while. Lannes taught me a trick that seems to smooth them out pretty quickly.

1. Tie on a heavy weight. I use a 1 ounce jig.
2. Set the spool tension so that the weight does not pull out line then tighten it a little more.
3. Make 30 to 50 casts with the heavy weight. The tension should be such that you have to put some real force into it to get it to cast. This smoothes out any imperfections in the parts that provide over all spool tension.

Using the Reel
I usually start out with a new reel by putting the brakes to half scale.

Then I set the spool tension so that when I hit the button on the reel with the rod tip straight out and about 5 feet above the ground whatever bait I have on the line falls until it hits the ground and I get about 1 or 2 loose wraps of line without any use of my thumb.

You have to adjust spool tension for every different bait and weight. Sometimes some brake settings will work better or worse with different baits also.

Now I make some practice casts or pitches based on the type of fishing I plan to do with that bait. I'll try and adjust first the brakes and then the spool tension until I get a pretty good result.

Don't cast for distance at first. Just go for low power easy smooth casting motions. You may find by doing this you get amazing distance with little back lash with a lighter spool tension than you thought you could. Sometimes much better (especially with lighter baits) than you can with more spool tension and more power in your casts.

Try different types of casts. Side arm, overhead, pitch casts, etc.

Now, note which types of casts you seem to be best at.

For many people this is a side arm cast to moderate distance targets.

Now here is something you may find interesting. I don't recall who taught me this but there is someting in the dynamics of the reel that translates from side arm casts to overhead casts. Turn the reel sideways to the direction of the cast when over head casting just like it naturally falls when side arm casting. Again practice light smooth casting motions and work your way down to lighter spool tensions with moderate or light power in your casts instead of trying to force a ton of power into the cast with heavier spool tension.

NOTE:
Many people used to spinning tackle (I am one) think that price only relates to durability of the reel. With the relatively simple mechanism of casting with spinning reels this is probably true. Two equal size reels of different qualities, but the same size spool, line, and amount of fill will cast very very similarly. The cheaper one will usually not last as long, but they will both cast similarly. With baitcasting reels I have found in general, (but not 100%) more expensive reels with more bearings, better drags, better assembly processes tend to cast better and adjust more fluidly to different casting weights and distances.

REMEMBER:
There are some things you may always be more comfortable doing with spinning tackle. I throw light baits on spinning tackle. I drop shot with it. I cast medium and light size baits into the wind with spinning tackle. You will need time and experience to learn when you need to fall back on your spinning equipment.

NOTE 2:
Notice I mentioned wind in the previous note? You will need to either develop skill in your thumb or learn how to adjust your reel when changing from casting in zero wind, into a strong wind or with the wind.

NOTE 3:
Practice is important. Pitching and flipping is all I originally used baitcasting tackle for. I practiced in my driveway, and in the house, and out by the pool for hours and hours before I felt really comfortable doing this all the time. I don't have anywhere near the skill level of guys who grew up using bait casting tackle, but I definitely credit hundreds of hours of practice to the fact that I have actually had fellow anglers say, "I envy your pitching ability."

Some Tips For Fishing Braided Line

1. You don't need a lot of braid on a flipping stick. If saving money is an issue for you spool the reel about half full of mono first and then attach the braid to it with back to back uniknots.

2. Braid will slip on the spool if tied directly to the spool with an arbor knot. I prefer to spool a little mono back on and then connect the braid to it, but you can also wrap a singler layer of duct tape around the spool and let the braid dig into it. Either method works just fine.

3. If you aren't used to casting such heavy line be careful. You can break it easily under some circumstances. Don't cinch the drag down to a dead stop and figure the line will handle anything. If you do that and set the hook on a stump you will probably break the line. Also you will tear the hook completely out of the fish while fighting it if you get a skin hook. Set the drag to slip on the hookset on about a 2lb fish. That seems to work for me.

4. If flipping with braid use Daiichi X-Point HD hooks. You want the heavier hooks because you will straighten out lighter hooks on snags and stuff. Once you bend a hook of any brand you should throw it away and tie on a new one because bending it loses most of its temper. You sure don't want it straightening out on the fish of a lifetime.

5. CHANGED.  I used to be a strong believer in the Trilene Knot but after watching the rig and setup that Berkley used to test the strenght of various knots I am convinced that the Palomar Knot is the strongest msopt slip resistant knot to use with braided line.   I like to leave 1/4 to 3/8 of tag hanging off the knot. Sometimes it will cinch down a little tighter the first time you set the hook. The knot can slip a tiny bit when that happens.

6. Even though your are fishing braid check your line regularly and retie periodically. You don't need to do it as often as fishing mono, but you still need to do it. All things in use experience wear. Since I usually fish braid in pretty adverse conditions I cut 10-20 feet off when I retie.

7. Never ever wrap braid line around your hand or any body part to pull it out of the brush when you get hung up.  Include a "stump puller" in your gear. I use a piece of 1" oak dowel wrapped in the middle with a couple wraps of duct tape. Its for when that irressistable force meets that immovable object. Basically when you bury a hook in a snag that won't move and your only choice is to break the line. You can wrap the line around the strump puller several times and then you have a good solid safe handle to pull on it until it breaks or tears loose. NEVER wrap brad around your hand or arm. It will cut you bad. If you don't have a stump puller you can loop the braid around a boat cleat and back off the boat, but my experience is that it breaks at the cleat instead of at the hook or bait most of the time. This wastes line and leaves a hazard in the water for outboard and trolling motor shaft seals.

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   Popper Fishing