Now nosehook a 3” or 4” straight tail worm in natural colors like Aaron’s magic, smoke, green pumpkin, margarita mutilator, light oxblood or morning dawn and you are ready to fish.

Start shallow with 8”-10” of space between the hook and weight casting mostly parallel to the bank selecting a target (such as a log, rock, or grassline) for every cast. Try to put the bait on the deep side of the cover.

Once the bait hits the bottom gently begin to shake the slackline moving only the worm and not the sinker. After shaking the bait for 5-10 seconds make a single handle turn while dropping your rod tip thus picking up the slack line. Now begin shaking again but also slowly drag the whole rig weight and all about 2-3’ shaking all the time.

Once you have dragged the rig 2-3’ drop the rod tip again and turn the handle once to pick up the slack line and begin again. Repeat until the rig is at your feet.

Bites may come at any time and because you are fishing a slack line the bites just feel like mush – like pulling on a rubberband. When you get that mush feeling sweep your rod tip up while reeling in the fish. Because you are using such small live bait hooks, big hook sets are not needed. Typically the hook will end up in the hard roof of the bass’s mouth.

If you determine that the fish are not on shallow cover or that if they are they aren’t biting, turn towards the deeper open water directly in front of you. Increase the length of line between the hook and weight to about 12-24” and make a long cast.

Once the bait hits the bottom you can fish it the same way you did in the shallow water. Keep in mind if you feel certain that a fish is on a piece of cover at a certain point in the deeper water, don’t be afraid to shake and pause and shake and pause without moving the sinker for as long as you think it takes to tempt an inactive bass.

2. The Splitshot Rigged 4” Senko in Green Pumpkin or Watermelon Seed

For this rig simply tie a 2-1-1/0 or 2/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook directly to your line and cut off the excess line. Now add a BB size round (so as not to get caught on algae) split shot 12-18” above the hook.

Now put your 4” senko on the EWG hook in the texas style where the hook enters the head of the worm longways about a ¼” and then exiting on the side at a 90 degree angle. Push the head of the worm up the hook shank and turning the hook 180 degrees so that the hook eye is encased in the worm.

Now simply re-enter the side of the worm and bury the hook pint in the plastic. If you are struggling to visualize this, visit www.yamamotobaits.com.

This rig can be fished through shallow cover or deep open water just like the dropshot, but without the shaking. I like to throw this bait past a fishy looking target and then drag it through the target by reeling up the slack and pointing the rod tip towards the bait and sweeping the rod back 2-3’. At the end of the pull I return the rod tip to pointing at the bait and pick up the slack.

Repeat until the rig is at your feet. Just like with the dropshot, bites tend to feel mushy but simply sweeping the rod tip will set the hook. This rig will not let me shake the bait in place like a dropshot will but it will let me cover more water faster.

3. The Wacky Rigged 4” Senko in Green Pumpkin, Watermelon w/ Black Flakes, Smoke, or White w/ Silver Flakes

For this rig I tie the same small lightwire live bait hooks I used for the dropshot rig directly to my line (4-2-1 Mosquito or Octopus) and then running the hook right through the middle of the worm just like the real thing.

I like to fold the bait in half as a way to decide where to put the hook. This rig is deadliest when it is falling on a slack line with no assistance from the angler.

Target any vertical edge with special attention to shade lines such as overhanging trees and cover, boat docks, boulders, and bluff walls. Also this bait can be allowed to fall through schools of suspending bass in open water far away from any kind of cover.

Last but not least, this bait is AWESOME for use on bedding bass during the spawning season because you can shake it in place when it hits the bottom of the bed.

These three rigs will catch fish ANYWHERE and are a great way to introduce kids and newcomers to bass fishing. That said, all three rigs are used regularly on the professional bass fishing tournament where 1st place means $200,000 and I personally have caught two bass over 10 lbs and many over 5 lbs using these rigs both locally and out of town.

Be safe, have fun, and don’t keep the big fish because the big fish are all grandmothers and are all needed to maintain the health of the lakes.