Learning how to fish a plastic worm is lesson number one for any beginning fisherman. Out West that’s doubly true. No other lure will be more reliable than a plastic worm. Fishing conditions and fishing seasons will change, but the fact that Bass always bite plastic worms will not.

Due to the unique conditions of Western lakes, worm fishing in the West has become an art. Most lakes out West receive heavy fishing pressure, and many of those same lakes are clear – crystal clear! These two factors have created the need for highly specific worm fishing techniques. The two most popular and effective techniques are split shotting and shaking. When applied in the right situation, each technique is highly effective. A simple formula for determining the right situation is to split shot a worm when bass are shallow and shake a worm when bass are deep. Following this simple formula will allow you to keep the lure in the strike zone longer. So what is split shotting and shaking? And how do you do it? Here’s a basic run down of these two techniques.

Split shotting is basically a shallow worm fishing technique. Most fishermen use a six to seven foot spinning rod, six to ten pound test line and a 2 to a 2/0 hook. A small split shot lead weight is crimped down on the line 18 to 24 inches above the hook. Any kind of plastic worm that is Texas rigged can be used. The reason spit shotting is such an effective technique is that the worm is presented in a very natural way. Separating the weight from the worm allows for a free gliding, lifting and falling bait. All the fisherman has to do is throw out his worm, let it sink to the bottom, and then slowly drag and pause the worm to create the best action. This slow sinking, slow moving technique is deadly on shallow fish. However these same attributes make it a less effective deep water technique. Don’t get me wrong, some top Professional fishermen utilize split shotting for deep water fishing, but boy is it tedious and slow. And any wind will play havoc on those fishermen.

Shaking can be executed with equipment similar to split shotting, but many fishermen prefer a six foot to seven foot bait casting rod. Shaking utilizes a heavier slip sinker made of brass with a glass bead between the weight and the hook along with a larger plastic worm. These features enable longer casts and allows the worm to sink faster to the bottom. Once the worm is on the bottom, the fishermen just shakes the rod tip constantly while he slowly retrieves the worm. The shaking technique allows the fishermen to reach greater depths quickly. The constant shaking of the rod tip creates a natural movement to the worm as it crawls along the bottom. The shaking of the rod tip also allows the brass slip sinker and glass bead to separate and then click back together thus creating noise.

Fish seem to be attracted to this resulting sound from great distances. This is what makes shaking a great deeper water technique. A plastic worm presented with this technique will often get bit more often. The worm sneaking along the bottom, crawling in and out of the cracks of rocks and boulders, continuously making noise. Crayfish and Sunfish often use cracks in rocks and boulders as their home. It’s only natural that fish would look in these places when looking for food.

Learning to fish a plastic worm out West is essential. Using the best technique will help your chances of catching more fish. Just remember shallow fishing, split shot. Deeper fishing, shaking. It works!