Wind was not a factor, and the water was no deeper than 7 feet at any point.“Smallies,' on the other hand, are slightly smaller than largemouth bass (Oregon state record is a little under nine pounds), tend to hang out in schools, and prefer cooler, clearer water. I’m not sure what species, but they’re slender! This is perfect because the local forage is small baitfish – not shad, but minnow-shaped… small… well… minnows. My son used a Gopher Tackle Mushroom Head Jig in the same weight. In this video we’ll use Hula Sticks, a Z-Man product that floats – which means the worms stand straight up off the bottom when they are at rest – on an Eagle Claw / Trokar jig head that weighs in at 1/16 oz. I’ve used many brands… but the brand is less important than the size and color which should be selected based on the local forage and bottom composition (at least as a starting point).

Over the years I have caught bass ranging from bite-sized themselves to just under 4 pounds on a simple plastic worm less than 4 or 5 inches in length on a small jig head.

Remember to be mindful of that exposed hook. Skip them under docks, work rip-rap shorelines, pick apart underwater timber, points and cuts, or other familiar structure where fish set up shop. You can fish them from the shore just as easily as you can fish them from a boat. Largemouth and smallmouth bass love these little bite-sized morsels.

They have the potential to catch numbers of fish – or a monster. Jig worms are one of the easiest presentations to use when it comes to targeting bass, especially if you are new to fishing or want to get your kids using something that is a bit more active than a bobber.

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