How to Fish a Trick Worm for Bass: Best Rigs, Retrieves, and Worms to Use

Whenever we go over the best bass lures for finesse situations, there’s one lure that always makes the list. The classic trick worm.

There’s a reason for that. While simple and one of the first lures any angler gets, the trick worm is one of the best in the game.

It has earned its place as a staple in every tackle box, from that of a child getting his first, to the pro angler with all the latest high-tech gear and $100 lures. 

However, if you haven’t really explored its use yet, or you’re picking up your first bag to start your bass fishing journey, the trick worm can be a little tricky. 

Today, we’re going to go over all the things we’ve learned after years of using trick worms to catch bass to help you get a head start!

What is a Trick Worm? 

“Trick worm” is a term that’s often thrown out there for any standard soft plastic worm, and we’ll admit that we do that, too.

That’s because, while the design can differ a bit, they all tend to act very similarly, and you can easily use the same tactics regardless of what brand, color, or special little feature one has over another.

However, it does specifically refer to the “Trick Worm” from Zoom. It’s a classic, and it has been imitated by practically every company that deals with soft plastic lures. 

A trick worm, at least if we’re talking specifically about the official version, is a worm-like soft-plastic that has ribs, a bulkier head portion, and a prism-shaped tip for the tail.

Those features create unique action in the water as it moves around compared to what would happen if it were just a long tube of plastic. Keep that in mind, because it’s important for later. 

Which Trick Worms Should You Buy? 

For simplicity’s sake, we recommend just getting the good old-fashioned Zoom Trick Worms when you’re new to it.

You can find them practically everywhere because of how iconic they are in the fishing community, and they’re typically very affordably priced. However, we recommend getting the best deal over at the Tackle Warehouse. 

These come in a variety of options, though. There are different lengths and colors to choose from, a wide variety of them have speckles and flash added, and in general, they’ve put out more variety for the Trick Worm over the years than you could ever use. 

You’ll find them in packs with a handful of worms in them for less than $5 a lot of the time, and they last for quite a few bass. So, you definitely get your money’s worth. 

We recommend grabbing a few bags to throw in your tackle box, and there are two things to consider when picking which ones you grab.

1: Color

There are so many colors and color variations for the Trick Worm line that it can get overwhelming.

We highly recommend buying the staples. A bag of watermelon seed, tequila sunrise, red, and transparent blue should get the job done when you’re first starting. 

If you’re not seeing those, just try to grab two different colors for clearer water and two for murkier water.

You don’t need to buy the whole lineup. Anglers often get fixated on a specific color, and it’s typically not as important as you think.

Besides, there’s a good chance that you’ll end up grabbing these almost every time you hit the tackle aisle once you get used to them. They’re cheap and reliable, and once you have the fishing bug, you’ll never think you have enough.

2: Size

Trick worms do come in different lengths. They can be as small as 6.5 inches, or they can be as massive as 20 inches.

You’ll rarely need to grab a pack of 20-inch worms if we’re being completely honest. 

The average angler will toss the ones closer to the lower end with great success. However, it is sometimes really useful for nabbing giant bass or even larger predators.

We recommend looking at the gear you have and buying worms that are going to work great with that gear. Take into account how big the lure is and how much weight you’ll likely add with the rig, and compare that to what your rod is designed to toss.

The last thing you want is a pack of giant 20-inch worms and a little medium-light spinning rod to toss them on. 

What You Need to Use a Trick Worm

Trick worms are pretty versatile. If you’ve got a basic setup and some common terminal tackle, you can find trick worms that match it perfectly.

So, we’ll keep this list very general. Just keep in mind that you’ll want to match your gear’s weight, size, and other specifications to the size of the worm and rig you’ll be using.

Whether you’re using a spinning or casting setup is relatively unimportant and up to preference.

• Rod with a relatively fast tip

• Mono or braided line

• Bullet weights

• EWG hooks 

• A variety of trick worms

The Best Ways to Rig Trick Worms

There are multiple ways to rig up a trick worm and get great results.

We’re going to cover 4 of the best ways to rig a trick worm, whether you’re a pro or just starting. 

1: Weightless

The trick worm gets its name due to the way it floats on the top of the water, and that’s one of its most killer features.

However, when you rig it up with a bunch of weight, it doesn’t do that. It behaves just like any other soft plastic worm. 

A weightless presentation is when you just use a hook and the worm. The buoyancy of the worm is enough to overcome the tiny amount of weight added by the hook unless you use a really goofy hook setup. 

For this one, just thread the hook through it like you would for a Texas rig.

If you haven’t done a Texas rig before, you’ll poke the point of the EWG hook through the “face” of the worm, then pop it out about ¼ inch into the “head.” Slide that up the shank, and then measure where the hook needs to go in the body for the worm to lie flat from the point to the shank.

2: Texas Rig

The Texas rig is used to fish the bottom. It’s pretty much exactly like the weightless setup we described.

The only difference is that before you tie on the hook and thread the lure on, you slide a bullet weight onto the line. The tip should face back up toward your rod tip. Not toward the lure.

That’s it. With one tiny change, you’ve taken a floating rig and turned it into one of the most famous bottom rigs out there. 

3: The Shaky Head

A shaky head jig isn’t in our equipment list, but it’s super cheap and easy to find. This also isn’t the first rig we recommend using. So, you have plenty of time to pick that up as you build your collection. 

It’s easy to use. A lot of modern shaky head jigs have a spiral worm keeper. You twist the “face” of the worm onto that, measure up the body of the worm to the first bend in the hook behind the point, and then thread it so it sits in a straight line matching the baitkeeper. 

Older and cheaper heads tend to have a traditional keeper. It’s just a little dull hook or bump near the head.

With those, you thread the worm through the “face”, and it stays straight along the shank. The point is exposed, and that makes this specific setup a little less friendly for beginners in areas with a lot of weeds and debris. 

4: Wacky Rig

Finally, we have the wacky rig. This one only requires three things.

You need a hook, a trick worm, and a small rubber band. You take the hook and pierce it through the middle of the worm from the side. You should have one end of the worm dangling from either side of the hook if you did it right. 

The rubber band is used to secure the worm. Since so little of it is attached to the hook, you tend to lose a lot more worms with the wacky rig. Binding it with the band will help you keep from losing a whole bag of worms in an hour. It’s the only downside to the rig. 

Since the trick worm is a floating lure, it behaves a little differently than your standard wacky rig. Usually, the wacky rig sinks, and you bounce it in place.

With a trick worm, unless you somehow made it sink, it will create a new floating presentation with the worm moving sideways and its ends wobbling oddly.

Best Retrievals for Each Rig

You can practice countless different retrieval variations, and this guide would turn into several books.

Instead, we’re going to cover the best retrieval method for each of the rigs we described. That’ll get you started with an easy-to-follow recommendation that boosts confidence with big catches. 

1: Retrieving the Weightless Rig and Wacky Rig

When you toss a trick worm weightlessly, it’s typically best to dead stick it. 

This is when you get the lure floating in an area that you’re confident in, and you just leave it alone. The waves and surface activity will move it subtly, and this makes it look like a dead or dying worm that’s just floating on the surface. 

If you do decide to bring it in, use a light twitch and let it sit for about 30 seconds before you twitch it again. 

A key point here is not to jerk the lure and break surface tension. A trick floats because of surface tension, and if you get it to start sinking, it will continue to do so. 

You can use this with the weightless rig or the wacky rig. However, the wacky rig is more likely to break surface tension, and if it does, you’re not done. You can simply twitch it up and down in the column like it was originally meant to be. 

2: Texas Rig Retrieval

The Texas rig is one of the first rigs we recommend using, and it’s also very easy to retrieve effectively. 

A basic retrieval involves you casting beyond the point you’re targeting, giving it a few seconds to reach the bottom, and then giving a hop. After you lift your rod to hop it, give it time to hit the bottom, wait a second or two, and hop it again. 

This is a great way to get started, and as you experiment, it’s easy to wait longer between hops, time your yanks to keep it hopping, etc. 

3: Shaky Head Retrieval

The shaky head jig is easy to use, but it can be a little odd. 

Toss your lure beyond the point you think fish are hiding, and let it sink to the point in the column you’re looking to fish. That’s not necessarily the bottom. You can fish the whole water column if you understand how to keep your lure at the same depth.

After you pop your rod to lift the lure, give the tip a slight shake. Don’t go wild with it. The tip should move around a couple of inches or so. This will cause the weighted head to shake back and forth, and the action is great for causing reaction bites.

Other Tips for Trick Worms

If you use the tips we went over, you’ll start getting bass on trick worms pretty quickly. There are some other things to remember, though. 

First, don’t use a really long one at first. The longer the worm is, the more likely you are to get short strikes or try to set the hook too early. The bass has to pull the whole worm in before you can actually hook it.

Stick to the shorter ones until you’ve got some experience. 

Then, don’t forget to keep moving. Even if you’re dead sticking the lure, it’s best not to spend half an hour staring at the water for no reason. Bass tend to bite on these quickly. 

Try an offset hook. We mentioned EWG hooks because they’re the most common, but the offset variety increases your chance of hook-ups. If you find you’re missing the hook set, and the fish is taking the whole lure in, try switching it up. 

Catch More Bass with a Proven Classic

The trick worm is a classic, and there’s a reason almost every experienced angler has a variety of them.

Get in on the fun, grab some trick worms, and start catching some bass. And if you want to improve your chances of landing a big fish, download our fishing app today!