1 Sinker, 1 Hook & 1 Worm

Trips: 22     Hours: 49.5     Bass: 274     No. > 5#: 0

Kind of reminds me of a George Thorogood song. In actuality, it has been my 'Modus Operandi' the last couple evenings. It's easy to get wrapped up in all marketing, glitz and glamour that can be bass fishing, but catching fish can really be as simple as the title to this post. I've snuck out for an hour or two each of the last few afternoons with nothing more than a one bag of soft plastics, a couple hooks and sinkers thrown inside, all tucked in my back pocket along with a pair of long nose pliers. About as simple an operation as you could ask for, and I have been rewarded with 36 more bass for the effort (or lack there-of).

These have been bank trips, and what I've found is that a simple presentation that allows you to slow down and explore your waters a bit more can be a rewarding experience. Most of these fish are really coming off just a handful of spots, some obvious and some not. But being on the bank and only carrying one bait to fish with has allowed for a more thorough understanding of just how simple fishing can be. The old F+L+P=S formula revsisted. Two small rock points guarding the entrance of a beach, a line of riprap bolstering the base of a launch ramp and a nice drop-off bordering the edge of a spawning flat has produced all the action. When you don't have 150 horses at your beckon call, or a button under your foot controlling 74 pounds of thrust, ready to instantly whisk you down the bank to the next good piece of cover, you get the opportunity to slow down and learn intimate things about your water that the bass already know.

Hank Parker once made the statement that 80% of all the lures we carry are 'defensive', meaning we only carry them 'just in case'. This reminded me of the Pareto Principle, or the Rule of 80-20. It has become a managerial and business buzz-word, but has found applications in many other scenarios. Also known as 'the law of the vital few', it basically states that 80% of all outputs or results can be generated by or with only 20% of the resource(s) or effort. Simple examples include 80% of a companies sales generated by just 20% of its top sales people; Wearing 20% of your clothes 80% of the time; Or even spending 80% of your time with just 20% of your friends and acquaintances. These numbers are not fixed rigidly at 80:20, as you could argue 75:25 or 90:10. The primary principle being a minimal amount of resources/effort generating a large majority of all results.

So how does this apply to fishing? As Hank stated, in reality, we all probably use many fewer lures than we actually carry or own, all just 'because'. If you want to talk tackle management, analyze your lure useage this season or last. How many actual baits did you use versus how many you carried with you on a trip. When I learned of this principle many years ago, I actually sat down with my records and did a Pareto analysis. A buddy and I fished a local jackpot tourney every week on the same lake, along with a couple weekend tourneys every month. Over a period of 4 years we cashed 56 checks for nearly $9,000 dollars on just this one lake. So I documented what every keeper we caught over those 4 years was caught on. Then I 'threw out' all the fish caught that didn't directly result in a check. After entering all this data in a spreadsheet and graphing the results, it turned out that 80% of all the money we won could be accounted for with just 4 baits. If we dropped down and picked up a 5th bait, that moved the percentage up to 90%. When all was said and done, we could have literally carried just 5 baits in a paper sack to every tourney over the years and done nearly as well.

Which gets us back full circle to the 1 sinker, 1 hook and 1 worm. Take some time and analyze your fishing records and see if you don't catch a majority of your bass on a minority of your baits. Consider simplifying your approach and your tackle, and see if you don't catch as many fish without all the 'baggage' and decision-making that comes with carrying a giant tackle management system.        

Comments

[Paul Roberts]

Admirable, and true. But…

I have a lot of stuff. And I fish from the shore so what I carry is an issue. Every winter I go through and decide what I can get rid of. And what I’d like to add of course –either new tactics I’ve read of or dreamed up.

I just went through my worm box with a critical eye again and found little (two worm configurations) I was willing to remove –one a recent whim and the other a holdover from a really great day…lessseee…30 years ago).

Admittedly there are some potential redundancies, but a lure box evolves over time and not only does each lure have a niche but some simply get my adrenaline pumping when I tie one on. The separate compartments help keep worms from bleeding into each other and make all easy to see and get at. So, here’s my worm box –exposed!!

My worm box is a 10”x7” 6-compartment poly box and weighs 1# 14oz. ready to fish.

Compartment 1: Low density stick-worms for a slow fall. I fish them weightless, often wacky-rigged. I have them in two sizes (4”, 6”), and two “colors” –an orange for low visibility conditions (thus the bass, and especially I, can see them), and a pale translucent for very high visibility conditions when bass are apt to reject the bright opaque worm. I carry (4) of each.

Compartment 2: High density stick-worms for a faster fall rate and/or deeper water, also fished weightless, often wacky-rigged. Again, two sizes (4”, 6”), and two “colors” –a dark (opaque-ish), and a pale translucent. I carry (4) of each.

Compartment 3: Black 6” swimming-tail worm for darker days and active fish. These worms trigger bass really well and can be fished relatively fast with a bullet sinker. I use them for active bass where only a worm can go
–through algae and heavy cover. I’ve also discovered a couple neat triggering strategies to sighted fish with these. I carry (8) of these. I also have in this compartment, in a plastic bag to protect them from bleeding, (3) 8” black/pearl swimming-tail for flipping dark shady hides in dingy water –that subtle flash is a deadly trigger.
Later in the year I’ll add some 9” swimming-tails for warm summer water where there are large bass. Large lures do select and attract larger bass. In the past I’ve targeted and caught larger than usual bass using worms up to 13”.

Compartment 4: Black straight tails. I have two: First, a very slim and subtle 6” for educated and/or skittish fish under darker conditions. Second, a 6” heavy bulky worm that can cast a mile to spooky or distant fish. This one could be interchangeable with the stick worms but they are a holdover from my youth and…well…I couldn’t not have them there if just for the memories (the pulse of adrenaline I get when I tie one on). I carry 5 of each.

Compartment 5: Translucent worms, both 6” straight and 6” ribbon-tails, same as Compartments 2&3 but translucent. I believe they out-fish opaques in high vis. waters.

Compartment 6: Finesse worms. I have (6) semi-translucent, slim 6” straight tails, and (6) semi-translucent slim 6” swimming-tails. I believe these out-fish larger opaque worms for skittish/ pressured fish especially in high visibility conditions. They land quietly and are subtle in the water. The slim bodies allow me to fish a Texas-rig with lighter line. The extra kick of the swimming-tails can be a great trigger that works on the drop, or when either swum or accelerated.

Do I use and catch fish on all of them. Yes. They are selected for conditions mostly. But, ruthlessly applying the 80/20 rule… If I had to choose one worm to cover the most circumstances, it would be a 6” semi-translucent straight-tail. A sandwich baggie full of these and I’d be set to go. Thank goodness I have a large back-pack so I don’t have to just bring a baggie!

“No, 4-inchers?”, you ask? They’re in my finesse jig box. But that’s another whole box of stories.

[Richard Ziert]

"As The Worm Turns".

For a fish - what is the easiest thing to catch? Think - energy expense for energy attained by the action.

Glorious worms - It will always and forever be the worm. . . in one color and long or short form or another.

If you want philosophy, just remember - it's all natural stuff. That's all we need to know.

Take care and keep it natural, and "reasonably" wet.

Rich

[Paul Roberts]

I'm adding another comment here...whether it's seen or not.

I carry a lot of lures, a lot of different types that is. I do this because it's fun, but also as an investment in my future versatility.

For a given time period I may choose a certain lure type and figure out how to catch fish on it. I used to do this for steelhead, pick a lure type and fish it exclusively for a soild month. This exercise makes you realize how similar lure presentations can be in terms of the basics, and what each lure type, or configuration offers. Some things do work better than others and it pays to know what those options are, and where they shine.

Along this same line I tend to shy away from lures and situations I know will catch fish. It's like an automatic negative response to the "Go-To" lure.

If I have a lure in my box that I haven't caught a fish on in a year then I either force myself to make good use of it, or I cull it. If it is too redundant with another type, I'll likely cull it.

I'm not a "lure freak". I don't fall for hype very easily. But I am a tactical/technique/triggering freak. And I'll take all the help I can get. If a lure type opens up avenues, then those are places I want to go.

Versatility goes a long way for me.

[Big Indiana Bass]

I hear you on the "automatic" pattern thing. Just depends on my mood. If I'm in a catching mood, I'll do it, but many times I get the same feeling that I know I could do well under the situation if I just went out and threw 'X', but there is a little loss of something that comes with it, so I won't.

I've never really been a tackleholic, partly, I guess because I'm lazy (LOL). I hate having to drag everything around and I don't enjoy switching baits every 10 minutes. I know some people that do and it does pay off at times. That said, you'd never know it from the wall in my garage with all the baits peg hooked (LMAO). But that's different (my excuse)...they just hang there day in and day out until I get the hankering to pull something off the shelf and give it a try that day. My theory has always been that what I've figured out baitwise over the years works, and in most cases I now only move to something new after someone I trust either kicks my butt with it (doesn't happen often), or does really well locally on several trips with it. Basically looking for something that has been 'field tested' to a certain degree by someone more adventurous than I, kind of a 'proof of concept' set of experiments that a bait must pass (LOL).

[Richard Ziert]

It's not about lures. Hank is an overwhlming nice guy and has a ton of charisma - but he's full of beans. Please, please undersatnd that it is far more important to find fish and define their mood than the anything about any lure ever made or to be made. We seem to center on lures because we can hold them, where we can't seem to ever hold the fish in the same way.