B-Fish-N/AuthentX is known for making very good soft plastics for catching walleyes, but many of these lures are also good for bass. One of those is the versatile 4-inch Ringworm.

In the early ‘80s, Tom Yeater, owner of Tom’s Bass Shop in Moline, Ill., sold tons of these types of worms, which were mainly used for flipping/pitching in the Mississippi River. Each angler seemed to have a favorite color. To mention a few, Tom used brown/orange tail with a splash of Fish Formula; Bill Bartman used black/white tail; and yet another customer would place bulk orders of white/yellow tail, which he used in all of his tournaments.

As for me, as normal, I have more than one, but less than what some use. My color choices are electric blue, electric blue/pearl tail, June Bug, black/chartreuse tail, black/white tail, and pumpkinseed/orange tail, which is no longer available. The two colors that I use most are electric blue/pearl tail and June Bug, but when flipping/pitching, especially in stained to muddy water, it is normally black/chartreuse or white tail.

The features that make the Ringworm a great lure for about any species are the rings that trap air bubbles and make noise when rubbing on something, plus hold attractant; the flexible body; and the small, quick/fast action-cycle tail. This is why it is so good for flipping/pitching around brush, lay downs and stumps, as the slightest movement uses all of its features.

For walleyes, the worm is mainly rigged on a jig head, such as the Precision H2O head, which is one way that I rig it for bass. With this head, I hop it along different types of bottoms and riprap; pump it so that the tail flutters on the way up and down; and use a straight, constant retrieve like with a swimbait. It works best if it is rigged so that the tail turns downward and away from the direction of the hook.

When it comes to flipping/pitching, and fishing other brush and weed areas, I Texas rig it with a 1/0 or 2/0 ProX Wide hook. All the above-mentioned features definitely come into play in these situations.

Another jig head that I use for swimming-type retrieves is the Road Runner with Sickle hook. The 1/8-ounce, 2/0 sickle hook is the perfect size, plus the design makes for positive hooksets and fewer lost fish from them throwing it.

The Ringworm can be used as a great trailer on a normal, skirted finesse jig, such as the Blitz Spyder Finesse. This combination can be used in any situation where a regular skirted jig is used but will be better when the fish are finicky.

The only negative that I have found is if there are a lot of “tail nippers.” In this case, a lot of worms will be wrecked from having the tails ripped off. Then again, many times, I believe if that is happening, the bass will be stirred into taking a look at what the “nippers” are going after and take a shot at it themselves.

I recently filmed a Dan’s Fish ‘n’ Tales video using the worm on a jig head, where every fish was caught using a swim bait retrieve. You can see this video on my YouTube channel at youtube.com/dansfishntales.

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