Montezuma's Revenge catching among bass anglers

With the increased attention given to the effectiveness of big plastic worms for bass during recent national tournaments on Texas-Mexico border lakes Falcon and Amistad, one might get the impression that the baits had previously disappeared from anglers' arsenals.

"Not so," said George Toalson, general manager and lure designer at Gene Larew Lures, a well-known soft plastic bait manufacturer located in Oklahoma. "Plastic worms, and especially big plastic worms, have been and continue to be one of the most popular of all baits for bass fishing. For good reason, too," he added. "They work in a variety of conditions from surface to deep, there really isn't a 'wrong' way to fish them, and bass love 'em."

Toalson went on to say that his company got into the plastic worm business back in 1980 when Mr. Larew invented the Nightmare worm, an 8-inch plastic worm with a unique twin curl-tail feature. Plastic worms have been a big part of company's offering ever since, with Larew's salt-cooked-in process making its 10.5-inch Big Daddy and 11-inch Floating Salty Snake worms especially popular over the past several years.

However, it is Larew's El Salto Grande 12-inch ribbon tail worm that is catching anglers' attention during the big worm craze of late, and Montezuma's Revenge is the top-selling color in the series. Montezuma's Revenge is best described as a deep dark green-hued worm with purple and black flake throughout.

The Montezuma's Revenge name comes from the company wanting to do something fun and creative with new colors in the El Salto worm family, while also playing off the desire of many anglers to venture south of the United States border to famed Mexico bass lakes like El Salto, Comedero, Guerrero and others. The phenomenal fishing at Falcon and Amistad is also attracting that same bunch of anglers and more.

"It's kind of weird having folks come in asking for Montezuma's Revenge, instead of them asking for something to take for the 'gringo gallop," laughed James Bendele, co-owner of Falcon Lake Tackle at Zapata, Texas, referring to two popular nicknames for a common form of "tourist diarrhea." "But the new Larew color and El Salto worms are catching fish on this lake and it doesn't take long for that kind of word to spread among bass fishermen."

Montezuma's Revenge is also a hot color in Florida right now, with numerous reports coming in from anglers in that state, another popular destination known for producing big bass.

Some of the other unique names and colors in the El Salto worm series are Jalapeno Pepper (a watermelon green worm with black, copper and gold flake), Hot Salsa (a red worm with black, green and gold flake), Margarita on the Rocks (an opaque pale lime color with holographic flake) and Nacho Cheese (which really looks like the popular cheese dip).

Another top seller in the series is Buenas Noches, a solid black worm. Toalson said he's not surprised because, "black has always been a good fish-catching worm color."

Although recent Falcon and Amistad tournaments proved that big worms are effective in spring, it's typically the summer months when most anglers start tossing the big soft plastics.

One highly successful angler who always thinks of big worms when the temperatures heat up is bass pro Tommy Biffle. Biffle grew up fishing plastic worms on Ft. Gibson Lake near his Oklahoma home.

"I'll have as many as four rods in my boat rigged with big worms in summer" he said. "They are still one of the most effective and versatile bass baits on the market today."

Biffle said his favorite worm rig consists of a 5/16-ounce Tru-Tungsten worm weight and a 5/0 Owner hook. He selects worm color according to water color, and lets the mood of the fish tell him which style of worm: ribbon, hook or paddle tail.

He said if he had to choose just one color of worm that it would be black, a statement which supports Toalson's comment about black being a top-seller among Larew's El Salto series. "Black is good because it will work in any color of water," Biffle explained.

While many anglers believe it is necessary to fish deep in the hottest part of summer, Biffle has found the opposite to be true on many occasions. "When water temps get up into the 90s on some lakes, oxygen levels can become a factor for fish. I'll often have my best luck in 3-feet of water or less, where wind or boat wave action is stirring up the shorelines and adding oxygen to the water. In those situations, shallow offers a better comfort zone for bass," he said.

For more information about soft plastic worms, sizes and colors, visit www.GeneLarew.com. For more information about Tommy Biffle, visit www.TommyBiffle.com. For current fishing reports on Falcon Lake, visit www.falconlaketackle.com.

Tommy Biffle's 5-points to fishing big plastic worms

BASS and FLW tournament veteran Tommy Biffle is well known for his prowess with a jig. Those who know him best though are also aware of his expertise in catching bass on big plastic worms. The Oklahoma angler shares his five best tips for fishing the bait.

1. Ribbon, hook (curl) or paddle tail? Let the fish choose. As a general rule, start with the ribbontail because it offers the best of both worlds - a good action tail and plenty of body profile. If bites are timid, change to a hook tail worm for a little slimmer profile and more subtle tail action. For heavy-stained water or fishing at night, definitely try the paddle tail. Its bulky body and tail creates the most water displacement for easy detection.

2. Selecting worm color. For clear water, go with the more transparent colors like Cherry Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Grape Big Red and Watermelon variations. For stained water, use the darker colors, such as Montezuma's Revenge, MediaNoche, Buenas Noches (black), Junebug and Tequila Sunrise.

3. Rigging. Texas Rig your worm using a 5/0 Owner Offset shank Wide-Gap hook. Locate the hook so that the worm hangs perfectly straight when the worm is in place. Run the point all the way through the worm to create a "path" for efficient hook-sets, then return the point into the worm's body to make it "weedless."

4. Where to fish. Be observant. Watch your Lowrance to see if there's a preferred depth where schools of baitfish are hanging, then fish structure, brush piles or ledges at that depth. If shore birds are actively hunting the shallows for baitfish, fish shallow. Catch one bass in a particular location and depth, then you're likely on to the pattern to repeat.

5. Tools of the trade. Salt is a big deal to bass and that makes it a big deal for bass anglers. Larew patented the salt impregnation process and that's why I like their plastics. A 5/16-ounce Tru-Tungsten worm weight is a good choice for most situations, color matched to worm color. Don't peg the sinker when casting and fishing a worm, only peg it when flipping a worm. Line preference is 20 lb. test Sunline fluorocarbon. Favorite worm rod is my signature series Quantum PT 6'10" medium-heavy action fitted with a Quantum Tour Edition baitcast reel with 7:1 "Burner" gear ratio.