Hello guys. I am 14 and have a cabin on a small, deep lake that has a lot of trees down and weeds by the shoreline. It is a very clear lake and we usually catch a lot of bass by the shoreline. Bass rule the lake because all we have are crappies, sunnies, and bass. (largemouths) I was wondering, instead of using a fake fish lure. I was going to try using a plastic worm. If we work the shoreline going very slow can I still use that or do I have to let it sink to the bottom and then reel it in? Any help would be appreciated.

MN Basser, there is no "cut and dried" way to use soft plastics, it's a day to day thing. Try starting out slow then progressively work the worm faster. I have a lot of success swimming unweighted worms across the surface at times. The fallen trees may be a better place to try than the weeds. Don't forget to try a wacky worm,( just a worm hooked in the middle with both ends free to swim) with no added weight. Can be deadly at times especially in clear water. Sometimes dead sticking also works, cast the worm out, let it sink to the bottom andf wait as long as you can stand it before moving it ever so slightly. Slow-tedious work but effective. Good luck, Johnnie

Well, I don't know how much good advice I can give next to Johnny here but spinnerbaits and jigs are my lures of choice. Go to your local wal-mart and pick up some spinnerbait bodies. The skirts are easy to replace and you can usually buy them in a package of 5 at any White Elephant Sportings Good Store if you have those. Try the brighter colors at first, White skirt with a white or yellow pig or vice versa. Then try darker colors if they ain't grabbin it. The Larger bass jigs in a black/blue skirt combo work good too. These are a lot harder to master but once you do you'll be able to fish em on the top water all the way down to deep water and manuver them around objects. Hope that helps ya!

Hey MnBasser,I like using 5" senko's in watermelon,and green pumpkin.I will fish these weightless,and around logs and brush piles.Also,I'll use a wacky worm and a shallow running crankbait,in natural colors.I hope this helps you catch the fish you want.Good luck!!!!! Bassman

Thanks guys, I ended up using some topwater stuff after the worms didn't work, they started hitting it like crazy. We caught around 15-17 in 2 days!

Nice going, keep it up. Johnnie