Fishing The Deadly Combo – The Definitive Tube And Worm Guide (Charley Soares)

In his August 1991 introduction to one of my articles on how to fish the TUBE & WORM in the New England Fisherman, editor Tim Coleman made the following observation: “Striper sharpies in New England have been using a gizmo called the tube and worm for the last 15 or 20 years. It’s a 15- to 18-inch length of soft tubing with a single hook in the rear onto which a whole, juicy seaworm is attached. Then the combo is trolled slowly in the daytime haunts of bass and blues. We thought readers in other areas outside of Yankee land might be interested in this time-tested way of fooling bass.” What was true in 1991 is even more appropriate for the new millenium. Fishing the “Deadly Combo”, as this rig is often called, allows you to hunt the bass, rather than waiting for them to move through and hopefully come to you. One of the readers of the original edition of this booklet wrote to me and said, “If knowledge is power this booklet is a full blown hurricane”. I’m told that some successful fishermen possess a mean streak. If that means taking some measure of satisfaction and enjoyment in one-up-man-ship, I’m a card-carrying member of that fraternity. I derive a great pleasure observing fishermen, who have been out chasing pogies in one of my favorite harbors long before dawn, on my way out to troll the tube and worm over productive rockpiles. Returning with a keeper or two a few hours later while they are still struggling to snag a dozen live baits is all the more rewarding. The tube and worm affords you a great deal of latitude in deciding where and when to fish, without the uncertainty and drudgery of locating, catching and storing a trip’s supply of live bait. What follows is an accumulation of over 38 years of tips, tricks, tactics and experiments with the TUBE AND WORM. Included are instructions on how to build a simple tube lure, rig a rod and reel combo to properly fish these rigs, along with advice and a proven philosophy as to how to become successful using this deadly combo, which allows you to CONSISTENTLY catch trophy bass under a bright mid-day sun.