“A Wizard & His Worm”

It was fun just to sit back and watch the guy in the front of the boat.

In some ways he reminded me of a tomcat eyeballing a hole in the wall. Old Tom knew mice sometimes hung out in that area. If one of those mice so much as stuck its nose into view, Old Tom was gonna nail him.

I knew the first bait my friend would show the bass we were after. I’d been out with him often enough to know it was his favorite. In fact that bait, a little 5-inch black plastic worm, was already attached to the line of one of his spinning rods before we left the dock.

Here's the black Outlaw Baits black Ripple Worm and the Slider Head jig he often uses with it.

I knew he had lots of good reasons to throw the worm he selected. I had watched him clobber largemouth bass with it time after time on some of the lakes along the Central Oregon Coast. I’d also seen him take one smallmouth bass after another on the same bait on a couple of Oregon’s top rivers that hold these hard fighting scrappers.

The friend I’m talking about is a guy named Greg Zash. If you’ve spent much time fishing the popular bass lakes in the center of the Oregon Coast you may well have bumped into Greg yourself. Among other things Greg is president of the Northwest Bass Club that headquarters in the community of Florence. It’s a post he has also held on two previous occasions. If there’s anything involving bass going on along the Central Oregon Coast, chances are Greg is involved in it.

Greg always packs a generous supply of those little black worms he’s so fond of. When the bass munch ‘em up, he doesn’t have to travel far to find replacements. The worm he likes so much, you see, is a 5-inch Outlaw Baits Ripple Worm. This little bass-catcher is manufactured right there in Greg’s hometown.

Because I knew how effective the Ripple Worm was in Greg’s hands. I was interested in finding out exactly how he rigged and fished it. Greg’s one of those bassin’ men who’s always willing to share his secrets. He didn’t hesitate to provide the details I was after.

“I usually rig the Ripple Worm two ways,” he says, “depending on the depth of the water I’m fishing. If I’m fishing it in shallow water I rig it with a 1/8 th-ounce Slider Head jig. For fishing deeper water I rig it Texas Style with either a 3/16 th or ¼-ounce slip Sinker.”

Greg Zash uses the Outlaw Baits 5-inch black Ripple Worm to catch both largemouth and smallmouth.  The nice smallmouth he displays here grabbed a Ripple Worm on Oregon's John Day River

I can’t count the times I’ve watched this likeable Oregon bass expert skip his Ripple Worm up under overhanging brush or trees. He lets the worm drop on a slack line. “Sometimes they hit the worm as it falls,” he says. “If they don’t I let it settle to the bottom. Once it’s on the bottom I leave it alone for at least a 10 count. If nothing happens I flip my rod tip to make it hop up about a foot, then let it drop back again. I do this at least three times before I reel it in.”

A second technique Greg often utilizes is to fish the outer edges of a weed line. “If I’m fishing a weed edge,” he says, “I make about a 30-foot cast, then I let the Ripple Worm sink on a slack line. Once it’s on the bottom I do one of two things. I either pause and hop the worm or simply drag it along the bottom.”

Greg will tell you that if the bass are aggressive they’ll grab the worm as it falls. If the fish aren’t active they’re more likely to respond as the bait is simply dragged slowly along the bottom. “When I’m dragging this worm slowly along the bottom I often don’t really feel a hit,” Greg says. “The only indication that a fish is there is a sense of heaviness. Early in the season when water temperatures are cool the dragging technique can be a very effective way to fish this Outlaw Baits worm.”

Something else Zash does with his Ripple Worms is always smear them with scent. The scent he favors is another Oregon-made product called Smelly Jelly. He uses the same crawdad scent for both largemouth and smallmouth.

Lots of smallmouth have made the same mistake this one did.  That's to mistake the Outlaw Baits Ripple Worm for the real thing.  The 5-inch plastic bait has a unique tail action.

Greg Zash is the manager of the Bi-Mart store in Florence. It’s my understanding the store he runs is one of the most successful in the chain. That doesn’t surprise me. My friend Greg brings a sizzling level of energy and intelligence to his management job. When he gets time off from his demanding work schedule he brings the same level of energy and thought to his bass fishing endeavors.

So why does Greg favor the Outlaw Baits Ripple Worm over the thousand and one other plastic worms just as easily available to him? I asked him. “It’s just so darn versatile,” he says. “It’s a bait I can use all season long. I know that if I fish it slowly enough I can catch bass with it when water temperatures are down early in the season. It’s also my go-to bait when I’m faced with a cold front. The same thing applies when the fish have been pressured under tournament conditions. It’s my number one bait in mid-summer when the water is warmest.”

That’s saying a mouthful about one little 5-inch hunk of bass catching dynamite. But I don’t have to ask anybody if what he’s saying is true. How come? Because I’ve been there time after time to watch him do exactly what he’s talking about!

Greg Zash says a 5-inch Outlaw Baits Ripple Worm is one of the most versatile baits he carries.  He finds it especially effective when the fish are inactive and hard to catch.  He uses it for both largemouth and smallmouth bass.  Zash is president of the Northwest Bass Club that headquarters in Florence, Oregon.

The Ripple Worm has been a staple in the Outlaw Baits line for a long time. I’ve had other experienced bass anglers tell me they especially like its unique tail action. The two best selling colors are the black Greg favors and a green pumpkin shade.

Be assured I laid in my own supply of these dandy little baits once I saw what my friend Greg could do with them. Now that you know how he goes about it, you’d be wise to do the same.

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