“Minnesota’s Mark Gomez Fishes Mister Twister and Mepps Products”

Part 2: Dropping a 4-Inch Finesse Jig Worm

Editor’s Note: Mark Gomez of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, in the Minneapolis Metro area, is a tournament-bass fisherman and vice president of the Minnesota B.A.S.S. Federation Nation, the amateur arm of B.A.S.S.

Question: Mark, what other tactics do you use to catch bass in the regions where you fish?

Gomez: I really like the 4-inch Mister Twister Finesse Jig Worm fished on a drop-shot rig in deep weedlines. Fished this way, the 4-inch worm will produce all sizes of bass. The 4-inch Finesse Jig Worm isn’t simply a little bait for little bass. I’ve found that the best way to fish using the drop-shot technique is to fish this worm vertically. I’ll move along the edges of weedlines in about 10 to16 feet of water and drop the 4-inch Finesse Jig Worm right on the edge of the weeds. The bass will come out of the weeds to nail this small worm.

Question: How do you decide where to drop the Finesse Jig Worm on the drop-shot rig?

Gomez: I’ll usually start on a patch of grass or on the inside turn of a grass bed. I’ll look for a spot in the weedlines with really-tall weeds that create a clean-cut vertical drop, making the weedlines resemble a wall coming out of the sand. I search for a patch of weeds higher than the surrounding weeds and for changes in a line of weeds.

Question: Do you cast to the weedlines or above the weeds, dropping your Finesse Jig Worm right along the edge of the weeds and using the drop-shot method?

Gomez: I’ll attempt to move my boat above the weedlines to see the edges of the weeds, the drop-off or the break, where the weedline stops, and the sand begins. Then I let my drop-shot rig down, take up the slack and wait about 20 seconds to see whether or not a bass will come out of the weeds to take the worm. If there are no bass in sight, I’ll move 1 to 2 feet down the weedline and drop the drop-shot rig down again.

However, if I see bluegills, shad or any other type of bait on the surface, I’ll move up close to the baitfish and drop the Finesse Jig Worm. The bass will relate to the baitfish and often will hold right under the baitfish. When the Finesse Jig Worm travels down, the bass just naturally eat it. I don’t move or shake the Finesse Jig Worm. I try to hold the worm as still as possible, take up slack until I can feel weight on the bottom and then hold on and wait for the strike. I want my line vertical and my worm standing out parallel to the bottom.

As I move down the weedlines fishing the drop-shot rig, if I see a small rock or a bump on the bottom from my depth finder, I’ll immediately drop the rig down on that rock or bump. Oftentimes the rock or the bump on the lake bottom will be no more than 1/2- to 1-foot off the bottom, but this spot generally will be holding bass.

Question: What size bass do you catch using this technique?

Gomez: You’d be surprised. I’m catching from 1- to 5-1/2-pound bass using this tactic.