Bass Fishing with Chad Pinkerton
Ribbontail Worm
 Editor’s
Note: “Every fisherman’s looking for a different
lure that the bass have never seen before, with a color
that’s never been introduced into the bass’s
environment and that will make bass bite. I’ve
figured out how to give bass those unique colors and
lures,” Chad Pinkerton of St. Cloud, Florida,
a tournament angler and a bass-fishing guide at Disney
World, says. Pinkerton’s so addicted to fishing
that he says, “I can’t go anywhere without
a bag of Spike-It soft-plastic lures in my pocket. I’ve
even sat in church, pulled out a plastic worm or a jerkbait,
taken my knife and started carving designs in the lure
while the preacher’s preaching. Sometimes I feel
like the Lord’s speaking to me about how to make
a unique bait, and I just have to try it.”
Question: I know you’re a fan of the Junebug-colored
Spike-it Ribbontail Worm. Why do you like this color
when you can mix and match so many other different colors?
Pinkerton: I like the holographic flake that shines
through the bait. I think the flakes make the worm look
like a flash on a live shiner. The Junebug color blends
in really well with dark water. 
Question: The Junebug color is blue with silver holographic
flakes in it. Why are they hitting that color?
Pinkerton: Besides looking like a shiner, the color
looks like a bluegill. In Florida, where I fish, the
bluegills have a true blue color on their gills that’s
almost neon underwater. I think the bait can look not
only like a bluegill, but also like a big lizard or
a snake. I think the tail of the ribbontail looks exactly
like a snake in the water.
Question: Why do you like the ribbontail instead of
a straight-tail worm like the Spike-O, and how do you
decide when to use what?
Pinkerton: I use the ribbontail when the water has lots
of current in it or when our area has lots of wind that
helps create a current. When you’ve got current
in the water, baitfish, as well as bass, move faster.
Since the ribbontail has so much action in it, when
the water conditions dictate that the bass will be moving
faster, I want a bait with more action. When I’m
fishing still water with no wind, the fish will be moving
less. So, that’s when I’ll fish the Spike-O.
Question: How do you fish the ribbontail worm?
Pinkerton: I rig it Texas style with either a 5/16-
or a 3/8-ounce weight, I peg the sinker to the head
of the worm, and rig the hook Texas style. I also fish
it on a Carolina rig with a 7-inch worm, and I’ve
used worms all the way up to 10-1/2-inches. I’ve
learned to fish big worms on Carolina rigs when I fish
in Tennessee, and we’ll fish those Carolina-rigged
big worms on humps.
Question: Most people use a straight-tail worm on a
Carolina rig. Why are you using a ribbontail?
Pinkerton: I like a worm that’ll wiggle, and the
ribbontail has plenty of wiggle in it. I believe the
more motion that the worm has, the easier and quicker
you can get the bass’s attention.
Question: How fast are you moving that Carolina rig?
Pinkerton: I’m moving it very slowly. I only use
about a 1-1/2- to 2-foot leader on my Carolina rig because
rarely is the water more than 9-feet deep at my home
lake of Wheeler on the Tennessee River. The bass will
usually suspend off the bottom about 1- to 1-1/2-feet
deep. The Junebug Ribbontail Worm will suspend off the
bottom by itself. Since I’m using a 10-pound-test
Power Pro leader, which lets the worm suspend, my main
line will be a 20-pound-test monofilament. I use a slip
egg sinker up the line with four glass beads because
they make a lot of noise.
Question: When do you set the hook?
Pinkerton: I let the bass take the bait until I can
feel the fish. When I set the hook, I sweep my rod to
the side and not straight up. When you set the hook
on a Carolina rig, you always want to set the hook sideways
rather than straight up because if you do, all your
power will be diminished by the weight.
Question: Why are you using all these crazy colors
and dyes?
Pinkerton: When I go bass fishing, I want to have baits
that are different from every other fisherman. I want
to be unique and give the bass something they’ve
never seen before. Spike-It has those colors in its
plastics, and the company also gives me the dyes to
dye my plastics any color I want. I believe that being
unique produces more bass than fishing with all the
lures that everyone else fishes with.
To learn more about Spike-It’s top-quality products,
click here.
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