Ringworm??

[Rick]

The Ringworm has been around for a long time now. If you go to:
http://catch-n.com

and click the Rigging link at the top I believe Hoggie has some Ringworms there for you to look at along with some rigging tips.

[Guest]

Rick, that Ringworm info is off my page at this moment... I will respond to all Ringworm questions here though.
My pleasure!

bklimek, I will post some info here later tonight for you. Right now, I gotta few calls to make.
BIZ-E is good!
Catch'n
Dave Hoggard

------------------
Fishermen are catch-n on
Catch'n Tackle
For Bass, Walleye, Pike, Lakers, Trout, Panfish
Used by FishingMN Family

[Mr Special]

Rick's right they been around for a while. But seems like the last few years it's really gain popularity. As far as rigging it you can use it anyway you would use any plasitc bait.
For walleye's I like put them on a round jighead and work it just like you would a curltail. You can cast it, jig it vertically, drag it on bottom, etc..
The same goes for using them for bass, you can texas rig, carolina, wacky, drop shot, and weightless.

I've caught Bass large/smallmouths, Walleye/Saugers, Whitebass, Northerns/Muskies, Sunfish, Crappies, Dogfish, Carps, and even one Snapping turtle.
Yes I'm a big fan of the ringworms.

Good luck

[bklimek]

Hey did anybody else see that mongo walleye on the front page of Outdoor News last week!! Geez! Reading the article they talk about this hot new lure the ringworm. I have not heard of this. What is it? and How is it fished?

Butch

[Guest]

Ringworm expert?
No...ringworm user, YES!
I rig my ringworms on jigs. Hook goes in the front of the worm and out the "top" with the worm head all the way up to the jig head. I use round heads, mostly high-end heads like the Bait Rigs OddBall or Fintec's NuckleBall. Reason for that jig choice is the hook angle and the eye-less hook design. With these heads, the hook eye is made into the jig head and the jig is much more snag resistant. There is less line abrasion at the knot with these heads... no hook eye to snag on. Otherwise, I will use a Catch-N Tackle Weedless Super Do Jig head, which is totally snag resistant. And, this jig I can fish timber/wood with.
I cast ringworms deep... or shallow, sometimes flinging them into only a foot of water. I throw ahead of the boat and up stream. I allow the ringworm to sink to the bottom and retreve it so that I am trying to stay on and keep bottom contact, without swimming it. This is tough in moving water as the lure bumps the bottom and hops due to tumbeling on the bottom. If I notice a stop in movement I set the hook. Many times I am just setting on a lodged jig that comes loose with the hookset... but many times I set on a fish that has the worm. Yes... I do also many times feel the hit! This is cause I am fishing these with a sensitave St Croix graphite rod. A good rod, with "feel factor" a fast tip and some backbone, is important in jig fishing.
Once the lure is back to the boat or has got to a position behind the boat where it has lost bottom contact, I cast back ahead or the boat. This is not a fast deal. I fish them slow as I can.
I have ringworms in stock but they are no availabel on the HSOforum yet. Email me at [email protected] for details.
Catch'n
Dave Hoggard

------------------
Fishermen are catch-n on
Catch'n Tackle
For Bass, Walleye, Pike, Lakers, Trout, Panfish
Used by FishingMN Family

[This message has been edited by Catch'n (edited 04-22-2004).]

[Guest]

bklimek,
Here is a picture of my personal top three picks for colors of Ringies...(yea, I know everyone else likes purple/white tail).

These colors are top to bottom...
Chartreuse Bloodline Sparkle
Chartreuse Pepper
Pumpkin Chartreuse Tail
I like the brighter colors for stained/dirty water.

These colors are working good on the Mississippi river.
I am thinking they would just rock on the Minnesota too.

Speaking of the Minnesota, reminds me of riding in Dennis Steel's River Pro boat. I gotta get me one of those to fish the river with! And also to impress the girls with...

All you need is a stretch of river...

Some place to load up for a ride...

And you can impress the gals!

I know my little Tori was impressed with her ride... thanks Dennis!
FUN
Catch'n
Dave Hoggard

------------------
Fishermen are catch-n on
Catch'n Tackle
For Bass, Walleye, Pike, Lakers, Trout, Panfish
Used by FishingMN Family

[This message has been edited by Catch'n (edited 04-23-2004).]

[Dennis Steele]

Ringworms? Aren't those for bass??

Thats what I used to think.They have been around for a while but untill just a year ago I too thought they were just bass baits.

After hearing about all the success some fishermen had been having with them on the Mississippi,I thought I would give them a try.I found that they work very well.The rings give off slight vibrations that the waleyes tend to hone in on and they slow the fall of the bait,while giving the worm a larger profile for its weight.This give the worm a more natural look and presentation in the water,when fished correctly.
I typically rig them up with a round head jig.Get a good jig with tough paint and in low light or turbid water conditions glow can help.JR's Tackle has some of the best jigs I have seen and are available in most of your local bait shops.When its exceptionally snaggy or when pitching to wood a good snagless jig head like the Super Do jigs are a good choice.Try to use the lightest weight you can get away with and still reach the bottom.
You can fish them several ways.My favorite is pitching to shallow breaks and current edges. I cast upstream and past the structure I want to fish at a 45 degree angle.Then slowly lift your rod tip a few inches and follow the jig back down to the bottom on a taught line.This is important and will produce strikes as the ringworm will drift along in the current right past your targeted structure.
I will also fish the ringworms by casting directly downstream of an anchored boat useing basically the same technique.When fish are holding tight to a current break or small hole in a swift current,anchor directly upstream.Then cast out the ringworm beyond thepoint that the fish are holding.When you feel the jig hit the bottom lift your rod tip and give the reel a couple cranks.Stop an lower the rod tip untill you feel the jig touch bottom again.Keep working it right through the school.The slow fall get them everytime.
And of course verticle jigging them while drifting along a break or current edge produces when the fish drop into the holes during the mid day or late in the fall.
I would also check out Ring-n-Grubs from Catch-n-Tackle.They are grub boddies with larger rings and a curly tail.When the fish are looking for a larger profile or you want to target larger fish,the RIng-n-Grubs can be the ticket.

------------------
Minnesota River Guided Fishing
www.mnriverguidedfishing.com
[email protected]
NPAA #863

[This message has been edited by Dennis Steele (edited 04-28-2004).]

[Rainman]

Dennis knows what he is talking about. Those plastics are a real blast to fish with once you gain confidence in them and learn the little techniques of using them! I don't even take live bait with me anymore on the river!

Rainman

[Dennis Steele]

I should mention that Rainman finally proved to me that the ringworms work great.
There are some guys you just believe what they say.Thats Rainman.
I proved to Rainman that Ring-n-Grubs work.Either that or I am a better angler than him .

[Rainman]

Geez, let a man outfish you one time and you will never hear the end of it! j/k Dennis! Have you been out? When are we going to get together for a day again on our favorite water? We always do have a lot of fun! Maybe we can get out fishing together a little more this year! Later!

Rainman

[This message has been edited by Rainman (edited 04-25-2004).]

[Guest]

Rick and bklimek,
I have the ringworms back up on my site now (I was doing some adjusting there to accomidate the Fish-N Line Radio Show).

You'll find them at:
http://catch-n.com/rigging.html
Catch'n
Dave Hoggard

------------------
Fishermen are catch-n on
Catch'n Tackle
For Bass, Walleye, Pike, Lakers, Trout, Panfish
Used by FishingMN Family

[Dennis Steele]

I have been out on the river a few days this past week.There is an OK white bass bite going.Nothing like I have seen in past years but the water is very low.
Best bite has been on Ring-n-Grubs lately.
Heres a few fish that fell to RIng-n-Grubs.

[Guest]

Dennis,
Nice photos!

Wow, now I wanna go...

I love catch'n STRIPERS.

Hum....question, were they hittin on white/red tail???

Course my boat won't go where your River-Pro will go.

Looks like great FUN. Thanks for sharin the pix.
Catch'n
Dave Hoggard

------------------
Fishermen are catch-n on
Catch'n Tackle
For Bass, Walleye, Pike, Lakers, Trout, Panfish
Used by FishingMN Family

[fiskyknut]

That looks like fun fishing, kinda curious what river you catch those things out of?

fiskyknut

[This message has been edited by fiskyknut (edited 04-28-2004).]

[EBass]

Thanks for the trip again Dennis! And yes he outfished Mr Special and I on those Ring N Grubs. Of course I felt bad for asking to use them as the snag God had it in for me and Mr Special that day.

Oh remember when you gave that Ring n Grub to Mr Special and on his first cast he got a hit and whatever broke his line?

[fiskyknut]

Thanks Dennis, I learn something everyday. I suppose being your Mn river dumps into the mighty Mississippi that you catch all kinds of different fishes outta there. I've caught some White bass in other states and seen a few come out of the Red river and they're fun for sure, bite pretty readily and fight good too. Devils lake sure has alot of them in it.

fiskyknut

[Mr Special]

I tell ya "IT WAS A HUGE WHITEBASS". But yes after watching Dennis catch fish, after fish, after fish on those I'm hooked. Especially since the first cast with one and a " HUGE WHITEBASS" or something just exploded on it.

See you on the water

PS. Mother Nature,
More rain please,
I don't have a RiverPro

[Jim W]

How soon we forget eh Dennis?

I think the key here is having multiple varities on hand. SOme times the ringworm is it, others, the ring-n-grub with a larger profile is the ticket! KNowing where to cast helps too!

Jim W

[fiskyknut]

Sheeeees sorry, was'nt looking for THE super top secret White Bass secret spot you know, just curious what river you catch White Bass out of down south there....No biggy though, not like I'm gonna rush right out and drive to the cities to do any White bass fishing.

[Dennis Steele]

Fisky,Its the MN River.Its where I guide and its no secret.

Jim,Not sure what I forgot?

But Jim has a good point.

I always carry a bunch of different plastics with me.Ringworms,Ring-n-Grubs,Ring-n-Tubes,Super Do's,kalins,power bait,and anything that catches my eye when I am at the bait shop. Some days one will work better than the other.I typically have three rods set up and when fishing alone and will pitch different baits in the same area untill I find out which one is performing the best that day.If I am out with other folks I use what they are not untill one of us starts out fishing the others.Lately The Ring-n-Grubs have been the best bait.Tommorrow maybee the ringworm,and so on.To me a big bag of baits means success.Bring it all!
Lately the the best colors have been the Chartruese Sparkle.Tried the white/red tail but they did not produce any fish.
We have been pitching our baits to areas where the shiners are thick and slowly drifting them in the current.The fish are picking off our baits thinking that they are wounded shiners getting caught in the current.With so many shiners to pick from you have to give them what looks to be easy pickings.The R-n-Gs with their fat body and big rings that give the bait "lift" or kind of a nuetral boyancy drift just right in the current while the big curly tail adds something to catch the fishes eye.I have also been rigging them on JR's jigs with brass rattles that give of some noise to alert the fish something is coming their way.

[This message has been edited by Dennis Steele (edited 04-28-2004).]