By Steve Graf, Owner/Co-host: Hook’N Up & Track’N Down Show

Bass fishing has come a long way since the 1940’s. A time when there was only a hand full of legitimate lures that were truly designed to catch bass. One of those was the plastic worm. Crème Lure Company was founded in 1949 in a basement in Akron Ohio and they revolutionized the soft plastic industry with the Wiggle Worm. These worms were sold in a pack of 5 for the grand total of $1. Little did they know at the time that 70 years later, anglers would still be buying Creme Lures.

No other bait has been as effective at catching bass than the plastic worm. Other companies took note and by the 1970’s, several companies had their own version of a plastic worm. Curly tail, straight tail and auger tail worms hit the market faster than a backlash as anglers demanded something different. So, manufacturers got creative and made worms with lots of action built into the worm. Then they got even more creative and started making worms that imitated crawfish.

In the 1980’s, Gene Larew hit the market with the Salt Craw. A bait that not only looked just like a crawfish, but was injected with salt, selling anglers on the concept that if your bait has salt in it, bass will hold the bait longer allowing you to catch more bass. Then in the 1990’s things got a little crazy as anglers pushed companies for something more. They wanted a bait that was different, something new, something the fish had not seen before, a bait with even greater action. That’s when the “creature bait” craze started with the invention of the Brush Hog. This bait hit the market hard and fast as anglers started winning tournaments. The word spread like wildfire about the Brush Hog and makers were scrambling to keep up with production. It opened the door for numerous companies and expanded the soft plastics industry to another level.

Even today, companies are still trying to create something new and different as anglers demands continue. As companies continue to use their imagination, the sky is the limit on what can be done with the soft plastics industry. But one thing is still clear, the straight tail plastic worm is still the go to bait for a lot of the top name pros and weekend warriors. It’s still considered to be the greatest bass catching bait of all time. Till next time, don’t forget to set the hook!