Lake Belton on the hyper worm

     Professional Angler and Lake Fork Tackle owner Mark Pack has always designed some of the most creative baits in the industry.  This year, Lake Fork Tackle has created some new baits that have action so nasty, it just makes bass itch.  This new line of baits is the Hyper Series, and the name is well suited.  Most of the baits are designed with swim cuts, similar to the popular Live Magic Shad.  The Hyper Worm is a highly versatile bait that has been on the front deck of my boat for the last few months.  I’ve found this bait is especially effect around unmated grasses, boats docks, and marina slips.  It’s paddle tail and swim cuts displace plenty of water to let the bass know it’s there.  My approach for more active bass is swimming the 5” and 4” hyper worm on a 3/16 to ½ once jig head around these areas.  With the jig head I always rig the bait with the tail’s flat side facing horizontally in line with the hook.  This gives the bait better side to side action.  I will also Texas Rig the 5” Hyper Worm with the tail’s flat side facing down.  You can still swim it this way, but when you stop it and are twitching it on the bottom, the downward faced tail sweeps up more mud.  Also, you want at least a 3/16 once weight when Texas rigging or on a jig head.  This allows the baits to have enough force to flutter down when sinking.  Similar to a lipless crankbait, you can rip this bait through the grass to trigger strikes, and swimming the bait under boat slips in marinas is deadly!  It can also be a great bait on boat docks because you can skip it back underneath easily and swim it or work it slow.  That’s two presentations on the same rod, which makes a great search bait. For pressured situations, I’ll make a 45º cut in the tail.  This cuts out the wide swimming motion and creates subtle action in the tail.  I’m still finding ways to catch bass on these things, so if you haven’t seen the Hyper Series yet, you’re in for a surprise.