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I know there are a lot of anglers that can remember the first time they saw a Rubber Worm. I think they actually were introduced to the market about 50 years ago. It took Bass Fishing to bring them out of the closets...... They went from True Rubber to plastic somewhere back in the late 60's when Creme Bait company actually brought out the Creme worm in soft Plastic. Oh yea Creme was also one of the Rubber worm companies back then also. Walmart still sells one of those first worms but they are made in soft plastic today and that is the worm rig with the hooks, beads and propeller on it. Well we sure have come a long way since then. What I want to know now is how many folks here can remember their first Bass they ever caught on any type of soft rubber or soft plastic bait and then can they remember the first keeper bass they caught in competition on soft plastic baits? And if you can remember it. What style of bait was it such and worm, lizard, craw etc etc.? My best memory which believe me is not much was back in about 1977 and the bait was a solid Black Worm and I was hooked on bass fishing. I spent two years fishing Bass before I got brave enough to go into competition at local level. By then there were alot more soft bait makers and I was using Culprits early worms which were about the best around my area. I used Culprit worms until 1993 when I began experimenting with Berkleys Power baits some but always wound up going back to Culprits. Was hard for me to get away from Culprits Red Shads and Tequlia Sunrise 7-1/2 inch worms..... I think I still have about 20 bags of them stored somewhere after I began making my own......... Lets hear from ya'll
Thanks Softy

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Life Jackets and Kill switch's save lives! Soft baits catch fish softer baits catch more fish!
I carry a gun cause a cop is to heavy and when seconds count the police are only minutes away!!

Had a bag full of those pre-rigged rubber worms back in the 60s. I threw them with a couple of TrueTemper, one-piece, closed face spinning reels. I still one of those reels.

My Dad had a couple of the Creme, pre-rigged worms in his tackle box, but I couldn't save them...beads, propellers and all. Something got on them and ate them up...they just fell apart on me.

I'm still a fan of the Culprit red and grape shad worms. The picture I posted shows the twirly rig was with a Culprit grape shad. I also like their pumpkin worm (yellowish) in clear warm water and their june bug anytime. The Culprits are hard to find around here.

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[b]Bill Davis, Colonel, USAF (Ret)

Hi Bill, those pre-rigged Creme worms didn't have to get anything on them for them to fall apart.... :???: Those were the first real experiments with the new soft plastic materials and it was discovered after about 2 years in soft plastic that they need to add resin to the material to give it durability because plastisol by it's self will fall apart sitting on a shelf un disturbed. Once that discovery was found it has unlocked the barn door and opened up the pasture gates to all the new products of today. If I was not using my baits I would still be using Culprit Worms but it was somewhat of a turn off to me when they began putting that darn salt in them. I have never figured out why a company will take something that works perfectly well the way it is and ruin it. When I found out they began adding the salt I went and bought up every pack of my two colors I could find without that damn salt. Those are the ones I mentioned I still have. I have noticed that happens with about every lure maker on the market. Thanks for the reply to the topic Bill. Always good hearing from you about bait issues.
softy

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Life Jackets and Kill switch's save lives! Soft baits catch fish softer baits catch more fish!
I carry a gun cause a cop is to heavy and when seconds count the police are only minutes away!!

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Jojo-SC Team One Lake Wonder Make'n Hawgs look like Keepers..it's Just what we do.

Yea JoJo, Back then life was not as complicated and bass fishing was fun. Now it's work............... I guess I began fishing competitively back in about 73. I used Mitchell spinny reels and ABU Garcia bait casters and was a chase bait freak. Switched over to jig fishing in about 80 and started looking at more slow presentations and went to soft baits and never looked back. I seldom ever pick up a chase bait any more. Bass fishing has brought a complete new angling experience to many folks over the past 30 years. the bass angler has gotten alot more complicated in the last 15 years and the bass have gotten alot smarter also...... I know you mentioned an old Flip Tail worm that was made back years ago. I had a guy in Ga. send me a few of the 9.5 inch versions and I had molds made and he ordered 1000 worms after I sent him samples from the molds and he wanted them in only 3 colors. He has re-ordered 3 times since then in Flippin blue, Flippin Purple and a Marine Green. No Glitter. Just plain colors. He uses the baits on Lake Seminole at night fishing ledges on C-rig and wins about every Tx he fishes with them in the hot summer months. I finally was able to locate a guy that had a few in the 7.5 inch and he gave me a few and I had molds made of them. I use them myself and catch a lot of fish on them today.
thanks for sharing the info on how you got started bass fishing. I like to hear about other anglers experiences in the early years.
softy

_________________
Life Jackets and Kill switch's save lives! Soft baits catch fish softer baits catch more fish!
I carry a gun cause a cop is to heavy and when seconds count the police are only minutes away!!