Big Bite Baits' Tour Swim Worm

Across the years, we have written innumerable times that Midwest finesse anglers are habitual customizers of soft-plastic baits. In fact, our forefathers began doing it in the 1950s.

Upon our first sightings of Big Bite Baits’ Tour Swim Worm, it looked to be a multidimensional worm that Midwest finesse anglers could modify and amputate in a variety of ways. And some of those customized creations will allow Midwest finesse anglers to create two baits from one Tour Swim Worm, and, of course, that also appeals to the frugal nature of some of us.

We contacted Scotty Petersen of Oakdale, Minnesota, who is Big Bite Baits’ media coordinator, and he sent us several of the 5.5-inch Tour Swim Worms to work with and examine.

Here is what we discovered about it.

It is 5 11/16 inches long.

Its head is somewhat dome-shaped that is about one-sixteenth of an inch long with a width of one-quarter of an inch at its widest spot and a circumference of seven-eighths of an inch.

The anterior section, which includes its head, is 2 5/8 inches long. It is cylinder-shaped. Its dorsal and ventral areas are identical. The torso is embellished with 23 significant ribs or rings. Ribs number one to number eight and ribs number 18 to number 23 completely encompass the torso’s anterior section. But ribs number nine to number 17 possesses a dorsal hook slot and a ventral hook slot. At rib number 11, the torso is seven -sixteenths of an inch wide with a circumference of 1 3/8 inches. Rib number one is one-quarter of an inch wide with a circumference of about fifteen-sixteenths of an inch. Rib number 23 is three-eighths of an inch wide with a circumference of 1 1/4 inches.

The Tour Swim Worm’s posterior section, including its unique paddle-style tail, is three inches long. It is devoid of ribs, and its epidermis is smooth. At the junction with rib number 23, the width of this upper section of the posterior’s torso is about one quarter of an inch with a circumference of about seven-eighths of an inch. The first three-quarters of an inch of the posterior’s torso is cylinder-shaped, but as the torso of the lower portions of the posterior approaches the junction with its unique paddle-style tail, its cylinder-shaped motif becomes flatter and somewhat oval-shaped. Near the junction with the tail, the torso is a quarter of an inch wide with a circumference of about three-quarters of an inch.

The posterior section is capped with a unique paddle-style tail, which is flat and thin. It is 1 5/16 inches long, and thirteen-sixteenths of an inch wide at its widest spot. The tail is manufactured so that anglers can easily split it, which will make it somewhat of a J-shaped tail. The outside rim of one side of the tail is thicker than the other side. It is one-eighth of an inch thick at its thickest point, and on the other side, it diminishes in size to about one-sixteenth of an inch. The outside rim of the thicker portion of the tail is rimmed with a ridge or a flange. Except for the ridge, its epidermis is smooth.

According to the folks at Big Bite Baits, the shape and size of the tail allow anglers to buzz it across the surface like a buzzbait. In addition, the combination of its paddle-style tail and 23 ribs or rings will readily create a flickering, vibrating, and thumping motif to the entire Tour Swim Worm with the subtlest of retrieves. When anglers split the tail, the Tour Swim Worm can be employed with what the folks at Big Bite Baits describe as “a very fast swimming action,” or similar to the action of a curly-tailed grub.

For many years, Midwest finesse anglers have been wedded to affixing soft-plastic baits to a small mushroom-style jig with an exposed hook. Because the Tour Swim Worm is too long for the vast majority of Midwest finesse applications, it will need to be customized, before it is affix to a mushroom-style jig.

To create a four-inch Tour Swim Worm, Midwest finesse angler will simply amputate 1 9/16 inches from the upper portions of the Tour Swim Worm’s anterior section. That will remove the head and 13 ribs. When it is affixed to a small mushroom-style jig, Midwest finesse anglers can present it to their black bass quarries by employing all six of the standard Midwest finesse retrieves, as well as the buzzbait one that is noted above.

Because the Tour Swim Worm is such a dynamic swimmer, Midwest finesse anglers can make it into a 3 1/4-inch grub. That task can be accomplished by removing 2 3/16 inches of the upper portions of the anterior section. Besides creating a grub to affix to a small mushroom-style jig, it will create a 2 3/16-inch Senko- or stick-style bait, which can be affixed to a small mushroom-style jig, and this stick-style rig can be employed with all six of the standard Midwest finesse retrieves. The grub can be buzzed along the surface and retrieved with all of the standard Midwest finesse retrieves.

It is manufactured in the following hues: 1099, Black Blue Silver Flake, Chick Magnet, Dark Watermelon Red Black Flake, Green Pumpkin, Junebug Candy, Pearl Shiner, Purpletoma, Red Bug, Sunfish Laminate, Tilapia, Tilapia Magic, and Watermelon Red Ghost.

It is infused with salt and a scent that is called Bite Juice. It is not buoyant.

A package of eight costs $3.99.

Endnotes

---