Long-Life M.T.O. Plastic Baits are NEW for Saltwater Fishing  

  • Here is a long-lasting, cost-effective, highly robust soft plastic bait to endure the razor-sharp teeth of saltwater fish.
  • Save money, increase effective fishing time, and enjoy more moments reeling in fish.
  • Imagine catching 54 toothy saltwater fish on ONE plastic tail bait! I did this myself. It’s true.
M.T.O. lure inventor Bill Alexander with a new plastic tail bait that is more durable than anyone could have imagined.  Alexander developed the robust new product in conjunction with partner Paul Williams.  

By Forrest Fisher

Saltwater fish are fun to catch but are brutal on fishing lines, reels, fishermen, and fishing lures. Sharp fins, sharp teeth, big fish, sharks – you name it. There are many opportunities for broken lines, fractured leaders, seized reel drags, and the endless need to replace fishing lures.

This is especially true for soft plastic baits fished on the inland fisheries across the southeast. Florida is a favorite wintertime stopping area for tourists, where thousands of miles of inland fishery habitat are dominated by multiple species of saltwater fish. They eat often, adding value to anglers’ interest in fishing here.

Speckled trout, pompano, flounder, Spanish mackerel, Snook, redfish, tarpon, and many other species are common. The one thing that many of these fish have in common is razor-sharp teeth, which are found inside the jagged jaw edges of these fish. These teeth will cut up braided lines and soft plastic jig tails in a microsecond.

My fishing partner and I have often run through a dozen plastic tail jig baits in 30 minutes or less when fish are on the feed. Soft plastic baits are highly effective in the inland fishery, and sales skyrocket at local fishing bait stores, especially during the post-winter (snowbird) season. The problem for many of us is that we need to have $50 or more to buy soft plastics with little durability that can get torn up in one cast by a single fish, often making these baits a single-use item.

As manufactured, the baits are supplied in 4-pack units that need to be trimmed and fit onto a jig head. We used NED-style jig heads.

After five years of fishing in Charlotte Harbor, Florida, with plastic tails or live bait (shrimp), I switched to hard baits. They last longer, and they work, too, but I caught fewer fish, and their per-piece cost ($10-$15) was much higher than a bag of 10 plastic tails ($7-$8). A bit frustrated, I called a friend – Bill Alexander, who manufactures plastic tail baits at his MTO Fishing Lure Company in Sylvan Beach, NY (MTO stands for Made-To-Order). I asked if they could produce a small but very durable shrimp-sized plastic bait that could be used with a NED-rig style jig head. The standard MTO baits are known to be super durable, and using just one of their plastic worms last year, I caught 11 black bass at a Florida lake to verify their durability. But these were freshwater bass with no razor-sharp teeth like saltwater fish have. So, I explained the big bad tooth fairy detail to Alexander, who is an ex-pro bass tournament trail angler. He said, “Let me see what we can do. Three weeks later, I met with Alexander – he came to Florida and handed me a package of specially made NED-rig-style plastic baits. He made them only about 3 inches long in off-white and solid pink colors. They looked real good.

The lures were made of specially formulated rubber-like plastic with impregnated mesh. The baits are semi-soft and medium-pliable, with a double layer of the patent-pending MTO mesh product process buried inside their shape.

They resemble shrimp-sized lengths and appeared to be a reasonable lure that could work, especially in the off-white color.

Bob Hookham’s fishing boat is safely stored at Burnt Store Marina in Charlotte Harbor, Florida, near Pine Island.

Bob Hookham (pronounced Hook-Em), invited Bill Alexander to join us on a fishing trip aboard his 24-foot sea-worthy fishing boat. It’s a deep “V” hull but allowed us to float over 2-foot-deep sand bars. A “flats boat” is not necessary to fish the open waters of Turtle Bay. Bob’s boat is spacious and comfortable, with an open bow and live well, offering adequate storage and built-in cooler-like spaces for our gear.

We motored West from Burnt Store Marina to a small embayment called Turtle Bay, near the Cape Haze Aquatic Preserve and Island Bay Wildlife Refuge. This unspoiled bay is surrounded by mangroves, and there are no houses on the protected shoreline.

The boat trip to Turtle Bay, a small embayment off Charlotte Harbor near Boca Grande and the Gulf of Mexico, was smooth. Charlotte Harbor offers more than 200 square miles of waterway for fishing.

The water level and current flow in Turtle Bay are subject to tidal changes and can rise or fall about two feet in 24 hours, depending on wind direction changes, moon-sun phase relationships and time of year. Today, the tide was low, with a slow rise of about 6 inches over our fishing period. The winds were from the East, which meant the water levels were even lower than usual as the water in the Gulf of Mexico was pushed toward Texas a bit by the wind. That meant we would be fishing the sand flats and not the mangroves. The boat draft was too deep to head into the shallow water mangroves. Fishing the flats meant we could concentrate on trout but would likely not find any redfish or Snook. We would save fishing for those species for another day.

Bill Alexander (L) and Bob Hookham (R) prepare their rigs for casting from a slow-wind drift over the sand flats in Turtle Bay. Many fish species in the bay seek feeding areas near the sea grass and oyster beds found here.
We caught all sizes of Speckled Sea Trout from 12 to 20 inches.

The new and untested lures came right off the MTO prototype manufacturing line, and we were all excited to test them out. Using a 1/8-ounce NED-rig style jig head with an oversized 1/0 hook shank, I carefully threaded on the new plastic bait. I chose the off-white color to start, while Bob and Bill chose pink. Little did I realize how effective this bait was, not to mention how tough and robust these new baits would prove themselves to be.

Fishing from 10:30 AM through 1:30 PM that day in March, we each caught limits of speckled sea trout. I was in the front of the boat in the foredeck area, so I often had the advantage of first cast to new water. There was no electric bow motor, so we used the wind to drift over the sandy flats and sand bars typical of Turtle Bay. When we would find a likable edge area of seagrass and sand or an isolated oyster bar, I would drop the anchor, and we would all enjoy a few casts before moving on with the wind-driven drift.

Over the fishing time noted earlier, I caught an unbelievable 54 speckled trout using just one MTO NED-rig style plastic tail. Bob suggested to Bill in jest that he might name this lure the MTO-NED-SW54X (SW for saltwater and X for who knows how many you might catch on this lure?). It caught 54 fish before we decided to head back! Bill was getting tired of reeling in fish. The more surprising conclusion is that I could probably catch another 20 fish on that same bait before replacing it. We decided to keep one daily bag limit of these tasty trout for the dinner table, but we carefully released every other fish brought to the boat. We caught several different species of fish, as well.

This is my NED-rigged plastic tail bait, which had brought 54 fish to the boat at this point. The tail offers incredible durability. The NED[style jig head with it’s built-in bait-keeper is helpful to keeping the tail in place on the hook. 
The fish would inhale the bait, which had a slow finesse action imparted by the combination of the jig head and prototype tail in the moving tide.

Next to the flawless durability, We all liked the simple retrieve and action required to hook a fish. I have previously done very well fishing with spoons and hard baits in Turtle Bay, but these lures require frequent casting and rip-rip style of a retrieve. I’m getting a bit older these days, and that style of fishing is an excellent workout for many of us. With the MTO-NED-SW54X, you embrace the finesse of fishing with patience after the cast. Using a 10-pound Yozuri braided main line with a 30-inch, 20-pound fluorocarbon leader tied to a 1/8 ounce NED-rig style jig head, I was casting with a St. Croix Avid class 7-foot saltwater rod (VIS70MXF; medium power-extra fast tip). We let the lure rest at the bottom after the cast. Sitting motionless, it imparts a gentle rocking action from the rounded style head that can entice the most hesitant fish to hammer the bait. If no hit or no pick-up after 5-6 seconds, we lifted the jig straight up with a quick snap of the rod tip, reeled in two cranks with our 30-series open-face spinning reels, and let the jig and tail settle again. Wham! It was a fantastic day of fishing to prove the toughness of this unique prototype lure.

Alexander says, “We can make these up in several colors to match what folks in any part of the saltwater world might ask for.” With a grin, I shared with Bill that I like simple off-color white! The proof is in the unending rod bend, Bill! My rod (and I) needed a rest, too! Bob and I agreed that this bait-jig head combination was robust and effective, and we ordered additional numbers and colors of these incredibly durable baits.

These tough lures will be very effective for kids fishing with mentors—you never need to change the bait. They are suitable for the entire trip. I can’t wait until the tide is higher to test these on Snook and redfish in the mangroves. This was a memorable and exciting fishing day.

Alexander said anyone who would like to try these baits can contact him at MTO Lures, PO Box 286, Sylvan Beach, NY, 13157, call him directly at 315-520-9820, or email him at walexander2@twcny.rr.com.  Alexander said the price for a pack of eight would be fair. Call for multiple-pack deals.

Tight lines, everyone!

When Old Guys go Fishing – Tricks We Never Share Start with a Question

  • Where to fish – an easy choice when you fish with old guys (the fish are in the water).
  • Rigging and weighting plastic worms and alternatives.
  • Lure selections, knot varieties, water depth: fishing factors that matter.
Lure inventor Bill Alexander (L) and Bass Pro field tester Gary Day (R) plan their fishing morning on a west-central Florida lake.

By Forrest Fisher

When young-minded friends meet on the water in Florida for a post-retirement gathering, life is good. Good for at least two reasons: You’ve survived long enough to collect social security and are going fishing. And, if you were smart enough to give your wife permission to go shopping, you know the entire day will have a happy ending when the boat returns to the trailer. Funny how things work with an excellent plan to wet your line!

We met at Gary’s winter home in Auburndale, Fl., moved the ice-filled cooler with water and sandwiches to the boat, and the day was on. Bill said, “Geez Gary, don’t you ever wash your boat. There’s dust on the motor!?” Not 1-second passed when Gary answered, “Well, go get a dust rag over there in the corner. You can be the new pixie dustman.” Gary and Bill have been friends for a long time and fished many bass tournaments together, also as competitors. I was the new guy in this senior collection of age-old, line-casting, bass-fishing quibblers. Gary added, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain there, Forrest. He thinks he knows how to fish.” We all chuckled, and the laugh-fest, fish-fest was in gear.

We piled into Gary’s GMC Terrain with his 19-foot Ranger bass boat and trailer in tow. The boat was filled with strapped-down, ageless fishing rods and reels and many memories about to be relighted for a fun day afloat. Our destination this day was a canal-interconnected lake system near Lakeview, FL. We arrived at the no-charge boat launch on Lake Rochelle, and the fishing fun began. The lake system includes Lake Haines, Lake Rochelle, Lake Conine and Lake Smart. I swear that each time I fish with these guys, we all get a little more clever and imaginative, no thanks to the last lake name there. Old guys know so much about so many things to do with life and fishing! I’m not bragging, as I’m on the side of what we (I) never stop learning.

Bill Alexander says, “One option for fishing the popular wacky rig is to place a slip weight above the hook, not pegged.” Gary Day adds, “Pumping the rig back to the boat, slowly, will cause the sliding line with the hook and worm to create a delay in the worm sink rate. A sure-thing fish-catcher on some days.” This durable and supple new plastic worm is one of the new Xstended Life Apex worms that Alexander and his partner, Paul Williams, have recently invented.

“What should we fish with, Gary? You’re the guide today because you know this water,” Bill asked. “Well, the bass are done spawning as of a few weeks back, so they might be hanging back from the shoreline reeds and in deeper water or not. They might be feeding on their own fry, in shallow. Who knows?” Gary replied. Bill quipped back quickly. “You mean you don’t know.”

“Every day of fishing is different, Big Bill, you know that. It could be the new moon phase, the sunrise clouds, the early overcast fog, or it could be that you just got up too early, Bill. Or maybe…you got me up too early!” Never let your guard down on senior fun fishing days.

I looked toward Gary to say, “I liked where we fished here in Lake Rochelle last time, over there where that big gator hangs out.” I was pointing across the lake to an underwater point with sky-seeking reeds that was also near a quick drop-off. “That’s what I was thinking, too,” Gary replied. The big motor roared to life, we popped out of the hole and were skimming along the smooth lake surface at cheek-waffle speed.

MTO Lure inventor Bill Alexander says, “Not all the fish we catch are giants, but these little guys make the fishing day fun and test the durability of our new Xstended Life Apex plastic worms. You can catch multiple fish without changing this worm.”

About 5 minutes later, Gary plopped the MinnKota Terrova electric bow motor into the water, and we were rigging up lines. The remote control Bluetooth link made it easy for Gary to position the boat to shallow or deep.

Bill tied on an Xstended Life soft bait, a 5-1/4 inch Apex worm in green/red fleck color, using a 4/0 circle hook. I did the same with a blue-black Apex worm, and Gary tied a similar soft plastic tail bait onto a wobble jig. With about 10 casts each, there were no strikes and no fish yet. A few minutes later, I checked my watch to share that it was 8:55 a.m., breakfast time for big old bass looking for big old fishing buddies ready to take their picture. Not a minute later, Bill said, “Fish on! This one is not big guys, but it’s a nice healthy Florida largemouth about a foot long.” Grinning, I said, “They must have heard me, brother Big Bill.” Bill said, “First fish in, guys, pay up.” Bill is a master talker, a great storyteller, and a great friend. Another 45 minutes passed, and Bill yelped, “Well, guys, looks like I got the first fish, the biggest fish, and the moist fish. Bingo, bango, bongo. It’s gonna cost ya’ll.” It’s easy to start speaking Florida English when you’re in Florida, even for just a few months. Bill was developing an accent.

“It’s time to switch, guys.” Gary picked up his first-generation Bass-Pro casting reel bought way back in the 80s – a fishing reel he loves, and tied on a short Berkley Lightning Shad in white-silver color. I switched to a small floating-diving crankbait from Al’s Goldfish Lures called the “Diving Demon.” One of my favorite lures, it dives no deeper than 3-4 feet, no matter how hard or fast you crank. Bill said, “I’m sticking with my worm.”

About two casts later, I had a fish on and pulled a nice 2-pounder into the boat. About 30 seconds later, Gary caught three fish on successive casts. Gary said, “What’s the matter, Bill? Did you spit on the knot and scare the fish away? The fish don’t like you, buddy.” Not exactly sandpaper on sandpaper, but hearty laughs and grins. Then over the next hour, we caught four more fish, Bill too, and the fish bite just plainly turned off. It was 10:30 a.m., and we all knew it was time for man-to-man jaw talk when the fish stopped biting.

Well-maintained “elder” fishing gear works as well or is better than some modern hi-tech fishing tackle.

We always share good talk, usually about things we’ve discovered in life and fishing. Gary is from Oswego, NY; Bill is from near Sylvan Beach, NY; and I was born and raised in western New York near East Aurora. We all accept that Southwest Florida is a great place to escape snow shoveling. We talked about life and cost of living, the differences between New York and Florida, taxes and gas prices. And how census numbers the day before where New York lost 299,500 residents in 2022 while Florida gained 315,000 new Florida residents the same year. “It must be the great fishing guys!” I added. “It could have more to do with taxes,” Gary said. “Let’s not talk about politics, you guys. C’mon.” Bill garbled. Then added, “The water temp is nearly 80 degrees, guys, it’s siesta time for the fish.”

The surface water temperature was approaching 80 early in the day.

We switched our no-fish-biting talk over to lure choices to try now. We covered surface lures, plastic baits, swimbaits, crankbaits, jigs, hair bodies, soft bodies, and plastic worms and their pliability and durability. That led us to talk about lure size and plastic worms. I threw in that I fished with Rick Clunn in the Red River a few years back, and Rick says, “Fish with a 12-inch plastic worm to win the tournament or not, and just one more fisherman in the crowd.” Gary said, “It’s true that bigger lures catch bigger fish or no fish. I won a NY Bass tournament that way once a few years back.” I asked how long ago, and Gary said, “Not that long. It was in the late 90s.” We all laughed. How time flies as we get a bit older.

Our conversation between casts was better than Abbott and Costello telling their story about WHO was on first and WHAT was on second and who and what has changed since then. That took us to cellphones…flip-tops and smartphones, laptops, the internet, grocery delivery to the door, online banking and what it all means. No face-to-face conservation and no touch or emotion between people. That’s when Bill said, “Hey Gary, where are you hiding the fish? Let’s get the sandwiches out and head to another lake in the system.”

As we near the end of the trip, Gary Days says, “I normally save these little ones for Bill.”

Five seconds later, Gary hollered, “Lines up, guys. Get the bread out. Time to move.” He lifted the bow motor, turned the ignition key and the Merc outboard growled to life. Off we went. I love that Merc sound as you begin to feel airborne. Ten minutes later, sandwiches and ice-cold water in hand, we idled into a narrow canal to enter Lake Haines, and watched for ospreys and eagles. Lake Haines is another pothole-style Florida lake. The deepest water is about 18 feet. Gary said, “I don’t fish this lake too often, but sometimes you gotta stick your nose where the wild roses grow. Maybe they’re biting here.”  A broken 5-acre field of water hyacinth patches was floating in front of the canal entry. Heavy wind the previous day had broken them off from their shallow roots near shore.

Bill stood up to cast the first line where the edge of weeds and reeds was about 4 feet deep in clear water. A 30-foot cast, his line immediately moved left, then right, as Bill lifted the rod to hook up with a nice bass – his biggest bass for the day. Smiling ear to ear, “That’s how you do it, guys. Were you watching? Gary? Forrest? Of course, you know I just jinxed us. First cast, first fish in the new lake, we’ll be lucky to catch one more.” Bill’s prediction turned out to be right on. About an hour went by with no hits.

We turned our talk to fishing lures from long ago that we still have and still use and still work, and we laughed a lot. We talked about new lifestyles in winter: fishing and golf and watching spring training baseball games. We also talked about the new pains and aches we all are developing and that, at least for me, I hide with a patented arthritis grin that can fool anyone. We talked about fishing and hunting and how most outdoor sportsmen enjoy everything in between. Our discourse about lures, line brands, rods, reels and fishing gear changes went into great detail.

We agreed that the increasing multitude of American tournament bass fishing contests today might not be good for the fish but was good for the local economies and the tournament owners. We yakked more and laughed a lot. Non-stop. We deliberated taking affordable Canadian fishing trips with friends – in the summer.

The fish needed to be biting better on this day, yet we brought seven non-whopper bass and a giant bluegill to the boat. The lack of non-stop fishing action was great for talking time. The yapping talk and laughing helped us forget everything else on our calendars as we roughed it out from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. We spoke about notable quips and quotes we have heard through the years, like this one: “Remember that without bread, there can be no toast. Without friends, there can be no fun.” So true.

Keep your bread and your friends close.

We headed home.

Fishing with friends on a warm and sunny day in Florida is healthy for the mind and soul.

 

Wacky Worms that LAST: Flip ‘em, Skip ‘em, but You Can’t Rip ‘em OFF

  • Ever catch 10 bass on the same plastic worm? Nobody has! Be honest. BUT I JUST DID!
  • Patent-pending plastic baits with TANTALIZING soft action, multiple color choices, scent-impregnated, chewy and DURABLE.
  • Xstended Life Bait APEX STICK WORM from MTO Lure Company
Using 4/0 circle hooks and the Apex Stick Worm from Xstended Life Baits, every hookup was perfect. This was bass #4 on the same worm. One key to catching quick multiple fish was tossing right back to the same spot with no loss in time. Reason? We did not lose any of the wacky-rigged Apex Stick Worms…for the whole day! Astonishing!  

By Forrest Fisher

When former Elite Series bass Pro, Darrin Schwenckbeck, shared that he was winning local lake tournaments in New York State because of a new plastic worm, I had to ask more. Does it have a unique smell? Special shape? Is color the difference? New color? Where did you get it? “No to all of that.” He said, “I gotta get you in touch with my buddy, Bill Alexander. I think he has something here that will be a big hit in the fishing world. Tell him I asked you to contact him, and maybe he can send you some of these to try. He calls them Apex Stick Worms – they don’t break off the hook when you hook a fish. Above that, they are supple, and they cast like a bullet. Easy to skip off rocks or docks and rip through weeds with no torn-off worms. You’re going to love these things. I’ll text you his contact info.”  

I trust Darrin’s judgment, but I was still a little skeptical about a plastic worm that does not break off. What about the action? So a few minutes later, I talked to jovial and knowledgeable Bill Alexander, an amateur angler who has fished the pro circuits, won a few, and recently retired from the aerospace manufacturing world. Not a lazy guy, Alexander promised to invent a better plastic bait product that would last. Alexander said, “I love to fish plastic worms wacky style…you know, hooked in the middle without using an o-ring, so the hook is in the right position for every cast – it’s hooked through the worm itself. Much better hook-up ratio. This method is so deadly, but the one problem is that fish bite the worm off, and you go through bags of worm baits to keep fishing. It’s expensive, and I hate to waste time re-rigging, not to mention we are leaving plastic worms all over the lake. It’s another form of contamination. Our baits are made from recyclable plastic and it does not melt in your tackle box.” Alexander added, “After several years of prototype manufacturing with my partner, Paul Williams, we worked to develop a new plastic worm bait that can help everyone: parents fishing with kids or pro anglers fishing for big cash. Both groups can have more fishing fun.” Adding a wide, ear-to-ear grin, Alexander said, “One last thing, you know our packaging is not fancy, but I never caught a bass on the package before.” 

Alexander is a confident, soft-spoken, humble sort of guy. Not sure he realizes that his invention might change the plastic bait fishing world. Especially with on-the-water trials from Elite Series bass-pro anglers like Schwenckbeck and others. They gave their new, patent-pending product line the name of Xstended Life Baits, manufactured by the MTO Lure Company. The process can be used with plastic worms, drop-shot baits, creature baits, chatter-bait trailers, and more. See a listing of Xstended Life baits farther into the story. 

The APEX STICK WORM requires about 5 seconds of a scissors clip to separate from the as-shipped packaging shown above. Easy to cast, thick and hefty in appearance, 5-1/4 inches long, and available in four or five color combinations. Fished wacky style, they require NO USE of an ORING; the result is more hook-ups with each strike.

Ask yourself how hard it would be to introduce something new in the plastic bait fishing market. Why would that be hard? Because they all have the same flaw. They all break off quickly. That’s what Bill Alexander wanted to fix. That’s what he and Paul Williams have fixed! Plus, there are endless plastic bait styles, sizes, colors, and shapes. You get the picture. To make something new would be difficult.

Not long after, Alexander invited me to test their new Apex Stick Worm in a challenge with one of his long-time tournament boating partners, Gary Day. Of course, I accepted in a micro-blink! A few weeks later, we were bass fishing on a freshwater lake near Lakeland, Florida. Both of these guys are fun-minded fishermen but with a heavy focus on fish-catching. The challenge was to see how many fish (bass) I could catch using just ONE of the new plastic Apex Stickbait worms that Alexander and Williams had invented and perfected. 

Dubbed the APEX STICK WORM,” I was immediately impressed with the perfect size, feel, and weight of the worm. Easy to cast, thick and hefty in appearance – the look and size of the worm (5-1/4 inches) that big bass see and suck in without hesitation. And, in my sweetheart color choice, my favorite for Florida stained-lakes: Blue-black with embedded microscopic blue/gold/red flakes. “Ooooh, I whispered out loud after looking over four or five color combinations that Bill offered to try. Can I hook one of these up?” 

“The way we sell them right now,” Bill said, “A pair of Fisker scissors (Walmart) is used to separate them from each other. You do that the night before the tournament. Try it.” I cut the mesh to separate one worm from the 5-pack cluster of worms held together by the screen-like mesh material.

We may sell them a different way in the future, pre-separated, but for now, the patented material and manufacturing process provides the product in this manner.” I had no problem with the 5-second scissors effort.   

With a 4/0 circle hook in my left hand, I lifted the worm straight overhead with my right hand and peered along its length to select the approximate middle of the worm for hook placement. As I moved to thread the hook into the worm, Bill said, “Now watch the tiny seamline and thread the hook across that to get the best action and durability.” So I did. Bill used a different color, and Gary used a different color yet.

A moment later, rods ready, the 200 horsepower Merc lifted Gary’s 19-foot Ranger out of the hole in a moment and away we went. Joking and quipping as we skipped across the lake at about 55 mph, the warm Florida sunshine made the start of this day perfect.

Inventor, Bill Alexander, checks his Apex Stick Worm after landing 7 bass to this point. “Ready for more,” he grins.

About 5 minutes later, Gary slowed up and said, “Let’s start here, there is a sand bar and weed line edge along these reeds, and there may be some good bass on this structure.” He switched the motor off, hopped up front and dropped the electric bow motor. We silently scooted closer to the start point of our fishing. “I brought some neighbor kids out here the other day, and we caught some nice fish. That’s why I’d like to start here.”

A few seconds later, the Talon silently slid into the sand to steady the boat about 50 feet from the reeds. Gary advised that we cast into the reeds, along the reeds or out into the open lake side until we find where the fish are. 

All of us started with open-face spinning reels and braided line. Gary was upfront casting that way, Bill in the middle casting into the beckoning reeds, and I was in the back casting toward the transitional weed edge in the deeper open water. Not more than 10 minutes later, Gary yelped, “There’s one! Here’s a good one, guys. I’m hooked up with a nice one.” Not long after, Bill slipped the net under a bass that checked in at 5-11 on the Rapala scale. What a nice fish to start the day. We took a picture and carefully released this nice whopper. About 5 minutes later, I was slowly reeling and stopping, reeling and stopping, to let the wacky-rigged worm undulate downward as it settled into the deep weed edge. I felt the slightest tap-tap tap on my St. Croix Avid rod. The circle hook did an excellent job, and by lifting the rod gently and reeling, the fish was on. A few minutes later, we checked in that beautiful bass at 4-13.

Only 30 minutes on the water, I was hoping that Bill wasn’t getting tired from his net-man job. We joked about that. Gary moved the boat down along the reed a few minutes later, and on the first cast in the new spot, Bill hollered, “Hey, there’s one, guys! Got ‘em.” I ran over to pick up the net as the fish was acrobatic, dancing all over the surface as Bill battled another whopper. That one checked in at 4-14. Wow. 

“We’re all still using the same worm we started with,” Bill said, smiling. Over the next 4 hours, the three of us caught 26 bass – all of us using the same worm we started with.

All of us were fishing wacky style. Gary had caught 10 on his one worm.

Some fish were caught along the deep weedline transition, some in the reeds, and others under the boat docks as we skip-cast into the shadow line at high noon.

As we watched an alligator snoozing on shore, we gave the rods a rest to share a sandwich lunch from Bill, some turkey sticks and ice water that my better half had packed up in the shoulder-carry Grizzly cooler. We talked about the incredible fishing and these amazing, durable plastic worms. Just then, an Osprey soared overhead a hundred feet away, hovering high above some schooling baitfish.

Gary said, “I think that bird is telling us it’s time to pack up and head for home, guys.” 

Learn more about the Xstended Life Bait products by watching the online YouTube videos from Northeast Bass Fishing with Mark Filipini at https://youtu.be/zCXFiLl-43c. You can order this new product directly from MTO Lures at PO Box 286, Sylvan Beach, NY, 13157. For prices and info, simply email Paul Williams at Pwilliams9@twcny.rr.com or Bill Alexander at walexander2@twcny.rr.com

CLICK THE PICTURE ABOVE to visit Northeast Bass Fishing (https://youtu.be/zCXFiLl-43c) with Mark Filippini on YouTube for more details on these new durable plastic baits. A sample pack that includes 5 Apex Stick Worms, 4 Predator Drop-Shot baits, 4 Icicle Drop-Shot baits and 4 NED Rig-style baits is available. To learn more about low-cost pricing, simply Email Paul Williams at Pwilliams9@twcny.rr.com or Bill Alexander at Walexander2@twcny.rr.com for details.