Two Dragons and a Speedworm: Confidence Baits and the Mental Side of Bass Fishing

Happy Monday, Spacefish! There’s an old folk tale about two dragons…

One dragon is restless and bitter. It breathes smoke into every missed hookset, every blown cast, every slow morning. It whispers that the fish just aren’t biting, that your lure is wrong, that somebody else always has the secret bait you’re missing.

The other dragon burns a little differently. It feeds on confidence. On patience. On the belief that the next cast could be the one. It turns a simple paddletail, or a fluke, or a senko, or a speedworm into a fish catcher because the angler throwing it believes it will catch fish. It keeps you focused, experimenting with different retrieves, reading the water, slowing down when you need to slow down, and staying sharp long enough to capitalize when the opportunity finally comes.

The story says both dragons live inside every angler, and eventually they will fight for control of your day on the water. A young fisherman once asked his father, “Which dragon wins?” His father answered, “The one that you feed.” And honestly, that might explain confidence baits better than any tackle forum or advertising campaign ever could.

Every good angler has one. Objectively, there may be dozens of lures that could work under the same conditions. But confidence changes the way you fish a bait. When you believe in something, you fish it slower, more carefully, and with more focus. You keep it in the water longer. You make better casts. You commit to it. Perception becomes reality, you give yourself a destiny, and you stay the course to manifest it.

That doesn’t mean conditions, tides, moon phases, forage, or technique stop mattering. They absolutely do. But fishing is also deeply mental. The anglers who consistently catch fish are usually the ones feeding the right dragon: the one that keeps them engaged, observant, patient, and confident enough to keep casting when others have already mentally packed it in.

So why am I telling you this story? Well, I was planning on writing the 2nd installment of the Seven Great Houses series, which I am committing myself now, to completing next week, because I don’t want to let it fester too long. But I decided to go out bass fishing on the Kissimmee chain on Saturday, I really haven’t been out bass fishing in a while. I wrote the article last week because I was gearing up and that’s where my mind was. Even though I have caught thousands of largemouth bass in my lifetime, I still hit the water Saturday with a lot of unanswered questions. I was going to pit 3 of the 7 baits I outlined last week against one another to start a competition series, but after a slow start, and less than ideal conditions (very hot, very little wind, bright blue skies, high barometric pressure) I decided to go back to my number 1 confidence bait. The speedworm, and I ended up having a really good day of fishing.

Also, I really enjoyed Paul MacInnis’ write up last week – What color should I use? – I thought that piece was a great reminder to all of us, that ultimately the color you believe in, may just be the right choice above all else. At least that was my takeaway.

Why the Speedworm?

So I think the reason why I really lean on this bait is the versatility factor. I can fish it like a swimbait, I can fish it like a jerk bait, I can pitch it, I can flip it, I can drag it, and I can burn it on the surface. Being a kayak angler that packs light and values efficiency, I really value an all-terrain vehicle type bait. I only brought 3 rods with me, I brought my 3 usual gallon ziplocs with soft plastics, and one tackle tray with some frogs and a terminal tackle. For me at least, less is often more, so the speedworm fits my personality, and my style.

Favorite Brands & Colors

It would be hard for me to say I truly have a favorite brand. There are 3 that stand out for me though. I like the Zoom UV Speedworm, and my favorite color from Zoom is Junebug Red. I also really like the Bitters Vibe in Junebug Silver/Blue Tail; and this past weekend I leaned on the Gambler Burner Worm in Junebug/Blue Tail.

Each bait has its own pro’s and con’s, but each bait is highly effective. The Zoom is more streamlined with a tighter tail – it is my favorite to pitch into tight spaces, but it’s my least favorite to roll back to me – it also is the less dense and doesn’t cast as far. The Bitters Vibe is a little meatier, but it’s the softest, they tear easily, but they also come in packs of 12, 2 for $7 bucks, this worm has the most wobble and wiggle, and works the best on a slow roll retrieve, and it works well being drug along the bottom. Its tail is the biggest of the 3, but it bends in a hooklike fashion. The Burner Worm is streamlined but also dense, and it’s tough, the tail is thin, but it opens the widest and gives a little more wild vibration. It’s good for flipping into reeds, and has a tantalizing kick on the way down, if retrieving with more speed, or burning it across the tops of pads or through kissimmee grass is your jam, this is the worm for you.

As far as colors go, I like the Junebug Red for Zoom, we all know darker colors like junebug work well in Florida’s tannic waters, and Zoom’s junebug features a deep, dark purple, whereas Bitters is a little lighter. I like the heavy red flake of Zoom’s colorway. I have found red flakes seem to be effective in colors like junebug, watermelon, and green pumpkin. The silver flakes of the Bitters color offer a unique twist, the brighter blue tail brings an additional feature. The Gambler features the darker purple junebug, with that blue tail as well.

Dark colors like junebug and black excel in Florida because they create a strong silhouette in the state’s dark, tannic, and vegetation-stained waters, making them easier for bass to track. They also closely resemble common Florida forage like aquatic insects, and darker baitfish. Adding a blue tail increases effectiveness by imitating the blue highlights found on local forage species such as bluegill, shad, and molting crayfish. In murky water, blue also remains visible at greater depths, while the contrast between the dark body and bright tail creates a clear strike target that often triggers reaction bites.

How to Rig

So if you are reading this because you want to get into Bass fishing, or you are coming down to Florida and feel like the speedworm is your path to success I am going to break down my speedworm “system” if you will. It’s not complicated. I prefer a 7 foot medium fast casting rod, a bait casting reel, and I usually fish braid with no leader. In Florida heavier braid, in dark green or black is the move. The braid helps drive hooksets home, and allow you to pull bigger fish out of thick aquatic vegetation. I usually go for 30 pounds on my speedworm setups, I have found that is the right combination of strength and power, with a thin enough diameter to really maximize casting distance.

When rigging the bait, most prefer tail up, like I have in the photo below. I actually start tail down, and after a few caught fish, will actually switch it, to add more life to the bait. I have found that it does not really matter one way or the other as long as it’s rigged vertically, and rigged straight. Below I show a tail up version but it was because I had caught several fish and switched it up to extend the life of the bait.

I prefer a tungsten weight, 3/16 is my favorite, but I have and will fish anything from ⅛ up to ⅜ of an ounce, if I want to “buzz” the speedworm I will just go weightless. Something I picked up when I started bass fishing in Florida was the bobber stopper, and I refer to the pegged Texas rig as the “Florida Rig”. The pegged down weight keeps things streamlined as you cast into cover, and allows everything to stay compact when you are bumping the bait through vegetation. If this is new to you, make sure to pick up a few packs of bobber stoppers when you stock up on your terminal tackle.

Whilst I usually opt for a non-slip loop knot when tying mono or fluorocarbon leaders to hooks or baits, I use a snug knot when tying braid to hook. I prefer the palomar knot. As far as hooks go, I prefer the Eagle Claw Trokar EWG in the 3/0 size. Gamakatsu makes a great EWG as well. Make sure to opt for the EWG and NOT a standard J-hook. EWG stands for “extra-wide gap” and this will lead to a MUCH BETTER hookup ratio when tex-posing soft plastic baits.

Conclusion

I often ask myself, why do I love bass fishing from a kayak so much? Maybe it’s because you can simplify things. You stop carrying every lure under the sun and start learning what you truly believe in. You learn your confidence baits, your retrieves, your water, and your style. That’s one of the reasons the crew at Kayaks By Bo has become such a huge part of the local fishing community. Whether you’re rigging your first kayak or fine-tuning your tournament setup, they understand that confidence matters just as much as gear. The right kayak gives you access, efficiency, and freedom to fish your strengths instead of somebody else’s.

When it comes time to stock up on speedworms, hooks, tungsten, braid, or just spend an hour staring at soft plastics convincing yourself you need another color of junebug, there’s no better stop on the Space Coast than Strike Zone Fishing in Melbourne. From Gambler and Zoom to Bitters and terminal tackle, they’ve got everything you need to feed the right dragon before your next trip.

Because at the end of the day, confidence may not guarantee fish, but it absolutely keeps you casting long enough to find them. Until next time!