Mister Twister Nightcrawlers is an old-fashioned favorite for bass pro

When Louisiana’s respected bass fishing legends talk about catching fish, anglers usually benefit.

They can heed the words of Glen Freeman of Zwolle, a 70-year-old outdoorsman who specializes in putting bass in the boat on lakes like Toledo Bend. The accomplished bass pro’s years of experience make him a treasure trove of bass-catching knowledge.

Freeman, a veteran guide, has been fishing FLW-related bass tournaments since 2005. His penchant for Texas-rigged plastic worms is well known.

“Nowadays, everyone is throwing crankbaits and Carolina rigs, and I feel like the fish hardly see Texas rigs anymore,” Freeman told the Shreveport Times.

That mindset will stay with him in May 2020.

“You know what? We’re getting back to the post-spawn, (time for a) Texas-rigged worm,” he said. “We’re in post-spawn in May, when I look for deeper fish, post-spawn fish. A lot of people like crankbaits in May; I like soft plastics, actually, a straight-tail. I’ve always done well with a straight-tail.”

“I use the basic 6-inch worms. Mister Twister has one that I use. It’s called … a (Tri-Alive) Nightcrawler, a 6 ½. That’s the one I use.  They’ve got a good product. That’s all there is to it. Bass have always eaten their product and still do.”

How he fishes it

For sure, he said, there’s information overdrive on the number of artificial lures that might produce bass from late April through early June. He continues to keep his approach to putting quantity and quality bass in the boat simple over the past several decades.

“It’s not that big a deal,” he said.

In other words, KISS — Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Freeman likes to impale the Tri-Alive Nightcrawler on a 2/0 or 3/0 Gamakatsu hook tied to 15- to 20-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon on a Lew’s Pro-Ti reel. He uses a 7-foot-2, medium-heavy Custom Speed Stick Lite. He likes 20-pound line in heavy cover, while 15- or 17-pound line does the job elsewhere.

The proven knot he connects the line to the hook with is an “old knot called a Toledo Bend knot. I’ve been using it so long.”

Freeman said he either hops or crawls the plastic worm, letting the fish tell him how they want it on any given day.

About Don Shoopman 553 Articles
Don Shoopman fishes for freshwater and saltwater species mostly in and around the Atchafalaya Basin and Vermilion Bay. He moved to the Sportsman’s Paradise in 1976, and he and his wife June live in New Iberia. They have two grown sons.