The
“Prologue” to this Worm’s Story Starts with Choices
(continued)
Retrieve
cont'd: The Prologue is effective the second it hits the water. This soft
plastic bait features a very pliable design allowing the entire bait to vibrate
and the tail will quiver with the current alone. Once the lure hits the bottom
it will float up and it is this buoyancy that helps put it right in the strike
zone. At the Delta I caught most of my fishing during the fall when pitching the
tule line, but at El Salto and Clear Lake the majority of fish came off the
bottom when I was barely moving the bait. Though I was doing little to advance
the Prologue through the water the lure’s quivering tail was enough to get fish
interested enough to strike as the bait simply hovers off the bottom.
It doesn't take long to catch the
first fish right off the bottom
Price and
Applications:
As you might expect these imported plastics are not cheap and sourcing the
largest 14” size here in the U.S can also be challenge. A pack of 5’5” worms
costs $9.99 and a pack of the 8” worms retails for $10.99. Doesn’t sound too
bad? How about the fact that there are only 6 and 5 worms to a pack
respectively, which puts the price of each worm well over the 1 dollar mark.
Compared to other plastics this is considered expensive.
The Prologue is also very pliable
So why pay so
much per worm? How about the other fact that this versatile baits just plain
works and is effective in a wide range of conditions. Though very substantial in
profile the Prologue was effective in both murky and clear water, and while we
had the most success in warmer conditions they were able to draw strikes on cold
days when fished slowly. The ability to rig the worm so many different ways and
just let the tail do the work make this a deadly weapon, especially since not
many bass here in the U.S. have ever seen this lure…..yet.
Rigged traditional Texas style
While the
existing patterns cover a wide range of applications I do wish more colors were
available and a red color would really come in handy on certain bodies of water,
including the California Delta. In terms of durability the Prologue is decent
and can take a few strikes before the head portion is torn up and re-rigging is
required. As long as the vibrating tail is intact I found that I could actually
tear off the head and continue to fish the worm Texas style effectively, however
if fishing wacky style both heads are required for a proper presentation.
A El Salto fish takes the Prologue
right at the base of a submerged tree
The larger the
worm the less strikes I got, but as with bigger swimbaits I caught more quality
fish with the bigger lures, though there were not that many fish that I found
were willing to take on the 14” snake, ummm I mean worm. I did land a very
feisty 6lbr. with this mammoth lure and I’m sure if I really committed to this
bait for long periods then I could certainly catch bigger. Fishing the biggest
size requires a swimbait type mentality, go big or go home, and for most anglers
the 5.5” and 8” sizes will be the best bet.
The sharp tail quivers with just
the slightest movement of the rod tip
Ratings:
(We've
re-calibrated our
ratings standard for
2008 and have
included a key at
the bottom of the
following matrix as
a guide):
|
Roman
Made
Prologue
Ratings
(?/10)
|
|
Construction/Quality |
While
most
Anglers
know
Roman
made for
their
hard
bodied
handmade
swimbaits
the
company
brings
that
same
attention
to
detail
in this
well
made
bait |
9 |
|
Performance |
Very
good
overall
performance
on the
smaller
two
sizes.
The
larger
size is
a good
choice
for big
bass
hunters
that are
willing
to
sacrifice
strikes
for that
one
really
big
fish.
The
buoyancy
of these
lures
make
this a
good
choice
to
target
fish
holding
at or
right
above
the
bottom
of the
lake.
Like
some
other
plastics
the bait
can come
off with
viscous
headshakes |
8.5 |
|
Price |
The
Prologue
Worms
are
expensive.
For
example
the 8"
worm
comes 5
per pack
for
$10.99,
that is
over 2
dollars
a bait!
While
expensive
this is
no
surprise
considering
Roman
Made's
pedigree |
5.5 |
|
Features |
This
plastic
is
feature
rich and
has a
unique
design
from end
to end
as well
as
buoyancy.
The only
thing we
would
really
like to
see is
more
color
options,
the
three
colors
are
quite
similar
and a
deep red
or blue
would be
great
additions |
8 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
The
prologue
is easy
to fish
and can
be cast
both
with and
without
weight
though
anglers
will
want to
fish it
with a
weight
in all
but the
most
shallow
conditions
where it
can be
twitched
near the
surface |
8 |
|
Application |
The
Prologue
Worm can
be
fished a
ton of
different
ways
including
Texas,
Carolina,
on a jig
head,
Neko-Rig,
Wacky
and
more. On
top of
these
choices
anglers
have
options
from
traditionally
sized
5.5"
baits to
the
absolutely
mammoth
14"
version.
Choices,
choices... |
9 |
|
Total
Score
|
8.00 |
Ratings
Key:
1 =
terrible
: 2 =
poor : 3
=
lacking
: 4 =
sub par
: 5 =
mediocre
: 6 =
fair : 7
= good :
8 =
great :
9 =
excellent
: 10 =
unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus
Minus
|
|
+
A
uniquely
styled
plastic
worm |
-
Expensive
when
compared
with
other
plastics |
|
+
Lots of
size
choices
including
a huge
14"
version |
-
Not a
lot of
color
options |
|
+
Effective
at
drawing
strikes
in both
clear
and
stained
water |
|
|
+
The
lure's
buoyancy
makes
this a
great
choice
for
fishing
for big
fish
with
finesse |
|
|
+
A ton of
choices
when it
comes to
rigging |
|
Conclusion:
With Lake Biwa kicking out world record fish it is no surprise that a company
like Roman Made was spawned from the region. With a testing ground like Biwa
Roman Made can continually refine their offerings, and it makes sense that the
company focuses on designing big fish catching products.
The smaller sizes caught more fish
but it is good to know anglers have plenty of choices in bait size and rigging
techniques. Though expensive the Prologue Worms do deliver!
The Prologue
doesn’t quite fit the “mold” of traditional stick style worm, and while they
certainly are not the most cost effective baits the combination of the lure’s
high buoyancy and that excellent vibrating tail make for a deadly fish
attracting combination when fished so many different ways. With so many
different choices to fish these baits anglers can really get creative, and it is
that flexibility to attack each application that gives anglers an opportunity to
end the story with a big fish on the line.
Looking for the Roman Made Prologue
Worm? Try
Tackle Warehouse
