I've heard of some guys hooking the rubber worms in the middle and working those on the bottom (I think). Does anyone here do that? I'm curious how successful that is.
I believe you are referring to the technique called "Wacky Rigging" and I do a lot of this for both SM and LM Bass.
My preferred approach is using a "YUM" Yum Dinger 3.5 inch in pumpkin green and a Gamagatzi Octopus hook. (both available at Walmart)
Fold the worm in half and run the hook through the middle. I like it because you can jiggle the rod tip and the worm has a lot of action but stays put where you want it. You can obviously Wacky rig any worm you prefer, but the dinger has always given me the best results.
I'll give you my other 2 favorites in case you feel adventurous and want to give them a try. Same Octopus hook as above with a "Case" SSM. Pearl white is my most productive color and only color I carry with me now. You nose hook the SSM by holding the minnow and imagine it has 2 eyes like the real thing. Run the Octopus hook in one eye and through/out the other. The action is amazing and best with just slight twitches. Just google - case ssm.
Lastly, but not least by any means is the "Cabin Creek" Spider Jig. I only carry one color...Pumpkin Green. They come in small and large. I only use the large and the jig hooks come in 2 sizes (I forget the weights) and I only use the smaller weight Jig heads. Spider jigs are 2 piece jigs and again work very well on SM and LM Bass.
Well, those are my 3 go-to lures for Smallies and I found that all 3 work just as well on LM, especially the Spider Jig. I do bring a few other top water lures, but these account for 90% of my fish.
Hope this helps or gives you some food for thought in trying something new. Good Luck!