They have really thick, tough armor like scales, the chances of you actually hooking one is pretty low and even if you do, they'll probably tear it out of their skin. I don't think you need to worry about that.
I don't think there's a fish out there that won't take a wacky worm. Very easy to fish and cheap. Vary up the retrieve working the rod tip a combination of fast to slow pausing it from time to time. They almost always hit it right after pause. It's a great sight fishing technique, but also works great blind casting too. I like the watermelon pattern best.
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