Regardless without you are fishing for largemouth or smallmouth bass the plastic warm and lizard type baits work extremely well in catching fish. The variety in size, color and smell of plastic worms and lizards allows you to choose the right bait to catch bass no matter where you are fishing. The plastic or rubber worm has probably used more bass than any other type of artificial bait on the market.
For the largemouth bass the 6 "to 7" worm works best. I prefer the black worm with a dark purple tail fished slowly over and around lily pads just bouncing them off the pads so that they fall off the side and front of the pads. Worms are easily hooked so that they are basically weed-less. If you embed the hook so that the point and barb are hidden into the flesh of the worm it will not catch very many weeds but will catch many bass. Try using the smaller 4 "worms in a variety of colors for smallmouth bass and there are many to be caught.
You can use a worm with either bait casting or spinning rods and reels so your tackle is readily available. You do need to understand that plastic worm fishing is a slow process but well worth the perseverance. It will take some time to learn the little nuances used and the feel of the fish when bassin with a plastic worm.
You can throw your worm or lizard along a break line of a drop off or inch it along the bottom. Work the worm slowly over a lowered tree or submerged stamps and entice that lunker out for battle. Throw it up onto the shore and slowly work it into the edge of the water as you inch it along the weeds you may be surprised by that large bass lurking in the shallows looking for a little snack.
You can learn how to catch bass with plastic worms with just a little practice and a lot of perseverance and patience.