How To Hook A Worm
Fellas, it is nearly time to get your fishing rods ready for some pleasant fishing adventures as the weather begins to brighten.
There are few more organic baits than your average wiggly worm when it comes to capturing your very own bite. At all sites and settings, this creepy crawlies are guaranteed to catch every fish that swims.
All you will need to bring along with you is a rod, some worms, a comfortable chair, and a little bit of patience.
Unfortunately, no matter how patient you are on the day, if you don’t know how to correctly hook some live bait, you won’t be catching anything other than some warm rays of sunshine.
If the worm on your hook slithers off with every cast, it is of no value to anyone. If you want to get some successful catches and make the most use of your time, bait fishing will involve a little touch of expertise.
Follow our step-by-step instructions to get the most out of your worms, making sure none go to waste. If you follow our advice, you will be able to quickly and simply hook a worm and keep it on the hook right up until you receive that bite.
Keep reading to find out how to correctly hook a worm.
1. Keep The Worms At A Cool Temperature
It is very important that you make sure that your worms are kept at a consistent, cool temperature, especially during those particularly warm summer afternoons.
Too much heat will cause them to lose their firmness, and could even kill them before you have a chance to stick them on a hook. Using worms as bait only really works if they are alive and wriggling, as this is what attracts fish towards them. Even fish are not attracted to mushy, lifeless worms.
As a result, a great fishing strategy to remember is to keep fishing worms in ice, in an icebox, or, failing these methods, keep the container in the shade, out of direct sunlight. It may also be a good idea to drop an ice cube in the container every now and again, but make sure you have poked a few ventilation holes in the bottom beforehand.
2. Clean Dirty Your Hands
Yep, you heard us: make sure your hands are dirty before you handle the worms… or, at the very least, avoid washing them too thoroughly beforehand.
You will achieve a couple of things by doing so. To begin with, it keeps your natural fragrance away from the worm: believe it or not, fish have an excellent sense of smell and taste, and may refuse to eat your worm if they detect anything human-like. Dirtying your hands up will mask the smell a little after handling the worms.
Secondly, just that little bit of dirt on your fingertips will aid you in spearing and pushing the worm up the hook, giving you some extra grip on them as they try to slip and slither away.
3. Spear Through A Worm With Your Hook
There are two main ways to hook a worm: there is standard baiting, and there is sock baiting. Many people will swear by using either one or the other, but it is all down to the individual which one you would rather use.
Insert the sharp tip of the hook all the way through the worm for standard baiting, choosing a position approximately half a centimetre from one end of the worm. Beware: if you attach the worm too close to his head, it may manage to crawl away from the hook. Slide the worm to the very top of the hook.
Then, you will need to take the speared worm’s long end and rethread the hook through it, choosing a location a bit further down the worm’s length; your safest option is to leave a little leeway so that the loop between the two harpooned areas can wiggle slightly.
Duplicate this process all the way down the worm’s length until it displays an S-shaped look when baited. Depending on the length of the worm, you may need to repeat this process 4-5 times.
Finally, level the worm out by pulling it down a little, spreading it out over the hook, so that the lowest part of the worm is near the barb. Otherwise, the fish will simply nibble the bait from the top of the hook.
For sock baiting, consider how you would slip your socks on, and spear the worm onto the hook in the same manner, sliding it up from its base vertically rather than horizontally. Move it up the hook until it gets to your line. Make sure you leave a section of the worm dangling in the water to keep its soft-bodied, wriggling appearance, in order to attract the fish.
4. Cast Your Line!
Once you have successfully speared the bait onto your hook, it is time to cast the line into the water.
Be sure to draw in your line every 15 minutes or so to ensure the worm is still hooked on: there is nothing worse than realising you have wasted time when a fish has actually come along and nibbled the bait from your hook without you realising.
As long as you have taken the time to properly hook the worm, this shouldn’t be an issue, but remember to check every so often just in case.
Top Tips On How To Use Your Bait Successfully
If your worm is quite large and long, you may be better off chopping it in half to save some space. As we said previously if the worm is hanging off the hook, fish will come along and nibble it away without being caught by the hook, and this will make your efforts a complete waste of time.
Several species of worms will survive being cut in half, so they will still be able to wriggle on the hook, attracting their prey.
It is also handy to remember that, while it is common knowledge that fish like to eat earthworms and that a dendra is also an excellent form of bait, redworms should also be considered during fishing. These little worms can drag even the largest of fish due to their strength.
Are You Ready?
Now that you have all the information needed, you are ready to start casting your bait! Pick a sunny afternoon and make sure you come prepared with a comfy chair, some sunglasses, and a couple of chilled bottles to get you through the day.
Good luck!
