Freshwater Fishing

Proper Use of A Fishing Worm

“Place a worm on a hook, throw it in the water and wait for the fish to bite.”

There must be more to it than that.

If you have sat there, fish-less for over an hour, you will probably realize that there is. Fish are accustomed to seeing worms in a certain way, and when they see one looking like a proper worm should, smelling like a proper worm should, and finding it where it where a proper worm should be, they are likely going to try and eat it.

If something is wrong with your presentation, the fish will dine on the next best morsel around and you will go home fishless. There is an art to fishing a worm. 

Looking like a proper worm can vary with the water you fish.

• If you are at a lake, fish will look for a worm stretched out and crawling along the bottom. Suspend a worm from a bobber or length of line that keeps it off bottom and your offering will likely be ignored. 

• If you fish a river, worms drift with the current naturally. Put drag on the line and your presentation slices against the current because of the weight of water pushing against your line. Fish see lots of natural worms and natural worms drift easily with the current. 

I learned to fish a worm as a teenager by creeping to the edge of a pool and watching trout feed in Michigan's Cedar River. Trout would position themselves near the current and watch for bait to drift carried by the current until it was close enough for them to intercept. Early in my learning the stream period, I would occasionally bring extra night crawlers and toss them into the stream to observe their drift. I watched the drift until trout left their holding spot and raced over to take the worm.

This experience helped me to see where trout would hold. If I walked too carelessly, in the stream or on land, I would see trout quit feeding. I learned to approach pools from below, cast into the current a few feet upstream of the trout using light line and only enough split shot as necessary to cast. When I fished the worm correctly, I appeared to catch the largest trout in the pool first. Big fish need to eat more just to stay big. 

Smell can also be important even in fishing with worms. Linda and I trolled night crawlers on spinner baits while fishing for walleye in Moses Lake five years ago. We had identical lures, rods and other equipment yet I caught fish and she did not. Eventually we worked out that she had used hand cream and applied sun screen before baiting her hook and the smell kept fish from biting. Once I baited her hook, she began catching fish just as quickly. It turned into a great weekend for fishing the Lake and we went home with a heavy stringer of fish plus more respect for the fish sense of smell. I now apply various scents in most fishing. 

Eventually I learned to fish my worms where trout might have found them before. If in a lake, I would allow my worm to lie on the bottom. I fish where a worm might have been introduced to the lake such as stream mouths or a steep drop off area, especially after some rain. Reading about trout fishing also improved my skill. Others write of their thoughts after observing trout take bait or even artificial fly and help me learn.

I began my fishing with worms as most small boys do. Eventually through my use of a worm, I learned how to fish using other methods. Regardless of the method I may use on a given day, I know that my time spent learning to fish better with a worm continue to help me catch more fish.