Fishing with a hook and worm, whether live or fake, is always fun if you get everything right. You can be a master at all things like choosing the best hook and buying the best worm or raring them yourself in some cases. But After getting these, how do you put a worm in the hook for the best catch?
You can either slip your worm on the hook like someone putting on a sock-this is an ideal method for a large worm. Or, you can piece, or you can spear the worm on the body many times to secure it on the hook-here you have to leave some loops in between to allow for some wiggles.
This article talks about the two methods and how you can approach them with both live and fake worms. It also talks about how you can use a worm and a hook to catch giant fish.
The Standard Baiting Technique
Step One
This technique requires that you pass the hook on the worm’s body. First, you need to identify a spot one centimeter away from the head and spear it.
Hooking too close to the head is not a good idea as the worm may wriggle and slip away. While doing this, be careful not to pierce your fingers in the process.
Step Two
After piercing the first spot, push the worn-down hook, just below the hook’s knot.
You can secure the short end of the pierced worm to the fishing line with a half hitch knot. To do this, loop the string around the worm, passing it through the loop, and tighten it to secure it.
Step Three
Choose another spot down below the first pieced point. We recommend another centimeter to provide a loop that allows some movement in between. Do this severally and only leave enough distance at the tail for the natural wriggle.
You will need between three and five piercings for typical worms, depending on the size of your worm.
Step Four
Move the secured worm down toward the hook as leaving it bunched toward the loop will raise suspicion. The goal is to hide the hook so that the fish bites it unknowingly.
Step Five
Repeat the process whenever you lose a worm in the water or whenever you want to catch another fish. At first, the process may be squirmy, but practice makes perfect.
The Sock Technique
This method is similar to someone wearing a sock on foot, hence its name. The hook passes through the body but does not protrude from either end. The technique is much more attractive to fish but does not guarantee a catch. Fish may get the worm and dodge the hook.
Step One
Select a spot just below the head and push the hook inside the worm-be careful to pierce the worm halfway. Then, gently push the hook along the body lengthwise the way you walk your socks up to your legs.
Step Two
Pierce the worm just when you are about to reach the other end. Ensure that you cover the tip of the hook, not letting fish see it.
How Do You Put a Live Worm On a Hook?
To put a live worm on a hook, first, rub your palm in mud to keep your human scent off the bait. This tip also makes the worm less slippery as you try to spear it on the hook.
You can always cut a giant worm in half. Some worms are too large and may intimidate fish, whether small, medium, or big. Cutting them in halves reduces the size and makes them more appealing to the target. If using small things such as manure and mealworms, consider using more than one.
The last tip is to keep checking your bait more often to see if the worm is still there. If it is not, replace it and continue fishing.
We advise that you keep your worms in a cooler file with moist soil to keep them cool. Worms are underground organisms that are sensitive to heat; they live in dumpy places.
Advantages Of Using Live Worms
Live worms are ideal for fishing because they have both the scent and appearance to lure fish. Their wriggling is real, and the fragrance appeals more to fish who mistake them for stranded food, especially big fish. Small fish are less likely to strike them, meaning that you stand a bigger chance of catching larger bass.
Another advantage of using live worms is that they are eco-friendly. Unlike plastic lures, these baits are biodegradable and won’t litter the environment with trash. They are also a cheaper option as you can always raise your own worms for your fishing experience. If you get more than enough, they can be a source of income.
The best thing about live worms is that they do not feel pain, so you should never have the guilt of injuring them. The wriggle is just an escape mechanism, but they do not for the same reason other organisms with a central nervous system would.
How to Put a Fake Worm On a Hook?
While they are not natural, manufacturers design fake/plastic worms to mimic natural baits. They come in various colors, including varieties soaked in attractants to give them a more natural scent.
The Texas rig is the best technique to use when putting a fake worm on a hook. It is just like the same methods discussed above, except that you may have to include a sinker to get it to the bottom and attract deep swimming fish.
How Do You Catch a Giant Fish with Worms?
The general rule with worms is that more giant worms attract bigger fish. Most fish in the water bodies get attracted to giant worms and would not waste time on tinny food. They will leave smaller worms for smaller fish. But even with this, you must keep it moderate and not to use too big a worm to scare fish. The best size for catching giant fish is the nightcrawlers.
Other types of worms like the Red wiggler are ideal for smaller fish. They are not as big as the nightcrawlers. You can also cut the nightcrawler into smaller pieces for small fish such as perch, trout, crappie, and bluegills.
Live baits also do a better job of luring giant fish than fake worms. They are closer to what they eat and are likely to fall for the real deal than a manufactured replica.
You can always use worm blowers to inflate the size of your worm and make it more attractive to giant fish. Worm blowers may also float the worm up and from the bed of the water body so that it looks like a natural worm. Worms can sometimes sink and get covered with soil at the bottom; floating prevents this from happening.
Also, when targeting giant fish, try to think small with your hook. And match the hook selection with the worm size. Do not rig with too many worms on a big hook. You can always make a giant catch even on a smaller hook; the size doesn’t really matter. Just because you are using a longer hook doesn’t mean you will catch a giant fish.
You are likely to catch several smaller fish and sea creatures with a bigger hook than you would a giant fish. Smaller fish sink into big hooks making it more challenging to get large fish. Rather than dwelling on size, consider the type of hook and size of worm you are using.
How to Present the Lure to a Giant Fish
After hooking the worm on the lure, begin with a slow, careful retrieval speed. Presenting a bait will spook the fish. You may also have to troll the fish and find them before you can catch them. Trolling allows you to cover more extensive ground and increases your chance of luring bigger fish.
The last step is to let your potential catch eat the lure. Most fishers mistake trying to hook as soon as they get the impact thinking it is a giant fish. Try to be patient and let the fish eat the lure and get stuck before you can put the pressure- only do this when you are sure of the catch.
Things to Note as You Put Your Worm On a Hook
It would help if you hooked your worm correctly. This ensures that it wriggles naturally to lure the fish and stays on the hook until it bites it. There are two things you must do to ensure this;
First, always try to hide the entire hook when threading. It means that you do not leave the shiny parts that may draw suspicion from the fish. You can achieve this using the sock technique; running a single worm through your hook like a sock.
Even as you hide your hook, the worm should remain as normal as possible. It should be lively, natural, and attractive to lure so that fish perceive it as live food and not a setup. You can achieve this by leaving some part – towards the head and the tail- to wriggle naturally to lure the fish.