For those of you who aren’t aware, drifting a worm is a great way to catch fish in rivers and streams. This technique is effective for many species of fish including trout, large and smallmouth bass, whitefish, and even walleye in some waterways. Drifting a worm is a great technique for catching fish in rivers and streams and in this article I will outline the techniques necessary for becoming adept at the technique of "drifting a worm".
I was taught this technique more than two decades ago by my best friends' father, a man who was considered somewhat of a fishing savant when we were growing up in the mountains of Central Pennsylvania. This man was able to catch trophy trout out of heavily fished rivers, where no one thought trout of that size existed. This man was an expert at drifting a worm and this was his favorite fishing technique.
This technique is best performed while wading in the river or stream that you are fishing, although the technique can be modified for fishing in other situations as well. Anytime that you are fishing and wading the first thing that must be dealt with are the worms themselves. Live worms can be difficult to store and access while wading, and many anglers deal with this problem by simply placing the container that the worms were purchased in into a pocket of their fishing vest. While doing this obviously works it isn't at all effective, and is a huge time waster when you are out on the water.
For these reasons a worm bag should be employed when fishing with live worms in rivers or streams. A worm bag is simply a small pouch that attaches to your fishing vest and carries your live worms while you are fishing. In other words the worms are transferred to the worm bag before you head out onto the water and the original container is left behind. This way your live worms are always within easy reach and baiting up and re-baiting takes seconds, rather than minutes which is a huge time saver, adding to your valuable fishing time.
Now to the actual technique of drifting a worm. You already have your worms within easy reach because of the worm bag, and you only need a few more items to perform this fishing technique. You need small barrel swivels (the same pound test of the line you are using), spilt shot sinkers, and pre-tied gang hooks. Begin by taking the end of your line and tying on a barrel swivel and on the opposite end of the barrel swivel tie on a set of gang hooks. At this point a few split shot sinkers are added above the barrel swivel for weight (the number and size of split shot will vary depending on water depth and current flow). The ultimate goal is to have your offering 'drift' along the bottom as is flows naturally with the current of the river or stream that you are fishing.
A live worm is now added to the gang hooks for a natural presentation. In the case of night crawlers simply pinch the worm in half so that it fits onto the gang hooks properly. This baited rig is now cast into the current, the bail of your reel is closed, and the offering is allowed to flow naturally with the current. When the rig is directly below you the drift is over, the rig is reeled in, and the process is repeated. This is the most effective way of drifting a worm while fishing in either rivers or streams.
With practice this way of drifting a worm will become one of your favorite forms of fishing. I know it has been my favorite fishing technique for my entire adult life.
Great Trout Fishing Hooks
