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Worm on the float

Karl Heptonstall

Karl Heptonstall

Senior Member
Evening all, I'm fancying a change of tactics and going to try running a worm through on stick n centre pin. The idea being to present a natural bait and try search for a few fish! Just wondering if this has worked for others and if anyone has any tips or advice?

Many thanks

Karl
 
I too was thinking of this, so tips appreciated.
I know there is an article on trotting for barbel on here, but sometimes people can give you a few tips in just a few sentences!!
 
I was out yesterday trying this but struggled to connect with anything as the fish were just nibbling the ends of the worm. The bite will also never develop because they feel the buoyancy of the float. It may work with just a pinch of the worm but I just took the float off and pinched a few SSG's on the line and legered. Helped me avoid a blank :rolleyes:
 
Best results with a worm with me is to use a similar technique to worming for salmon. Worm on hook with a longish leader, the line to a three way swivel with a bouncing bettie or a jumping jack (bouncing bettie being a small rubber weighted ball, jumping jack a plastic tube with a weight at one end, air above...you can buy these from ebay, where they use the names interchangeably, for instance these are jumping jacks these are Bouncing Betties ).

Get the weight so it will only just hold bottom, lifting the rod tip should allow the weight to trot down the swim slowly with the worm in front. Barbel will usually grab the worm giving a good pull, whilst with salmon they mouth the bait rather than taking it for quite a while. Difficult to describe, but easy in practise to know when you have a bite .Works a treat in the same sort of swims where you would roll meat. If you are doing it on a river where salmon are present, better have a migratory fish licence and check it is a legal technique as worming is banned on some waters.
 
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Thanks for the replys, chris, what size float did you use? Im going to use the lightest I can get away with both for bite ressistance and disturbance on the water. Oviousley depth and conditions play a part. Also would fishing well over depth help? I have tried fishing with a couple of shot as a weight but feel I would have more control using a float!
 
A big worm is my bait of choice when trotting for barbel, fished over depth and held back.

I use large Drennan Loafers in fast shallow swims.
 
Karl,

I have spent many hours on the Wharfe long-trotting and laying on with large lobworms, mainly targetting perch and not once have I ever connected with a barbel, I've hooked many perch, chub, pike and carp, even in conditions that screamed barbel. If I was you i'd stick to using pellets either float or ledger. I would like you to prove us wrong though.

Best of luck and you may be positively surprised with what stamp of fish you will land.

Steve.
 
Cheers steve, haven't had chance to try it yet but looking foreword to it. I could only manage a short session this week due to work commitments. There are some big perch to be had on the wharfe, I have had a few on the lobby on a bomb. Ps I hope I can prove you wrong!!

Karl
 
Finally managed to get out and try the float, whilst it was nice to get back on the pin I'm afraid I couldn't prove you wrong steve! All I got was two very small perch (more like wasps really) I think the presentation was good and I liked how I knew where the bait was. I always struggle with knowing where my bait is when freelining! I think the problem was that if a fish didn't take it first run through it would be spooked by the retrieval of the float. Best saved for the grayling!!
 
Karl Heptonstall said:
Evening all, I'm fancying a change of tactics and going to try running a worm through on stick n centre pin. The idea being to present a natural bait and try search for a few fish! Just wondering if this has worked for others and if anyone has any tips or advice?

Many thanks

Karl
Click to expand...

Yes I believe Issac Walton pioneered it :rolleyes:
 
Neil Smart said:
Yes I believe Issac Walton pioneered it :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
'cept Walton didn't get to use a reel.........
but the Chinese did some 1,000 + years ago.
 
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Thanks for humouring me Karl :)
Actually there are some great tips on here and certainly have reminded me what a great bait worm is, all this dry weather has been a bit of a problem collecting them. My stand by is Yorkshire worm Co: via ebay a lot less back breaking too.
 
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