Worm Rigs for Freshwater

Freshwater worms come in a variety of types and sizes, and they are one of the best baits to use when chasing trout, Atlantic salmon, bass, golden and silver perch, Murray cod, carp, redfin, estuary perch and catfish.

They are very simple to rig on a hook and can be used while fishing a number of different rigs, including the paternoster, running ball sinker down onto the hook, a running sinker down onto a swivel and a leader of about a metre, suspended under a bubble or stemmed float, with a small spit shot or just unweighted.

When fishing with scrub worms I prefer to use only one worm and when it comes to fishing with garden, red or tiger worms, I tend to put 3 or 4 on the hook as this gives more of a wiggle factor.

When targeting trout, carp, and Atlantic salmon, I find that a size 10 to size 1 hook will do the job, and when it comes to the other fish species I usually up the size of the hook to size 2 to size 2/0.

Technique 1

When threading a scrub worm onto the hook, you need to start from the head end. If you don’t you will find that the worm will break up into small pieces, making it difficult to get the worm to stay on the hook.

Technique 2

Whether I am passing the hook through the centre of the worm or through the sides of the worm several times, I will always start about a centimetre from the top. I will then put a couple of half hitches around it, thus stopping the worm from sliding down the shank of the hook and into a bunch that may cover the point and barb of the hook.

Technique 3

Both garden worms and tigers are used in a similar fashion and are usually bunched onto the hook to make an attractive and lively bait. Try suspending a bunch of worms underneath an A-Just-A Bubble Float when targeting trout, perch, bass, and carp. This method will keep the worms off the bottom and away from snags.

Suggested Combos

Rods

Okuma Barbarian Spin Rods - BN-S-702NT, X-Light, 7'0", 2-4kg, Nibble Tip for the boat or from the shore.

Okuma Barbarian Spin Rods - BN-S-1162NT, Med/Light, 11'6", 2-6kg, Nibble Tip. The extra length in the rod will give you more cast distance for fishing a lightly weight bait or if you need to lift the fish out from extra height.

Okuma LRF Gen2 Spin Rods - LRF2-S-742L, Light, 7'4", 2-5kg. This is a great rod for when you are getting those very sensitive bites.

Reels

Okuma Dynadrag DAXP-4000 Baitfeeder.

Okuma Coronado CDX-55 Baitfeeder, with 12.7kg drag and a capacity of approximately 180m of 15lb (0.40 dia) line.

Line

Platypus Pulse Mono / Platypus Platinum Mono

Platypus Pulse X4 or Pulse X8 braid.

Leader

Platypus Hard Armour FC Fluorocarbon