View Full Version : Worms for Bass and Walleyes
Tar Heel
03-04-2008, 11:46 PM
A recent thread discussed a live bait ban, assuming that minnows, fry, ect were the only live bait. BUT, there are crawfish, worms, ect, that i assume folks use often, eg, worm harnesses for walleye.
Suggestion for those who do, and who plan on practicing C&R--as you are more likely to catch a lunker using bait.
Use barbless hooks. Fly fisherman have had to do this for along time on C&R waters,and especially with live bait, you are allot less likely to "gut hook" your fish. Fish do not throw barbless hooks as easliy as you might think, and they are easy to simply pinch down with a pair of pliers. If you can land a 10lb steelhead on a barbless green butt skunk, then what's the big deal to do it w/ bait. I prefer plastics, but there is a time and place for worm harnesses...
Dave, I have caught just about everything in freshwater on a live worm.
From the little bluegill to Large mouth, small mouth, white, and striped bass, crappie, pike, musky, etc.
Not many fish will pass up an easy meal in the form of a live wiggler.
To my knowledge, there is no barbless requirement on warmwater fish, only salmonaids and I think sturgeon.
trap50
03-05-2008, 06:26 AM
Sturgeon are for sure barbless. I know for a fact they can be caught on worm cocktail.
Tar Heel
03-05-2008, 10:13 AM
Not suggesting it's a requirement, just a good idea, when practicing C&R. I will sometimes go barbless when using plastics and using scents on a creature w/ a T Rig. It's pretty hard to get that big hook out of a smallies stomach w/o barbless. If your gonna eat em anyway, then no point. Pardon pun. Barbless hooks were required on NC trophy trout streams for as long as I can recall.
Not suggesting it's a requirement, just a good idea, when practicing C&R. I will sometimes go barbless when using plastics and using scents on a creature w/ a T Rig. It's pretty hard to get that big hook out of a smallies stomach w/o barbless. If your gonna eat em anyway, then no point. Pardon pun. Barbless hooks were required on NC trophy trout streams for as long as I can recall.
You are absolutely correct. The barb on a hook is not designed to hold a fish, anyway. The purpose of a barb is to hold the bait on a hook. If you flatten the barbs, your hooking ratio will go up dramatically. In most cases, the hook will be in all the way to the bend and will be close to impossible to shake loose if you do your part.
mountnmann1
03-06-2008, 12:13 PM
I don't fish with live bait, but if you're going to use worms or crawdads then try a circle hook.
Tar Heel
03-07-2008, 10:01 AM
I don't fish with live bait, but if you're going to use worms or crawdads then try a circle hook.
The only time I have used worms is walleye fishing with worm haarnesses, and I pick up a lot of bass that way. Haven't had a problem with gut hooking on WH's, probably because the hook is moving, rather than still fishing. These circle hooks, are they easier to extract? Seems they would be.
mountnmann1
03-07-2008, 01:35 PM
T These circle hooks, are they easier to extract? Seems they would be.
Yeah, they're pretty easy to get out, but the nice thing about them is that you don't gut hook very many at all. I started putting them on my four yr old's line last year when I started her out on river smallies using a nightcrawler and she may have gut-hooked a half dozen all summer. Thats not bad as I probably deep-hooked at least that many on plastics myself. The only thing to remember is to NOT set the hook; just start reeling when you feel the bite..................the hook will be in the corner of the mouth every time. Setting the hook results in lost fish. They work well for my young'n but I can't restrain myself for setting the hook so I went to baitholders for wacky-rigging.
I fish bass on the willy for years and drift weightless night crawlers alot. I cant remeber once gut hooking a bass but I allways use large hooks like the size you use for salmon.
HammerinHonkers
03-08-2008, 10:51 AM
I agree that the easiest way to not gut hook any fish is use a big enough hook. I have pulled hooks out of fish that are the size i would use for bluegill or small perch. I think some people think that the fish will "sense" too large of a hook and not take the bait, that is just not the case. Also you will hook up more with a larger hook, instead of having the hook and bait slip through the mouth of the fish when the hook is too small.:twocents:
Tar Heel
03-08-2008, 07:25 PM
Good info for bait fishing. The bass I have caught while walleye fishing with worm harnesses haven't been gut hooked, and I use a good sized hook for yeye- have yet to catch one....The all time nicest hook up is a little drop shot hook on the upper lip!
catfishman89
03-10-2008, 11:01 AM
I caught a whole bunch of 10-15 inch smallmouth fishing for perch and bluegills at brownlee reservoir with worms. With a ultralight pole and 4 pound line this was extremely difficult and fun. The worms were the only thing i could get the smallmouth to bite in the heat of the day.
Hunt'nFish
03-13-2008, 05:07 PM
First, live bait IS allowed in Oregon.......as long as it's tidal. Which the Columbia is... upto Bonnie and Willey upto OC Falls.
Tip: when fishing for walleye, use barbless. That way any incidental gators that make length are then legal fish. Technically all gators caught on barbed walleye rigs have to be released. We all know a turned down barb will catch just as good and since walleye are like pulling in a wet log, the risks of it getting off a barbless are next to nil.
Chances of gators, when fishing early season slow & deep, are actually pretty high.
For bass I do better on artifical than I do on crawlers. Not true for walleye though.
Hunt'nFish