Before I even begin, let me clarify something. I'm not talking about rubber worms that come in a thousand different colors. I'm referring to what Hank Hill calls "The good old American worm". When I say do you fish with worms, I'm of course referring to the live variety that we all learned how to fish with. I'm not sure of the reasons behind it, but I am sure of the fact that fish of all kind like worms. So how do you fish with and carry your worms while fishing?

Let's start with taking your worms fishing with you. Do you just carry the worm container with you to the area that you're going to fish? This is fine as long as you don't move around much. If you move around or wade (like me) carrying a container of worms is a pain in the butt! So I began using a bait bag, and would suggest that you do the same. It's really convenient. You can make one yourself or buy one, it makes no difference. The important thing is that you begin using a bait bag to carry your worms. The live worms are simply transferred into the bait bag, and then they are right there at your fingertips ready to be used as bait.

Now, how do you fish with live worms? Do you simply "thread" a worm onto your hook and call that worm fishing? If this is what you do to fish with worms, it's a mistake. That's how a ten year old fishes with live worms. The way to fish with live worms is through the use of a set of gang hooks. A set of gang hooks is simply two small hooks tied in tandem, thus enabling you to present the worm in a completely natural manner. You see, when a live worm is used as bait, it should look as if it were just thrown into the water. If you just threw a live worm into the water, what would it look like?

By employing a set of gang hooks, the live worm looks just like it would if you simply threw said worm into the water. This natural presentation is extremely effective, especially in the moving water of rivers and streams. If you like wading and fishing in rivers and streams, for fish like smallmouth bass, walleye, or trout, you need to begin using gang hooks. They are fairly simple to tie yourself or you can buy them, it make no difference, the point is that gang hooks should be used.

If you fish with live worms, these two tips will make you a much more effective and efficient angler. Remember what Steven Wright said about us anglers, "There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore looking like an idiot." I couldn't agree more, and just want to help everyone avoid the 'looking like an idiot' part of the equation.