Being an effective live worm angler isn't that difficult as long as the proper equipment is employed. Just tying on a #4 snelled hook and "threading" a live worm onto that hook for bait is not live worm fishing. That's what people who are just learning how to fish and children do. To b e an effective live worm angler, a little more tact needs to be employed. Remember there's being a live worm angler and there's being a person with a package of snelled hooks and a Styrofoam container full of worms. There's a BIG difference. Live worm anglers catch fish, the other person is just out playing games.

You see to me, an effective live worm angler is every bit the "artist" that fly fishermen have been purported to be. An effective live worm angler spends time practicing their craft and always pays attention to things like the weather and moon and how these factors relate to their fishing. The first thing that needs to be considered is how live worms are presented as bait. To be effective, live worms need to be presented the same way they appear in nature, which of course is outstretched, the way they appear in nature.

The easiest way to present live worms in a natural manner is through the use of gang hooks. In case you don't know what gang hooks are, they are simply a pair of small hooks tied in tandem, thus enabling live worms to be presented in a totally natural manner. Which is outstretched, the way God intended. Rigging a live worm in a set of gang hooks, then letting that offering flow naturally with the current of a river or stream, while bouncing off the bottom as it drifts, is an amazingly successful live worm fishing technique.

An effective live worm angler needs to be efficient as well. This means having an efficient way to carry his/her live worms while fishing. The best way to accomplish this is through the use of a bait bag. A bait bag is simply a small bag that attaches to your fishing vest, belt, or shirt and carries your worms while fishing. This way your worms are always literally at your fingertips, waiting to be used, rather than being stuffed away somewhere in the Styrofoam container that they were purchased in.

These two tips will help you be a much more effective live worm angler. There's simply no reason to treat fishing like it's just "something to do", just because you prefer to fish with live worms. As I said, when done properly, live worm angling is every bit the art form that fly fishing has ever been considered to be. This may not sit well with the 'flea flickers' of the world, but that doesn't make it any less true. I think the reverend McLain said it best when he said,"anyone who does not know how to catch a fish, should not be able to disgrace that fish by catching it." Amen reverend, amen. And in my humble opinion, this goes as much for live worm angling as it does any form of angling.