How hard can it be, you ask? Stick the bait on the hook and throw it in the water! What else is there? Plenty. Let's take a look at catching your favorite fish and what you can do to improve bringing home tonight's dinner.
First of all, different fish have different methods of eating but most of love fresh worms. Bluegill and crappie are both nibblers so your bait of a fresh worm needs to cover the entire hook end so the fish will have to put the hook in their mouths to nibble. Bass and trout are smarter than their cousins so their worms have to be a bit more interesting. Making the worm appear as natural as possible is the goal with these freshwater fish. Hooking only a small section of the worm so most of it dangles and wriggles in the water and casting without weight, gives the appearance of a worm freely swimming along in the water.
The worm itself is worth discussing. The body wall of the worm secretes mucus for keeping their skin soft and emits an odor that fish recognize and love. If left in the water in one spot without a lot of movement, a worm's scent can last up to thirty minutes or more. After the scent washes off, the worm will need to be replaced with fresh.
To fish a worm properly, cast above your desired pool of water and let the worm drift down. A light fly line is best for disguising the line and makes the worm look very natural as it sinks toward the bottom. Make sure that you know which way the wind is blowing to try and track your line. A twig tossed into the water will show you the way.
Worms are more abundant than you know. You probably remember seeing many after a rainstorm but the fact of the matter is that there are an estimated 50,000 earthworms to each acre of ground. You just have to dig and look.
Using these tips, gather up your worms and pole, find a nice realizing spot on the bank of a pond or riverbank and prepare to catch. You'll find that the day seems to fly by and your bucket will fill. As you casually walk home, you'll probably find yourself whistling. That's what fishing is all about.
