well my other post got me thinking wat do you think is the better way to fish the pink wor. with a float or without and why

I've never had a bite either way with a worm

Drifting it on the bottom has always worked for me, floating it or seeing others float with it hasn't workeed yet

"Fishing the pink worm"

Sounds kinda like a "snipe hunt" to me.
I have seen the pictures and heard the stories, but still hard to belive.

Regards
IB

so i would really like to know how you rig these for drift fishing. pics would deffinitly help. i checked the rescource center and would like more help. thanks guys

Im from BC and use a center pin reel so 95% of my fishing is with a float. Naturally then all my worm hooked fish have been under a float. Ya, I know its hard to believe but they really do work! I dont understand how you need more info on how to rig them. The pics in the tips section are good and straight forward. Its exactly how I do them.

Try this link: http://www.gamefishin.com/gfboard/forum_posts.asp?TID=4413&PN=6

For the last two years I have been fishing the pink worm exclusively. I'll be the first to say that in certain conditions they will outfish any other presentation. I drift them. I can count the amount of fish on two hands that I've hit while float fishing them but as far as drift fishing them the count would be well into the hundreds. Good luck and keep at it. You will see how truly effective they are if you stick with it.

A picture says a thousand words????

Run like any other drift gear, but shorten the leader a bit. 24-36". Hunk of lead. Get it down, and now. Fish on, game over.

Looks like one of those "high floaters" from danny joe in North Carolina.
Funny, I've found that I have better luck when I lengthen my leader with the wormie. Either way works I guess. I typically use the seducer brand worms and have found that they don't float as high as other brands - hence, the longer leader. My leaders with the wormie typically run between 3-4 ft.

Interesting.

Do the higher floating worms work better on a shorter or longer leader? Or, does water color/conditions dictate leader length?

I never measure the leaders I use...but I'd guess they are more like 3' than 2' with the wormie.

I don't think the winner is necessary, but it's a force of habit. Why change something that you know works? Fear change!

When are we going fishing FCTS?

Ive been trying white, green, and black worms in addition to the famous pink. Results so far are that the pink is better, but it may be just a confidence thing. Anyone else doing well with other colors?
thx in advance.

At least with the older, now-defunct Vision worms, I caught fish on all colors from pure snow White to the pinkest of pinks, and borderline rocket red. Never tried a dark color. I think I'd stick with something that is close to natural.

Good old bubble gum pink seems to work just fine.

Anyone ever seriously tried chartreuse worm?

Ive done ok with white worms in really clear water or when the water warms up in the spring/early summer. Ive also had really good luck with a translucent peach coloured one.

Parker,
I've got just the spot if you're willing to come down south. Anytime in Feb or March should produce numerous metalheads. I've got Feb 16 and 17 off too if you'd rather do the peninsula thing...... We'll have to throw the same worms with shorter vs. longer leaders to come to the ultimate conclusion. Look forward to it. Email me.....
Cuttie

Oh yeah, try boondoggin the worm in the summer. Outfishes bait in my opinion. Phenomenal results on the Cow and nooch last summer

fromcuthroattosteelies,

Are you running a corkie or some form of floatation in front of your worms? Looks like Parker is running a cheater in front of his. Also, what lengh worm do you prefer...the 4 1/2 or 6 inch. I've caught most of my fish float fishing since it allows you to fish the seams and slower water a little more effectively however I have caught several drift fishing as well. I like both the seducers and the Berkely trick worm brands.

Mine look exactly like parkers except without the lead on the top of the worm. I also use a bead a between the hook and worm to prevent the worm from tearing on hooksets and when you're getting off of a snag. Take a look at the link I provided earlier in the thread. Pretty simple but the same idea as Parkers. Dynamite set up

Not to speak for Parker, but I don't think that's coneshaped piece is lead.


And don't forget about fishing a trimmed down worm on a jighead beneath a float. Works real nice.

You are right. That looks like a cheater. However, some guys use those cone shaped leads when fishing it under a float. I simply wasn't thinking when I wrote that.

Hey Parker, do you ever 'Texas rig' that so it becomes weedless/boulderless as much as possible?

The pink thing is a winner. It floats.

Nope, never tried bass fishing with the pink worms. I usually don't fish the worms in the weeds, so I don't think it's necessary.

Actually, will a bass hook hold up to a steelhead? I thought all the bass type stuff was ultra-light wire type stuff.

To me, bass is just another bad four letter word.

Predator Dawg,

I haven't tried rigging these Texas style but I agree with Parker in that if you rig these with bass hooks you are probably going to straighten them out. Might be interesting to try that technique with heavier wire hooks....better yet rig them wacky style with the hook exposed.

What do you guys prefer, the paddle tail or the curly tail?

What possible reason would you have to not use a float when fishing any offering with the exception of Plugs and metal.For one ,with a float you can present your offering exactly where you want it in the water column and you can present it at the exact speed of the current. As far as long leaders go,i think youll find you will hook alot more fish with a 10 ft leader and a sharp hook,works up here for the floss crowd.The only time i would consider bottom bouncing is when a pool is deeper than 20 ft.

DK,

Here are a few reasons...

1. Uneven water depths throughout a drift are more easily fished while driftfishing.

2. While it is satisfying to watch a float rip down, it pales in comparison to the throb of a hit on drift gear.

3. Some water is too shallow to fish appropriately with a float.

4. In some situations a light weight and small bait is less intrusive than a float, if you're fishing shallow water.

And...at the risk of starting an international incident a LOT of the float fisherman I see on the Vedder are flossers. They use really long leaders behind their weight, with pretty short leaders from the float to the weight. When they swing it through the schools of fish, it's pretty effective, but it's flossing.

Plenty of the guys I've fished with up there don't fish that way, but plenty of them do.



Fish on...

Todd.

Parker,

I was actually referring to the exact set up that you show but simply putting the tip of the hook through the worm and barely out the other side for drift fishing. Just wondering if it would prevent some hangups on the bottom as you are drifting. I have no clue what type of gear bass guys use, just that this is a trick they employ.

Yeah ,flossing transcends all types of fishing,fly rods are the deadliest of all.
As far as your reasons for not using a float ,none are valid ,floats are extremely effective in shallow water ,in fact up here we refer to the term short floating ,which is the technique where you run well up from bottom and present your bait above the fish .
As far as leader length ,anyone who uses a leader longer than 24 inches in any water conditions is playing THE GAME in my books.Im not saying all drift fisherman are flossing ,just when i hear people say that a long leader works better it makes me go hmmmm.
Like i stated before the only time i remove my float is when a pool is deeper than 20ft,i really dont see any benefit to drifting other than the occasion to floss fish and the need to perfect tying leaders.Its a simple case of physics ,fish sit on bottom, drag line across bottom and inevitably a fish with its mouth opening and closing will have a hook embedded in it.I know that drifting could be a productive way to catch fish but chose to use a float because it guarantees that im enticing the fish to bite .Im sorry you had to witness the vedder river long floaters but since we learned to floss sockeye a decade ago ethics around here have reached an all time low.
I wish i could stay and debate this with you but i have a sturgeon trip in the morning and have to prepare my secret baits.

Well I dont know what dynamite kid is talking about. Sounds kind of like he is only good at float fishing in a river. Living and fishing in BC, I lean in favour of the float in almost every situation. Still, there are times when drift fishing can not be beat. About the only time I d.f. is when the water is way up and ugly brown. Then Im using magnum slinkys and big spin n glos in shallow water to really slow down my presentation.
DK, nice posts on FWR.

Well . . . I bet you know I'm going to come down on the side of the floats. I think there are very few situations where drift fishing will out fish the float but one is when you are in a boat and drifting along. I would agree that under those circumstances there is no good way to fish a float.

Remember though that you can bottom bounce with a float attached.

I do thin that all ethical anglers occasionally inadvertently floss a fish. But those of us fishing floats with out terminal gear up off the bottom and with reasonable length leaders don't floss many.

I was surprised at how many guy prefer to drift fish the worm. I wonder what percentage of those who prefer to drift fish the worm seldom or never use floats?

Nick is really effective with a Turbomaster and a jig out of the front of a driftboat. I've seen it with my own eyes

Of course, I attribute it all to the expert that was on the sticks. :p

I do both and have caught many both ways.

I caught my largest on the worm under a float and lost a bigger one on the same thing two weeks later. Both fish were in very low conditions middle of the afternoon on a clear sunny day.

The one I lost was a monster red side, Hooked him in Choppy flat on the middle run of the Duc. Much bigger than the 23# I got two weeks earlier on the upper Bogie.

Sir Vedder,

"I think there are very few situations where drift fishing will out fish the float but one is when you are in a boat and drifting along. "

OK..I'll bite. Why?

Keep in mind I have -0- experience floating rivers, so it is perhaps out of lack-of-experience that I don't see the reasoning behind this.

Im my thinking, the float would hang less, and if your in a db drifting the bottom one would hang up much more frequently, no? The float wouldn't seem to have that issue...and doesn't it bounce along about the same speed as the drift rig?

Mike B

Mike - Dan S:

It has been my experience that fishing a float from a free drifting boat is frustrating. If the boat is anchored up or I am on the bank, I can adjust the float until I have the perfect depth then work the run carefully. When free drifting, the water depth constantly changes, and as a result, sometimes the amount of line between my float is too long, sometimes too short. Not a big problem if the depth is relatively constant, but a pain when one section is 10 feet deep and the next is 4 feet deep. I find that by the time I recast, with my new depth, the depth has changed again. I have been frustrated when trying this.

That said, it could certainly be done if the guy on the stick will hold back enough to get a decent amount of time over each run. I think one reason Nick does so well is because he is always fishing jigs, which do quite well when fished well above the bottom. And because he typically fishes relatively close to the boat and can reel in and reset rather rapidly. I suspect having Dan S. on the sticks was the biggest factor.

I do my fare share of float fishing, typically with jigs and/or bait. Though I still like to drift the worm. Here's my consensus...It all boils down to that one day that you hooked a ton of fish. Whichever method you were using is the one that you probably stuck with because it gave you the most confidence. For me, it was a day on the Chehalis river last January. I had caught metalheads under a float and by drift fishing before but this particular day I had unbelievable success drifting the worm. Because of that, I have consistently drifted the worm and had excellent success. In my opinion, the fisherman with the most confidence is the fisherman that boats/lands the most fish. Sure, float fishing might be better, but I've drifted the worm next to guys that were floating it and spanked em' pretty hard. (Don't take that as a challenge Mr. Vedder because against you I'd probably be the one taking a spanking
Tight lines to all,
Cuttie

Now Marsha.........were you drinking on that trip?

The way I recollect it was that one day, nobody put a fish in the boat, and the next day one of the victims had a cerise jig stuck right in his snout. Of course, my memory of that particular weekend could be a little foggy.


Dave..........see if you can hook up with Nick and join me for a drift trip, he'll learn you up on tossing a float and jig out of the boat.

To me, at least, float fishing is, well, boring. I like to call floats the training wheels of the steelheader.

Don't get me wrong, as I do a fair share of fishing with my training wheels, as I love to Flydogg with a sliding float and Unlce Joe's Eggs, pitch some Opher Prawn tipped jigs on a float, sandshrimp under a float, etc.

To me, at least, I'd much rather boondogg up a fish on some nice berries, drift fish up a fish, side drift up a fish, or smack one with a PenTac spoon. Much more satisfying to me not to have to use the training wheels...regardless of how "effective" those techniques are.

At least to me, fishing isn't about the numbers. It's about the experience. I'd gladly trade a 50 fish day on training wheels in on a 1 fish day while Herzogging up a nate on a PenTac, or Hoh'ing up a fish on The Wormie.

Finally, only a fool would totally exclude training wheels. I almost always have at least 1 training wheel rod rigged up, for whatever technique that will work best for that day, when fishing. They are effective, but as I said, I'd rather put my time in doing maybe a different/harder technique for that one fish rather than play the numbers game.

Parker,

Since you're partial to a challenge and evince a moderate disdain for "training wheels," perhaps you're ready to move beyond the crutches of spinning and casting gear, and bait - the greatest training wheel of all, since fish like to eat it. After all, many a winter steelhead has been caught by anglers using rods made of split cane, silk flylines, gut leaders, and un-weighted flies. And of course, no drift boats or jet sleds, or neoprene or gore-tex waders.

It seems to me that well over 99% of the anglers are using a variety of training wheels to bring a fish to hand. Thought I'd suggest that the training wheel relativity scale is broader than what you seemed to be seeing.

t.i.c.

Salmo g.

You are correct SalmoG in that man is a tool using creature.

Just for the challenge, I sometimes just dig up an earthworm with my barehands, stand buck-naked in the river, hold the earthworm under the water, and when the fish come for the worm, I plunge my head down in to the river and grab passing by steelhead with my teeth.

Sorry, absolutely NO photos are available, and never should be made available, of this zen-like technique.

that technique works extremely well on the Toutle - and I thought I was the only one.

That *would* explain all those sasquatch sightings on the Toutle!

Due, no doubt, to the fact that no lens known to man can take such treatment.

When standing buck-naked in the river and holding the earthworm under the water just be sure the fish does not grab the wrong worm.

LT,

How right you are! I'd never stand buck naked in a river. Always wear at least a loin cloth.

t.i.c.

Salmo g.

I read some time ago (I believe in STS) that when fishing a worm under a float, you want to rig it backward so that the tail is toard the float with the hook at the other end. Can someone confirm or deny this?

JF: Yes

Maybe this explains why so many of our southern neihbors are coming up this year to fish the vedder.They are all on a crusade to help us poor canucks learn how to fish the pink worm the proper way.You know ,drift fishing with a 9 ft rod, level wind reel and back bouncing it out of jet sled.
Thanks for the effort but i think ill continue to fish it right side up with a 11 ft rod under a drennan float (training wheels)with my trusty Hardy silex.
Now if i could only figure out how to use these fancy smancy spoons id actually be able to catch a steely,oh well back to training wheels i guess.

I like fishin the worm under a float in pocket water and drifting it in runs and tail outs. I feel that the turbulent water in pockets makes the worm dance and become more appealing under a float(not to mention the fact that it's almost impossible to drift fish pocket water with out hanging up) and bottom bouncing a worm in the runs and tail outs where there are less snags keeps the worm at eye level for those hungry metal heads. I have caught plenty of fish both ways but most have come from the pocket water with the floats.

Yeah.........but that mean ol' broad cooks a helluva plate of biscuits and gravy.

And THAT'S what REALLY counts.