Hi all i am new to this forum and i am hoping to gain some insight into new methods for steelhead and possibly share some of what i know and i have a few questions aboutfishing a pink plastic worm for steelhead.I am going to give the pink worms a try for our summer runs on the willamette river here in oregon and i will be fishing them under a float as well as using convential drift fishing methods with them .As with any method there are probably some dos and donts with the plastic worm so any information on the best way to fish this way would be appreciated.

If you search the forums for "pink worms" you are sure to find boatloads of information. The worm is such a versatile bait, you can use it for drift fishing, float fishing, behind a bait diver, and plunking.

MR.WILSON,

I can say from my experience with the pink worms they dont work for summer runs I just dont what it is. The winter of 2002 is when I started using them I was hooking up with steelhead all the time. Summer rolled around and I could not get on to bite those. I have a lot better luck for the summer run using flies under a slip bobber with a 8lb leader. Jigs work all right in slightly dirty water. But remember when the water drops the water becomes more clear and the fish spook easier. That is why I go smaller in the summer but what works for one person may not work for another.

When you quoted me you also you also forgot to say that I said in the end what works for one person may work for another

The rubber worm works great drift fished and under a float.

a couple ways to rig them on a drift fishing rig would be.
to use a 28-32 " leader. a 1/0 hook and a bead above it. Then thread the worm up your line using a darning needle and starting about an inch and a half above the tail.

Slide down your line and fish...you will probably need a bit more lead with this one if you are using a all boyant worm.

try and get the non boyant or nutrually boyant ones for float fishing. only this way with a fixed float and a sliding weight system.


You can also add a spin n glow above them.
and put 3" on a white colared jig

good luck

StDream-

Try a small 2-3" off colored bass worm under the float for summers The reason the summers might not be hitting the pink is because the 4-6 inchers are just a tad too big in lower/warmer water

Yup, what works for one doesnt always work for others

I am very far from an expert but here is what worked for me.

4" pink seducer
take your favorite length drift leader slide a small pink corkie on then thread the worm woth a worm threader and slide it down to the corkie. I leave about two inches of the rail of the worm unthreaded as mentioned above.

I use a corkie because the seducers are very soft worms and rip very easily and i think the corkie offers more protection than just a bead..

if you don't have a lot of confidence start by fishing a 3" seducer off the back of a pink jig and go from there...

Okay dude.... Let me be the first to tell you that pink worms will outfish bait/jigs etc for summer run steelhead. They are literally deadly on those buggers. If you are fishing big water boondog with them instead of the traditional free drifted bait method and you will be pleasantly surprised..... In smaller water simply lengthen up the leader and drift them at or "ever so slightly" below current speed. Bob's got a great link on how to "correctly" rig them up for drift fishing. Take a look at the photos and emulate what you see. I've hooked far more drift fishing than by fishing under a float. A longer leader is also beneficial in my opinion (3.5 - 4 feet).

This I would love to see.

Fire me off a personal email, and I'll see if I can arrange a day on the river with us and Keith.

Heck, I'll even fish a worm too, and I'd be willing to bet that Keith will still outfish us with bait.

On the other hand, I've never tried a pink worm for a summer run. Could be the hot ticket, for all I know!

Hmmmmm.

I may buy into that statement for winter runs especially the nates (not that you're using bait for those anyway).

But for summer runs you would have to convince me. Summer runs just appear from my experience to be bait oriented creatures. Not that they won't bite pink worms as I have caught summer runs on them but not big numbers like with bait.

How about going to a more natural colored worm in the summer? The picture below is a Berkly "Gulp!" 6" worm.



SA

now I can say that earthworms work great for summerruns I have success with them. I like to use them in the smaller rivers when there is a lot of brush and trees . Also where the bank has eroded away.

Oh no, Parker, you didn't just.........
IT'S ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've developed quite the confidence in those little buggers. Most of that confidence stemmed from boondoggin at the Cow last summer so I'd be happy to test my hypothesis....

I tried a lot of purple and dark red worms in the summer but no natural colors. To date only pink worms work for me. Not to say that they won't it is just that I have not had luck with them in the summer.

P.S. And I tossed worms a lot for an entire summer.

Then again maybe I was doing it wrong :p

Let me know the results of your guys experiment!!!

Worms work better than bait??

If that were the case, then why do all of the guides side drift eggs? Oh, let me guess. They have nothing better to do in the evening so they cure eggs. Or - they like spending the extra money on cure mix, etc. Wait, it could be that they like baiting clients hooks all day. I bet the main reason guides like using eggs more than worms is from the crust it leaves on their hands.

I can't believe that the guides haven't figured the worm thing out, especially on the Cow. Maybe Clancy uses them when no one is looking. Probably doesn't want to exploit such a deadly weapon??

LT

Oh no help??? The worm trance... You'd have better luck catching summer fish on a dry fly... :p

I think one part of the confusion fromcutthroattosteelies is that a good day to most is a limit or 4-5 fish so that may be hot for you on old pinkie... But them are rookie #'s... Actually during the midst of summer if we aren't in double digits fishing 3 rods at the end of the day with bait, it was a bad day. Trips hooking over 20 fish are common during the peak and I'll put some $$ on the line that you'd have a tough time catching 2-3 on one of them pink worms.. To be truthful, a buddie of mine tried them the 3-4"ers and he hooked 1 fish to my 6... Now that was only one excursion but numbers don't lie. Heck I've spoiled myself so much with success with eggs on summer steelhead that if you took them from me I'd never fish again, well maybe if I could use my doo-dads....

If you want to arrange a trip down with Parker and that goon want's to fish pink worms too, I'll be handing fish off to you two all day if you know what I mean... Fine by me though, more fish for me to hook!!

Oh yeah and on top of that, the people that fish the corkie/yarn/scent and think it's better than bait, you are nuts too........
Keith

Alright, call me a rook...... though I am far from.... Anyhow, I'd be willing to put this dispute to the test. Not saying I'd win but I think that you would be fairly surprised to see the results...... Whenever you're down to do some experimenting count me in.....
Wait, just to clarify, a good day for me on the cow last summer drifting the pinky consisted of 10 - 15 fish PER DRIFT..... Yes, we fished out of a drift boat..... Just think: If I was to pound each hole multiple times (like the sledders) I'd be upping my odds tremendously. For a guy that boondoggs strait through and anchors up only occasionally I think 10 - 15 isn't so bad. Can't wait to pass through those hole 20 - 30 times in a sled. And you thought 20 was a good day
So when we going??????

Whoa..... I sounded a bit angry.... Not intended. This is the most fun I've had in a while on this BB...... I promise Keith - I aint mad atcha.....

Let's also remember that if we're talking about fishing the Lewis or the Cowlitz when the fish are really in, you can't really compare those numbers to anywhere else...fishing most places, four or five fish would be a good day.

You have to catch that many fish on those rivers, or it's just not worth the bumper boats and crowded launches. Makes me wonder why people do the June 1 bumper boats on the Skykomish...more fish, many more fish, more steelhead and more salmon, if you're down on the Lewis or Cowlitz. Maybe folks just don't want to drive, or really just want to fish the Sky, both of which I can understand completely.

That being said, even with confidence being a major factor in anyone's fishing, all other things being equal eggs are going to pretty much spank anything else.

The bonus of worms, of course, is that you don't need eggs to fish them. Less mess, less expense, and you can use them in selective gear areas.

Fish on...

Todd

Todd your dead wrong on this one!

Green Butt Skunk, wearing Pink Tutu.

Will out fish that any day!

This is bound to get interesting!!!!!
Where are the wagers?
Looks like I'm, say ------ a 175:1 underdog...

Hey,

Call me a gambler, but even though I think you'll lose, if someone will give me 175:1 odds, I'll put ten bucks on ya!

Fish on...

Todd

I'm a gambler to!

I'll give you 6:1 odds.... That's 6 for me 1 for you to win or better.... You think you can handle that??

Anyhow, there will be no excuses because you will be in the top boat with the best presentation there is out there for boondogging, ask anyone plus no one knows the lewis like me.... Also, I'll even put you on tidewater fish but again the unfortunate part for you is being the captain in boondogging my bait goes first.... Heck you can cork me all day and I'll still outfish ya... I'll even let you have first water with the 6:1 odds so long as you are not snagging up and spooking all the fish!!

Any takers??
Keith

stlhdr1

Todd and I play (not that way) with each other on the BB. I stop boondogging back in the late 80's after doing it for 15 years of it. I enjoy fly fishing now and give Todd/Jerry/DH/Aunty M a bad time.

Heck, I'll put $5.00 on Cutts just because I like a good bet.

We must have video of this competition! Live feed, cast by cast, preferred..:-)

MB

I'll take those odd just to get in stlhdr1's boat. If I admit defeat before we start can I use eggs?

LT

Hey Mike we have to get together and go fishing (I know I'm fly guy) but we fish the same water. We could talk about some stuff that is happen on the "S" rivers.

Homer,

I don't think you'd know a pink worm if one fell out of your tutu...

Keith,

If you guys have this big "competition", can Parker and I just sit in the back of the boat, fish eggs, drink beer, take pictures and videos, and make snide comments?

Fish on...

Todd

Even back in then olden days we had pink worms.

6:1, I'll take that..... That makes me look "somewhat" respectable.
To be fair, we must pick a neutral river. I vote for the Cowlitz....... Wait a minute----as long as this is a "free" ride, we can go wherever your heart desires my friend
Keep me posted
- Cuttie

Back off boat whores - I got this one locked up!

The competition will just be Stlhdr1 and FCTS. I will play "Bow Biatch" and just pick up what those two miss - which will be a *lot* of fish.

Naturally, I will also do the film/movie thing.

Personally, I'll probably just change things up a bit and use some Opher Prawns. Wouldn't surprise me a bit if I outfished both of them combined!

I don't need any favored odds when fishing with Stlhdr1.

How about the North Fork of the Stillaguamish?

Homer is right, the NF stilly, hows Dec. 1st work for ya homie?

LT

I was thinking June 1st

Damm LT you got me!

Homer - the drift from cicero to the forks may be real good in june. Those fishies may hold up down there a little more w/ this low water year.

Pink worm = 4" bunny leach.

Have you heard any news on the new launch that might go in around I-5. It would be nice to be able to hit the Million Dollar Mile again from a boat.

LT

LT

I can’t really talk about it, oh what **** about 200 yards below the I-5 bridge, this summer something might be done. It’s in the planning stage now. They are fixing the Trafton lauch site it will be done by summer of 2005.

LT we call that steelhead candy (leeches)

If the wormie doesn't produce, could I borrow some eggs? That's a joke.....

Homer - you just gave up my favorite spot on the river.

FCTS- Once I'm up 4 or 5 to zero you can fish your "own" eggs... Not the Ultimate Egg Cure... :p Then I'll still whoop ya 4:1 with that!!

Let's not forget a summer run is a summer run no matter where you go in this world, they all like the same thing.. The only thing that differs is just conditions, but "knowing" is the key to success no matter the river.

Yes I don't venture off the Lewis much, but why should I... I can count on one hand the times the boat has been skunked in the last 3 years. It's planted well and with low water conditions a lot of people are scared of the river, the shallow riffles and 7 foot wide spots that are 2" deep... Then when you have higher water years sure there are lots of people but it's rare to find someone who can read "big" water, so they miss all the fish anyhow...

When I do venture off the lewis into the smaller streams you're odds would get worse as far as I see it. One cast with eggs presented "properly" and it's over. Heck we've had 20-25 fish (summer run) days in water that was 200 cfs and 61 degrees... Good luck with your pink worm there! I could just see it hit the water and all the fish headed out the tailout....

Could I catch fish on a pink worm, Sure... But I like #'s (big #'s) and if I'm going to pay $2.50 a gallon right now I'm going to get the best bang for my buck!
Keith

I'll give it to ya on the 200 CFS thing. If that's the case your egg logic makes sense. You wouldn't see me throwing the wormie in those conditions. That is why I am proposing the "Battle of Blue Creek." If you're not worried about which river system we fish and are 100% confident in your ability to win this "battle" then why not? By June/July the Cow will probably be running somewhere between 2500 - 2900 or so...... That would give us equal odds wouldn't it? Or are you worried that in higher water that your arse will get spanked by four inches of plastic
The pink worm isn't ideal for ALL conditions. However, in a river that is flowing at a decent rate I am sticking to my guns that cuttie's wormie will outfish the eggs..... Gotta be fair here..... Am I worried or breaking down... Absolutely not.... But if you take me to aquarium like water with a flow of 200 CFS I will admit ---- you've got an edge.
May the best bait win!

Hey, Keith!

Why don't you guys run your sled all the way up the Wynoochee? It would be an interesting twist to the competition if you guys had to dodge bullets while casting between all the bumper boats!


Fish on...

Todd

They will get to fish, and I will get to play Bow Gunner.

"Get some! You want some, too? Get some!"



"Get some!"

"Parker, how can you shoot insane old women and flossers?"

"Easy! Don't lead them as much!"



"Get some!"

Cutty,
Are you kidding? Please say you are. 10-15 out of a driftboat? Is that straight boondoggin or anchoring too? If its straight boondoggin I gotta call bullsh** on that one. As an avid cow fisher last summer 10-15 were good numbers out of a sled...even for the guides. (Yeah I know Parker and Keith we're all a bunch of rooks ).
I guess when all the guides read this thread they'll be trading in their sleds for DB's and corkies/eggs for pink worms :rolleyes:

RL

PS When did summer steelheading turn into a bass tournemant?

Parker great quote from an all time favorite, Full Metal Jacket!

Anyhow Cutt, sure the Cow gets lots of fish but with higher water I've seen it many times where you have to wait in line to make a drift and I'll pass on that... Can I catch fish there, sure, no problem... I know there is a lot of water on the Cow to fish but I can't justify driving 1 hour to fish a river that has more pressure and nearly the same amount of fish... The lewis fishes exactly the same just a little lower, the water temps are nearly equal and same with water color... Heck I think you'd have a better advantage fishing the lewis as there will be less spooked fish from all the idiots running over the top of them...

You make the call, I can catch fish anywhere. But there is no reason to leave the lewis when double digits in consistent from June 15th on...
Keith

Keith,

parker's probably the kind of guy who'd break a guy's Loomis and not even have the common decency to give him a reacharound.

And we're just going to refer to Tony as "Private Pyle" from now on. I hear he keeps a jelly donut in his foot locker.

Rock,
That includes anchoring as well but mostly straight boondoggin. Remember, this is between 2 guys as well..... I can HONESTLY say that we averaged 10-15 fish per trip...... Did we land all of those fish? No.... But they were hooked.....
I can remember the best day we had last year was 17 fish between the two of us (10 were mine ). Yes, we fished hard but to be honest, most of the hook ups occured while boondoggin. Why do you think I'm so passionate about the worm's effectiveness? Call BS if you want but thats the honest truth.....
Cutte

OK....This I HAVE to see for myself. Drop me an email or PM in June...you got a seat in my boat. If you put up those kinds of numbers .... Ill bow down to Cutty and the pink worm, no questions asked.

Tight Lines
RL

OK so the Cowlitz is likely loaded with fish.. All this is making me wierd out a bit, to tell you the truth. To have someone so persistent about a WORM!! Will I ever switch no, but when I have crackers aboard it would be nice to just rig them up old stinky pinky and never have to bait them....

It will be a interesting trip, but I'll stick to my odds 6:1.... I don't know how you'd get close to that....
Keith

Hey Dan,

I think I'd REALLY be worryin' if all of a sudden you started hearing "Me so horny... Me love you long time!"

As I know you know, there's a lot to confidence in what you fish with and expirence with your gear. I suspect both you and Cuttie do just fine. But . . . an egg tosser should NOT be calling my pet worms stinky. At least the worms don't turn your rod handle into a mess of pink goo that makes it look like you killed a racoon with it. And, my worms smell downright purty compared to a mess of dead fish guts.

Ok enoughn jibberish I think to make this a fair battle a neutral boat with a neutral skipper would be more realistict therefore I will offer up may services and sled just to put this to rest !!! rods ready ,cast!!!PEACE

Fastwater, one thing I'd love to do is run into a non-guide fisherman that has a sled that I could feel confident with... I mean confident in the actual presentation. Other than casting and putting bait on your hook, it's the captains duties to put you into fish and keep you in them yet not on top of them... I could tell you in 2 drifts whether or not you are one of these people I'm talking about.... I only know one guy that runs a boat good enough for me to feel comfortable off the tiller, but he's a x guide...

Presentation is so important for big # fish days... That's why I have a tough time giving up the tiller.

Keith

Ask anybody that knows me I get my fish plus a few as you just said it is not just your bait!!!

What sort of sled do you run, motor size and how big??
Keith

16ft. superlite with a 90, had five summers to the boat yesterday in the cow not a bad day considering I only saw two others caught all day!!!!PEACE

Hey, FCTS, Stlhdr1 gave you a 6-1 favor and you're still trying to hide at Blue Creek?

The summer flows of the Lewis don't favor one over the other. Not too sure where this "200 CFS" keeps coming up from. Try 1200 CFS. Even at that, the Lewis is plenty big enough for a plastic, let alone a bait.

Show up on the Lewis and let's see what the worm can do. If you get spanked, you can always schedule a re-match.

Heck, at 6-1 odds, all you gotta do is floss a couple of steelies with the pink worm and Stlhdr1 is a hurting unit!

Double Heck - at 6-1 odds, I bet *I* could outfish Stlhdr1!

I like the confidence of Cutts and Sthd1. I'd say pick a somewhat neutral river, because Sthd1 knows every rock on the Lewis and Cutts proabably the same for the Cow, So i say Skykomish! Last week of June, you got prime time kings and summers movin in pods.... Water will be at medium height, snow runoff stil hangin on, transleucent green, kings rolling in back eddies, chrome summers in all the usual slots...
Pink worm would work perfect in those conditions and obviously eggs too.

Everything even, let the best presentation win??????

I heard rumor that FCTS has some special hybrid worms that are full of egg scent

Oh, yeah?

Well I hear Keith has special eggs that he injects with worm scent, too!



This is gettin' pretty serious...I hope every one has fun when it all comes down to the big competition!

Fish on...

Todd

I wouldn't give my grandma 6:1 odds. Any old grapefruit in the boat oughta be able to hook 3 or 4 steelhead if there are decent numbers of fish in the river.

That leaves Keith striving for 18-24 fish himself.

I might even take those odds with a plain old corkie.

Not that I'd bet agaianst Keith normally.........but at 6:1, that's a steep hill to climb.

I'm in....
Now we just gotta find a date... In Hawaii from June 20 to July 6, but home all summer after that.
Parker,
That 1200 CFS sounds much better than 200..... I obviously know nothing about summer flows on the Lewis.
Wherever the fishing occurs, I am tremendously excited and look forward to meeting some other fine fishermen....
Cuttie

It don't matter to me when we do it... But at this time there aren't a ton of fish in the lewis yet. I was out Monday eve (3 hours) and we hooked 3 summer fish but that's a far cry from the norm... Seems to be a lot of big steelhead so far as the one I boated was 14 lbs, another nice 3 salt fish. I'd say 2 more weeks and it will be on fire, if not then we got problems... Anytime after that and it's on.

I'm going to turn old Cuttie into a egg whore, no doubt!!
Keith

How does the second week of July sound? I've got some odd jobs lined up for the summer but I could certainly swing a date if I know in advance. Weekdays are fine for me as well in the summer..... You pick the date, I'll bring the bait.... For me, anyhow.....
Cuttie

Second week of July will be fine for me, I pretty much fish every week anyhow.... Let me know the exact day of the week and we'll notify Parker... Then we can go put it all to the test...
Keith

Conditions would be the key for sure,but after spending a day In keiths boat,I think he could catch good numbers anywhere.
just because he knows the Lewis very well,He can read water .........thats the key.If he didn't hook one on the first pass,he wouldn't miss the next time.
6-1 odds in low summer conditons still favor Keith.
Now.... if we were takin Jigs,
those odds are way too high.

still waitin for my invite Keith.......Os

TTT

Alright let's get the big challenge going! In one corner we have Stlhdr1 and in the other corner FCTS. We all want this to happen.

Yep, what's going on with the big worm vs. eggs shootout? We're waiting!