Thinking of fishing the pink worm on Nates this year as it looks so stinking effective at nailing fish, BIG FISH. But, with that hook 3/4 of the way down the worm, I really don't want to gill hook fish I'm looking to release. So help this worm virgin out, I understand they really slam them, but do they take them deep too??......C/22

Go barbless and don't worry about it and hold on for some fun. I think your chances of gill hooking are way low. All the fish I've got with the pink have been in the mouth so I wouldn't worry to much or you won't want to use them at all, just go for it.

A hook 3/4 the way down the worm???? Try at the very end of the worm.



Never seen a gut-shot worm in a fish yet.

Most of the time, the worm ends up like this, with the hook in the corner of the mouth.



Personally, I wouldn't lose any sleep over this non-issue.

See parker ain't worried about it so why should anyone else be :-)

How do you think the steelie attacks the worm, side-shot, from behind,...or?? Thats great you got it in jaw parker but how many have you got on the PW???

What size hooks do you usually use on the 4inch and 6 inch worms? And what are some of your favorite worms?

I don't think you have to worry about a fish taking a worm too deep, your usually right on the fish float fishing anyways. So if the fish were to chew on it they would have little time.

PW? ah, pink worm. I'm a little slow this am.

Uh, many. More than 20, less than a hundred. Some number in between. Enough to see what happens when a fish whacks a pink worm. :rolleyes:

Oh yeah, these PW's are all drifted and none have been under a float.

The only foul hooking I've seen with the pink worm is when the fish hits the worm higher up on the worm. As you set the hook on the fish, you'll kiss the fish on the chin with the hook.

Of those though, that happens probably 10% of the time. The other 90 are all in square in the jaw.

Every pink worm fish we have ever caught was in the corner of the mouth. They don’t take them deep, at least if drift fishing them or side drifting them. Now if you were using them behind a diver that might be a different story.

I think you have less chance of hurting a Nate with a pink worm then you would if using a Tadpolly with a Siwash hook.

Chris, that avatar ROCKS. I'd like to do that to my mother-in-law.

Ok, this is to the crux of the matter. I do plan on bait-diving the PW off a hot n tot with a barbless 1/0-2/0 hook on a 15 lb leader. Guess I should have said that at the start, I think they might piss off Ike more than a wiggle-wart or a tad. I just want to C&R more fish this year, without hurting any....C/22

Chrome/22, I have fished them many a time behind a diver/ hot-n-tot and have never had a worm taken deeply. As mentioned earlier if you are fishing for nates use a barbless hook just as a matter of course.

I rig it just like Parker and had never had a problem. Steelhead seem to really hit these hard, so I think its easy to set the hook before they swallow it.

I think the only ethical question regarding using pink worms for native winter run steelhead is the cruelty factor...cruelty to the worm.

They really knock the piss out of 'em!

I'm with Parker (more than 20, less than 100), and almost every one has been hooked in the corner of the mouth, with a couple in the snout.

They don't sit there and chew on 'em like a piece of bait...they try to kill it with all their might, and usually take it on the run at a high rate of attack speed, and end up hooked firmly in the corner of the mouth.

Remember, though...pink worms with impregnated scent count as bait in selective gear waters (i.e., no bait, barbless single hooks only)...so if you're fishing those areas, make sure you use the unscented varieties.

Fish on...

Todd

Todd, thanks for the heads-up on the scented PW's I whouldn't have guessed that one. BTW Todd, Do any good today? I fished 2 hours went thru 1/2 my box of jigs and zippo, vis was about 5" when I split. Talked to 1 guy who took a 5 lb brat at 9am on the reel-up about 10' from the rod tip....C/22

c/22,

No steelhead...no visibility by about 9 or 9:30...packed up the boat and headed to a small, out of the way stream...and caught a bunch of silvers, some very, very fresh looking fish.

Fish on...

Todd

Jeeez, you and that ***** Parker working over all the chrome December salmon. Whats up with that?? Don't you all know its brat season.....C/22

Seen who knows how many caught on them, 99% drifted. Can't hink of any deep, an oddball here and there popped outside the mouth somewhere, usually on chin ... seem toi have little trouble with them. Normally, we're running 2/0 barbless in the areas I fish them a lot.

nothing like the yank on a pink worm when people ask me how will I know if I'm getting a bite I say just don't let go of the rod,yank,yank,yank!!!PEACE ON EARTH

While side drifting low clear water I have watched steelhead pick up the worm, shake the %*&# out of it and then spit it out, this has been with and without a float. Both ways there was no sign of the bite, the float never moved, nor did the line or rod tip indicate anything picked up the worm. After seeing this happen a few times, I changed to a 2 hook (#4) rig where legal and a shorter worm. After this change I hooked even more fish on pink worms. I have never had one take it deep, it seems like they would rather kill it, than eat it. I use an underwater video camera frequently when fishing in fresh and saltwater, just like Charlie White said years ago, you would be amazed at how many fish take your hook in their mouths and you never know it.