So, register me as a worm abuser! I would rather fish with worms and sophisticated floats than anything else. Fifty years of fishy experience convince me that worm flavors do not matter — any worm is better than no worm! I have used red worms for trout, six-inch nightcrawlers for bass, and four to six inch long sand and mud worms for a variety of maritime species. If I could get my hands on one of the African worms that reportedly grows six feet long I would use that for muskies. For the gourmet reader I should note that I ate worms in survival school; they do not taste like chicken — think "liver spaghetti."
Granted, the practice of impaling worms on the usual 6X long shank nook isn't. However, once worms are either threaded on the hook, or lightly hooked once, you are in piscatorial business for most fish that swim in fresh or salt water. Do not, of course, glob worms on your hook. As with any live bait, take the time to drop a sample bait into a glass of water to see how it wiggles, creeps or swims and try for that effect when you hook your bait. In most cases very light wire hooks in smaller sizes and minimum weights improve results.
Kids do well with worms and simple cane poles.
I favor British-type floats above all others as the smaller floats let you know immediately when you get a bite so you can set the hook. Big round red and white floats do not allow this! Besides more action, you can easily release more fish because you lip hook most of the fish early. It's also worth noting that the British have a special rig — the hair rig — that separates baits from hooks to ensure lip hooking. We will cover this another time. We will also cover the use of floating air-injected worms later too.
No matter what rig you use, fresh, lively worms key results. I buy some and raise others in the vegetable beds in the backyard. During the winter when the ground freezes, I keep worms in a box of damp peat moss — this tightens them up nicely — and feed a little corn meal from time to time. I must also confess to a bait fridge in the garage. My wife does not like opening unmarked containers to find things like crickets, mealies — don't ask — or grasshoppers.
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