If you fancy doing something a little different this season, I recommend a day jigging worms. All you need is a rod, a landing net, worms, and a bag with your tackle. Then spend a day walking around a lake, down a river, or along a canal. There is something magical about fishing like this. You can leave that shedload of tackle at home, get back to basics, and have some fun. The bonus is it doesn’t have to cost you anything if you collect your own worms.
What makes jigging with worms so much fun is that you can catch any species with the method. There isn’t a freshwater fish in the world that doesn’t love to eat worms. On one of my most memorable days, I managed to catch seven species in one session.
ROD & REEL
The gear is really simple and an 8ft 5-25gram spinning road. I use a £35.00 8′ 5-25g OKUMA Wave Power. They are great value for money and don’t break the bank. They are so versatile you can dropshot, jig and lure fish with them. The rod is coupled with a Dawia Ninja 2000A reel loaded with 15lb braid and 10 feet of 12lb fluorocarbon leader.
JIGHEADS
There are a million jig heads on the market and can be a minefield for the beginner. After a lot of trial and error I have found the Savage Gear Micro Dart jig heads are perfect for jigging worms, either reds and dendrobaena.
They are made with a small blob on the hook shank which helps secure the worms and lures. They come in three sizes; 0.8g, 1.2g and 2.0g. For Lobworms I up the hook size and weight to a FOX Rage Micro BULLET Jig Head. They come in a good selection of sizes from 2g to 6g.
BAIT
If you are targeting bigger fish then I would take about 50 Lobworms for a 8 hour session. If you trying to catch anything that swims then I usually take half a kilo of Dedrobaenas. If you need to step the gear down then take redworms and use the small jig heads. You’ll still get the big fish. I’ve had Pike up to 8lb on a size 8 hook with a redworm.
You will find that the worm tail that dangles off the shank gets smash up quite often thus the reason for all the bait. The good thing about worm is that you can take them home and keep them for your next trip.
To hook the worms simply thread the first part of the worm round the bend of the hook until you can’t get any more on. The the combination of the jig head and real worm gives is second to none. Try it in the edge and see for your self. It will give you a good idea what is happening when you are retrieving.
FINDING THE FISH
As with all lure fishing or jigging worms you will want to methodically cast around your swim. Look for far bank features, culverts, boats and deeper holes. Quite often you will cast over the far side of the canal and the fish will chase it all the way across before hitting it.
The method will chuck up a whole array of species from tiny Pike, Tench, Chub and Gudgeon.
If you enjoy fishing with worms the check out this article Catch lots of Perch for under £4
To have worms delivered to your home you can try Willy Worms
