Like I said, I love the worm. You know, the red ugly guy that resembles a bucket sitter’s specialty. You give me a lake or pond, I will give you the worm. You give me a brawling river cloudy with run-off, I will give you the worm. You give a crystal clear spring creek, I will give you the worm.
I don’t understand why such a negative vibe comes from such a versatile fly, but by just writing this, someone will be taking me off their Christmas card list.
Anybody else love the worm?
“Harrumph” It is so deadly it should be outlawed. In fact, in some places it is!
No disrespect please, but trout and just about any fish will suck down a worm and it really is hard to release them without hurting them, if they are undersized or just plain C&R.
In fact, I don’t think it is very hard to convince a trout that a ‘worm is a worm.’ And a fly stays on my hook better too.
Oh, the San Juan Worm;;; never mind.
Loufly,
Yep, I too love the San Juan Worm and the many variations that have spun off from it. There have been times, like on the North Platte River in Wyoming, when it was the only fly the fish wanted. So we gave it to them and they responded back with jumps and runs that still make me smile when I think about it.
On the Yakima River, when we use SJW they are mostly red SJW but hot pink and even purple SJW work very well.
On every river I have fished, the guides always have some SJW in their arsenal and we frequently use them.
As you indicated, there are also many lakes where the SJW is a great fly. Last weekend I fished Lone Lake on Whidbey Island in Washington State. The fish were feeding on Chronnies and their stomachs were full of inch long red SJW type Chronnies.
Larry —sagefisher—
You mean like this , Larry?
All right, YOU ASKED FOR IT! Now I am really going to LET YOU HAVE IT! If you are going to descend into this deep, dark abyss with me you better go to the following pattern so you can DO IT RIGHT:
http://www.flytyingworld.com/PagesF/fredbridge.htm#The%20Infamous%20Pink%20Worm
Got that BUB?!:D;)
Duckster,
Aren’t those chronimd pupa?
As for ‘real’ worms, they are a fantastic fish catching bait.
I spent many years fishing exclusively with live nightcrawlers for largemouth bass.
Done properly, it requires skills and technique just like any other effective angling method.
Kills trout unless you are really good and can set the hook before the fish swallows the worm (tough to do it moving water). Bass aren’t so bad, their take is much easier to detect so you can hit them faster.
You can make a ‘more action and simpler to tie’ alternative to the smaller SJMs with a small length of round rubber tied onto a hook with just a couple of wraps of a matching thread. In the 18 to 22 sizes it’s deadly. Don’t spread it around much, but if you really want to catch a bunch of the big bluegills in the winter or early spring, then try fishing this fly behind a small split shot. The big 'gills like how this fly falls…caught lots of 9 to 14 inch fish with it in our clear water desert lakes…
Good Luck!
Buddy
Buddy, yep, but I was just responding/adding to … Larry’s post.
I have found too, that some fish will take the “worm” deeply, but I also find that when a fish takes a fly with any kind of intent, it has the tendency to hook itself other than in the lip. I see this a lot with egg patterns and bait fish patterns. If, in your experience, fish suck in the worm too deep by all means don’t use it. The fly I have the biggest trouble with is a good leech pattern. The fish I target are aggressive and I find myself having to gently pull hooks out of their gills so for the most part I have stopped using them. That is my pat on my back for the day.
If you are having trouble with deep hooking fish it might be worth your time/effort to find a circle hook in the proper size and try tying a few flies on them. Circle hooks work by sliding out of the fishes mouth to the lips before they catch. Even if the fish completely swallows the bait. Remarkably effective, very high hook up percentage and 99% of the time the hook ends up right in the corner of the fish’s mouth. It might take a little time to get used to the idea of not setting the hook on the fish (hooking fish with a circle requires slight steady pressure, and a minimal hookset), but I think it would be worth a try. I first tried them 5-6 years ago when live bait fishing for catfish and found them to be so effective that I now use them whenever I get the chance.
If it works it would be better than changing to a less effective pattern to avoid injuring fish.
Fish
Ducksterman,
Yep, just like that, nice big Chronnie pupas.
I do not have a problem with the trout sucking these down deep, they are usually hooked on the lip or upper mouth. I also tie a variation called a Gaff that is tied on an English Bait Hook, size 2 to 8. Fish do not swallow those but they sure do take them. I even caught a Whitefish on a size 4 Gaff. I tie those in red or pink or purple.
Larry —sagefisher—
Ohhhhh, yeah…That’s the one.
I thought you meant this worm:
http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/671310.html
Now thats my kind of worm. Half of the fun is just getting to it
Bill