In my experience, most anglers don't know how to fish a live worm. Oh sure, they can take a number 4 hook ties it onto thread line and "thread" a worm onto said hook, but this is NOT the way to present a live worm. This is how children and people who don't catch many fish of consequence present a live worm. The way to effectively fish a live worm is through the use of gang hooks. What are gang hooks you ask? Gang hooks are simply a pair of small hooks tied in tandem (for live worm fishing I suggest size 8 or 10).

With a pair of hooks tied in tandem, the angler is able to present said worm in a completely natural manner. Gang hooks eliminate live worms being "threaded" onto a hook that's much too large. They also eliminate the dreaded:"worm ball". A "worm ball" is created when an angler hooks a worm over and over again, thus creating a "ball". Gang hooks enable the angler to present a live worm naturally, which results in more bites. If night crawlers are being used, simply pinch the worm in half.

So how do you get a hold of these gang hooks? Simple, with a little research on knots, you can tie them yourself or you can purchase them from somewhere like JRWfishing, it makes no difference. The point is that they need to be employed if you spend any time fishing with live worms. Couple gang hooks with the use of a bait bag to carry your live worms, and you're in good shape. I've heard it said that 10% of fishermen catch 90% of the fish. Why do you suppose this is? Why is there such a discrepancy between anglers and the fish being caught?

There is such a discrepancy because of simple things like the way live worms are presented. If the bait that you're fishing with looks like a "worm ball" and the bait that I'm fishing with looks totally natural, which of us do you think will catch more fish? There is also a discrepancy because 10% of the anglers spend time learning and implementing new tactics to improve there catch rates, while the other 90% don't bother. It's always a good idea to learn new things.

The way to effectively fish a live worm is through the use of gang hooks. The bottom line is that if you fish with live worms, gang hooks should be employed, it's as simple as that. Steven Wright once said of us angler, "There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore looking like an idiot." I couldn't agree more, and hopefully this tip will help you avoid the latter part of that quote.

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