Fishing the Worm For Salmon - Worming Your Way to Success!

Fishing the Worm For Salmon

Where the rules allow fishing the worm and the lure are effective, skilful methods for salmon. You shouldn’t be a one trick pony and there are many salmon rivers throughout Scotland that quite simply aren’t conducive to fly fishing. Rivers with sluggish slow current that won’t give life to a fly, big water pushing through that makes your pattern ineffective and those small rivers with overhanging trees where casting is nigh on impossible. These places may have excellent runs of salmon, but they call for a different approach and skills to fish them properly.

Worming is a versatile method that's particularly suitable for flooded, coloured rivers, you can use a variety of worms but a lobworm is probably the best choice from the tackle shops. If you can put your back into it you could dig up some precious bristly Blackheads. Make sure you toughen them up by keeping them in some moss overnight and they're a superb hookbait that Salmon can't resist.  

RIGGING: Fish a few of worms on the hook but don’t obscure the hook point, use a bouncing betty, a snake lead or some split shot tied on a weak link to a swivel with a 24in hooklink below. This means if the weight gets snagged you shouldn’t lose the fish as the weight will come loose in the snag and the fish stays attached to your line.

Worming Setup

Rig Setup List Click Here to view all.

• Mustad Rolling Swivel
• Dinsmore Split Shot
• Kamasan K60 Hooks
  
• Kamasasn B980 Hooks
• Kamasan B982 Hooks
• Maxima Mono
• Bouncing Betties
• Tube Weight
• Snag Free Weights

The beauty of a Bouncing Betty is that it travels over the boulders and rocks – actually tip-toeing its way along the bottom, much the same way a rubber ball does. It’s a great way to avoid snagging and creates a very steady rhythmic drift down the stream.

Be careful in choosing the size of your weight to suit the river conditions you might need to lighten the rig by replacing the betty with a couple of split shot or even free lining the worm. We recommend a softer actioned rod so that you can flick out light baits a decent distance, combined with a sensitive tip for bite detection and enough power in the butt to deal with big fish properly.

Realistically any 9/10/11 foot spinning rod with a casting weight under 35g will do, there are also numerous avon/specimen rods and Scandinavian Seatrout specials. 

An alternative setup uses a Drennan Piker No1 or No2 Float or similar Pike Float cocked with a drilled bullet weight to match. Set the depth and work the worm through the flow, keeping a sharp eye on the the float for any pauses or dips as it moves along the river.

It is very important to keep the bait moving when worming and to explore as much water as you can. Read the water and fish all the likely lies. Avoid anchoring your bait on the spot – always keep it moving with the current and think of where a Salmon might be holding up before the next leg of their journey.

• Behind boulders
• Groynes, eddies and channels in the stream
• In close to the bank where the fish can rest up 
• Pay attention to the necks of pools and in deep runs where the current is fast and well-oxygenated

Takes when worming are usually a series of short sharp taps. If you hold the line by the reel with a finger you can feel what’s going on through the rod tip. Takes can be timid, don’t wait too long though – to save deep hooking - and set the hook with a firm strike.