Worms are undoubtedly one of the most natural and reliable baits that you can use to catch trout. You can either buy them in your local tackle store or you can collect them yourself in suitable soil. Trout worms made from plastic are a great alternative.
Natural worms however have one major drawback and that is you must buy them fresh and keep them alive if you have some left over after fishing.
This can be a bit of a pain especially if you are going fishing on the drop of a hat or if water conditions change quickly to suit them, plus your local tackle store may be out of stock or closed just when you need them.
Plastic worms for trout fishing however solve these logistical issues. You can keep them in your tackle box ready for use at a moments notice and they have a pretty long shelf life so they can be bought in bulk long before you run out.
They can also be rigged up pretty easily so they can be a great way to introduce kids to baits for trout fishing.
The other advantage is that they are a lot stronger than natural worms or night crawlers and can be reused many times.
Plastic Worms
What are best plastic worms for trout?
The best plastic worms for trout are generally:
- 3 Inches in length
- Usually float
- Artificially scented
- Straight tailed
- Color must match the water conditions
Plastic worms for trout fishing are pretty simple they provide all of the catching potential of natural worms with out any of the mess or inconvenience. There are not exactly the most glamorous lure or even remotely authentic but they do work.
In terms of commercial brands Berkley are the most popular plastic worm producer in the USA and have a great range of colors and both floating and sinking worms.
Plastic worms have been used in bass fishing circles to great effect for a long time. For some reason trout fishermen have been a little slow to catch on to just how effect these little worms can be for trout. The fairly natural action and scientifically developed artificial scent are a winning combination when it comes to tempting trout to feed.
Selecting a Worm
A general rule of thumb for fishing trout worms is that the more clearer the water the pickier the trout will be and thus you should stick to the more natural colors.
- Color
The color of worm that you choose has a huge impact on how well it will perform. For stocked fish pink is best. For brown trout the more natural colors suit so brown, grey or sometimes white, but pink can also do well. - Size
Generally you don’t want to go much over 3 inches when using a trout worm although it can be fine to trim the worm down into smaller sizes to suit your venue and the size of fish that you are targeting.
When fishing a stretch of water that trout are feeding on minnows or crane fly larvae white plastic worms can be very effective. If you are fishing on small streams that naturally have worms washed into them from the banks by rain then red or a more natural brown will work best.
Worm Types
You can purchase worms with either a straight or curly tail. I think the straight tail is by far the better of the two. It has a much more natural action and it because of that the presentation in the water will be a lot better.
Hook Types
Personally I would never go above a size 8 single barbed hook when using trout worms and down as low as an 18 if necessary. Generally I would favor an Owner’s Mosquito Hook in size 10 they aren’t as hardy as some other hooks but they are very sharp and importantly light in weight.
The simplest technique for fishing trout worms is to cast across the current in front of holes or near eddy’s. These are the places that trout will generally lie in wait for natural food particles to drift towards them.
Without using any weight of swivels you will get the most natural action but you can’t really cast too far with this setup. You would generally want to use a light spinning setup.
The Wacky Rig
If needs be you can add some small split shot to the line several feet from the hook in order to get the trout worm down deeper but just be aware this can give an unnatural presentation to the worm.
There are more ways to rig a plastic worm for trout fishing that can improve your presentation and success rate. The Wacky rig usually has the hook stuck through the middle of the worm.
The Carolina Rig
The Carolina Rig has been around for a long time in the bass fishing scene. It is a perfect tactic for fishing trout worms in rivers and lakes.
What you will need:
- Leader in 4lb strength: Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon
- Small swivel: Spro Power Swivel size 10
- Beads: Eagle Claw Lazer Red
- Hook: Owner Mosquito size 10
- Small split shot: Water Gremlin split shot
The length of the leader to use will be governed by how deep you will be fishing. Tie your hook to one end of the leader. Then take a couple of glass beads and thread them onto you rod line.
Next tie the swivel onto the rod line, then tie the other side of the swivel to the loose end of the leader. You can then pinch some weights onto the rod line a couple of feet after the glass beads.
Alternatively you can use a slip sinker: Water Gremlin Low Profile Slip-Sinker. A slip sinker is probably best in slow moving water whereas the split shot if best in faster moving water.