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3 Plastic Worm Rigs to Help You Catch More Steelhead

February 25, 2015 By JD 4 Comments

steelhead-and-worm
Steelhead love plastic worms! While there lots of ways you can fish ’em, these three rigs have been hot all up and down the coast this season.

1. Bobber & Worm Jig


For the beginning steelheader, this rig is a great place to start. Very few moving parts and it’s deadly effective! Fish it on a dead-drift and set the float so that the worm is about a foot off the bottom.

I typically use a fixed balsa float like the Thill Turbomaster, a 1/8-ounce jig headhead and a 4″ Mad River Steelhead Worm.

Standard pink is a good all-around worm color color, but the one pictured above is called the “Nightmare” pattern and it is a killer in low, clear water! For this rig, spinning gear is the way to go because its so light.

2. Jet Diver Rig


If you have a boat, back trolling a worm behind a diver (just like you would a plug) is an awesome way to hook steelhead. For several seasons in a row, this is the only rig I guided with for winter steelhead.

Let it out 40-70 feet behind the boat and slowly slip downstream at a pace that’s about half the current’s speed. There are three types of bites on a back trolled worm: The “tap-tap-tap” style, which is often (but not always a smaller fish). Then, you have the two-stager that starts with a solid thump, followed by a pause and then the rod doubles over. And finally, my personal favorite: The “suicide bite” in which the fish grabs the worm and then makes a crazy headlong dash for the sea while you try to hang on.

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Pictured is a 4-inch Mad River worm, but you can drop down to the smaller 3-inch size in super clear water or go up to a 6 incher on big water. Late season big wild bucks are particularly fond of a big pink worm. You can go with a Corkie, Spin-N-Glo or Hard Fish Pill ahead of the worm to give it extra color and buoyancy – or use a floating worm instead.

I generally run a 4- to 6-foot leader down to the worm and an 8- to 16-inch dropper line to the diver. Speaking of divers, you can use size 10 or 20 Luhr Jensen Jet Divers, or go with a Brad’s Bait Diver.

3. Bobber Dog Worm Rig


Here’s one you can use from shore or a boat – the Bobber Dog Worm Rig! For this setup, run a slider or “slip” float like a Clear Drift (pictured), or Beau Mac Float. I generally run a 1/2- to 3/4-ounce model, depending on the size and flow of the river and how much lead I need to get down.

Slinky sinkers work well for this technique as they are very snag resistant. Add a 4- to 6-inch worm and you are in business. For this rig, I ran the worm upside down or “half wacky” style to give it some extra action. You can also thread a worm straight onto the leader like in the Diver rig above. In this case, I have a Hard Fish Pill on the line between the worm and hook to add a little more flotation.

My Favorite Steelhead Fishing Gear

In traditional float fishing (as with the jig and bobber method mentioned earlier), you fish the lure suspended off the bottom. But the Bobber Dog rig is different in that you want your sinker to tap the bottom the whole time. So, set your bobber stop to a depth that’s at least a few feet deeper than the water you are fishing. This is like a drift fishing/bobber fishing hybrid and it can be really effective because your gear is always down in the strike zone.

Give these rigs a try the next time you hit the river. Stay tuned because I’ll be posting more rigs and tips soon!

More Steelhead Techniques

Filed Under: Best of FishwithJD, Steelhead, Techniques Tagged With: bobber, featured, How-to, jet diver, plastic worm, rigs, Steelhead

Salmon & Steelhead Plugs: Don’t Set That Hook!

December 4, 2014 By JD 1 Comment

A little clip from a recent episode of Scott Leysath’s “The Sporting Chef” TV show…

More Salmon Techniques

Filed Under: Salmon Tagged With: plugs, river fishing, Salmon

How to Cure Roe for Salmon and Steelhead Fishing

October 21, 2014 By JD 12 Comments

how-to-cure-roe
Here’s a fun little exercise in futility: Ask a salmon angler what’s in his favorite cure. First, you’ll get a blank stare, followed by some incoherent mumbling and then a very deliberate attempt to change the subject – it’s almost as if you’re talking to a politician about illegal campaign contributions. Guys get very protective of their cures and it’s usually one of those don’t ask type of deals. It’s a dead end!

Luckily, there are plenty of commercially produced cures on the market that produce excellent baits. Pro Cure, Pro Glow, Shur-Cure and Pautzke’s Fire Cure  are all excellent choices, though my favorite ready-made cure for salmon is Atlas-Mikes Shake & Cure.  You really can’t go wrong with any of those. Each brand has it’s own suggested curing method so all you have to do is follow the directions on the side of the container and you’re in business.

Ultimate Guide to Steelhead Bank Fishing

If you want to really keep it basic,there are some new liquid cures out there that all you have to do is pour some over your bait and… Presto…in several hours, you have cured roe! Read my article on how to do that HERE  If you want to go ahead and try making your own cure, read on…

Click here to read more…

Filed Under: Salmon, Steelhead Tagged With: bait, curing, roe, Salmon, Steelhead

How to connect braided line to mono: The Double Uni Knot

August 21, 2014 By JD 2 Comments

I use this all the time to connect my braided mainline to my mono or fluorocarbon leaders: The Uni Knot. It takes a little practice, but it is easy once you get the hang of it!

Filed Under: Bass, Salmon, Steelhead, Stripers, Sturgeon, Techniques Tagged With: braided line, double uni knot, How-to, leader

How to: SF Bay Halibut Trolling

August 13, 2014 By JD Leave a Comment

It’s kind of an old school video, but there’s some good stuff in there…

Filed Under: Saltwater, Techniques Tagged With: halibut, san francisco bay, trolling

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