One of the most enjoyable places to catch a fish is in a river, heck if I had my way there is no there place that I would prefer to catch a fish, and below I will outline how to fish in a river with a worm. This specific technique was taught to me more than twenty years ago by my best friends' father James Richard Widman (who initials might look familiar?) and it's a technique that I continue to use to catch all manners of freshwater fish from rainbow and cutthroat trout to large and small mouth bass and many species in between to this day.

The technique, which my friends father called drift fishing is nothing proprietary, he simply "downsized" the technique that he used when fishing for salmon and steelhead and utilized live worms as bait instead, making the perfect technique to use when wading and fishing in a river. The basics of the technique are this: throw your worm parallel to the place that you are standing in the river, close the bail of your reel, and allow the worm to "drift" naturally with the current of the river.

Now I will explain the specifics of how to fish in a river with a worm using this technique. First you want to make sure that you are utilizing a fishing rod, reel, and line that are all as light as possible. The simplest way to accomplish this is to utilize ultralight gear and fishing line that is two, four, or six pound test and nothing heavier. Why do we want to use such light gear when we are fishing in a river with a worm? Number one the heavier your fishing line is the more visible it is to the fish that you are attempting to catch and number two because ultralight gear provides you with a much more challenging and enjoyable fishing experience.

Now that we have the correct gear, the next order of business is the way in which we rig the worm that is going to be used as bait. Many anglers overlook the way in which they hook a worm for fishing and this is a big mistake. It's not a simple as just tying on a fishing hook and baiting that hook with a worm. Rather a type of fishing hooks known as "gang hooks" needs to be employed. Gang hooks are simply a pair of small fishing hooks that have been tied back to back, which enables a worm to be presented as bait in a totally natural way, which means that you will receive more bites from hungry fish.

So, how exactly do we rig up to fish a worm in a river? Begin by grabbing the end of your line and tying on a small swivel (I have always preferred barrel swivels). On the opposite end of the swivel, tie on a set of pre-tied gang hooks. Now weight needs to be added to your line above the swivel either by adding split shot sinkers or wrapping tape lead (this can be found in the golf department of any box store) around your line. The goal here is to add enough weight so that your worm "ticks" along the bottom of the river as it drifts with the current. Obviously trial and error is necessary to determine the optimum amount of weight and receive the "perfect drift". Once the correct weight is achieved for the current flow in the river that you are fishing, make a mental note in case you get hung up, and have to re-tie.

Now that you are rigged up and have your amount of weight determined, the fishing can begin. This is how to fish in a river with a worm. Start by casting parallel to where you are standing in the river. When the weight and worm hit the water, close the bail of your reel and raise the tip of your rod. As the worm begins to drift, follow the worm with the tip of your rod, doing you best to keep your line as taught as possible at all times. When your worm is directly downstream of where you are standing the drift is over and it's time to reel in and re-cast. Repeat this process as you worm your way down river.

Keep in mind that varying the distance of your cast and the place where you are standing in the river will both change the way in which your worm is drifting and will often trigger bites from hungry fish. Although difficult in the beginning, determining the difference between the bottom and a bite can be a challenge, as you gain experience with the technique it becomes much easier. The bottom line is that this is how to fish in a river with a worm and is a technique that should be a part of every serious fisherman's arsenal.

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing a website focused on river and stream fishing with a focus on fishing for trout. He has more than 25 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and has spent much of that time fishing in small rivers and streams.

Extremely Effective Worm Rigs - http://www.jrwfishing.com/baitrigs.asp

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