Newbie question about hooking a worm

[peter3006]

lol Hi all,

dont flame me for asking this question, but....

What is the best way to hook a worm?

Reason I am asking is that I found a lot of the time I get bites, but dont catch the fish on the hook.
So I think I might be doing something wrong here.
For instance the other night, I caught 9 whitings but missed bites of about 6 or 7 as well.
So thats fishing at just over 50% "success-rate", if you get my drift

Thanks in advance,

Peter

[chazyboi]

thread them up the hook head first then tip with piece of sqiud

[Bluesbro]

Best way to hook a worm mate is to buy a baiting needle. One end of the needle will have a hole in it and the other will be at a point. You should hang the worm between your finger and thumb to get it to straighten out and then push the point of the needle through the tail of the worm and out of the head without breaking out the sides. Once the worm is on the needle you then put the point of the hook into the hole of the needle and pull the line tight so the hook cant pop out, then finaly slowly and carefully, keeping the tension on the line, push the worm up the needle onto the hook, leaving the hook point slightly exposed once its on. The tricky bit is keeping the hook in the needle as you push the worm round but after 1 or 2 trys it will become easier. This will then ensure everyworm you put on the hok will stay on as you cast, not have any lose ends for fish/crab to pull and will improve the all round presentation of the worm. For extra security you can then add a small slither of squid to the hook.

Hope this makes sence

Joe

[Bluesbro]

Just found these pics, should see what i mean by these mate


WORM ON THE NEEDLE PULLING DOWN ON THE LINE TO HOLD THE HOOK IN PLACE


PUSHING THE WORM ONTO THE HOOK

Tight lines


Joe

[LittleFish]

I agree with Joe,baiting needles are the best way to get Lugworm on the hook,you just need a little practice to get the hang of it.

[chazyboi]

forgot that i never use baiting needle i like the toothy battle with a rag worm lol

[peter3006]

Thanks guys, some absolute valuable info again.

That's me of to the tackle shop tomo to get a baiting needle.
While we're at it lol, any advice on how to hook peeler crab?
Found a few vids on youtube, but they are not very clear.

Thanks in advance

Peter

[mithrandir]

Thanks, I feel I could do with some bait presentation tips. Would you use a baiting needle with rag too?? I just wonder it starting at the tail with the needle would work with rag??

[peter3006]

Not to worry about the peeler crab. I found this vid and that explains it very well indeed.

Peter

[Bluesbro]

Originally Posted by mithrandir

Thanks, I feel I could do with some bait presentation tips. Would you use a baiting needle with rag too?? I just wonder it starting at the tail with the needle would work with rag??

Yes mate needles will work with ragworm to but you can start at the head end with them, only reason I start at the tail of a lug is so that the fat juicy end is closest to the hook point. If you are going to use a needle for rag I would push the point in just slightly behind the head (3mm ish), as apposed to in where the teeth come out. This is because if you go in directly through the mouth it will kill the worm almost instantly and with rag you want them to stay alive for as long as possible so that the wriggle lots and attract the fish.

Oh and a tip for rag is that once its on the hook, if you then dip it in the sea water just before you cast it will be less likely to break apart on the hook. midcast. This is because the sea water will make it stiffen up.

Joe