Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Spawn Sack on January 09, 2013, 10:41:35 AM
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I was watching a fishing show the other day, think it was West Coast Sporting Journal, and they were using a hollow needle to rig up their pink rubber worms for steelhead. I inquiried about them at my local tackle shop (Fred's) and they had no idea what I was talking about. Has anyone seen or bought one? Any idea who sells them?
I currently use a long sewing style needle, but find it a pain keeping the line from pulling out of the needle while trying to thread it through the rubber worm. Perhaps I'm not doing it right?
If anyone has a tip or two on using a regular needle, or knows where to buy a hollow bait threader, please let me know. I have looked online (ebay, amazon, etc) for the hollow bait threader with no luck.
PS. I found the video on YouTube! It was BC Outdoors Sportfishing! Does anyone know why he adds wool to the hook?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNO1PkQ4jcI
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http://www.basspro.com/Worm-Threader/product/74346/
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Looks decent. Do you know if it's hollow? I'm looking for one like in the youtube video where you can thread the needle through the worm, then thread yout line through the needle. Doesn't say on the website or reviews if it's hollow or not...
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It's described as a "stainless steel tube" so it is hollow.
How hard is it to use a needle?
Feed at least a foot of line through the eye of the needle.
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Also, does any one have an opinion it's "better" to fish the worm with the hook coming out a bit up from the tail, or, upside down with the hook coming out of its head? I've only ever seen and fished a rubber worm with the hook coming out a bit above the tail.
And, as I mentioned earlier, does anyone know why he adds wool to the hook? I'm guessing so it'll tangle/catch a bit in the steelheads teeth and buy you some extra time for a hook set, and/pr possibly attract them more to bit the hook as opposed to the head, or elsewhere on the worm.
Any idea why he uses white wool instead of another color? Contrast with the pink worm? I also know steelhead like pink and white?
I've never caught a steelhead on a pink worm, never had much faith in them to be honest. Maybe if I knew more about how to best fish them I would up my odds of hooking a steelie on one.
Here's the video again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNO1PkQ4jcI
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It's described as a "stainless steel tube" so it is hollow.
How hard is it to use a needle?
Feed at least a foot of line through the eye of the needle.
Easywater, thanks for the info. I didn't notice it was described as a tube. I have and can use a plain old needle, but I find it to be a pain. Often the end of the needle slides around in my hand, and the folder over line ends up with a kink in it, so you have to compensate by using more leader than necessary. I noticed in the video he moistened the needle with saliva first, not a bad idea. I'll try that next time. Like I said I can make due with my old long sewing needle, but the hollow one just looks a bit more user friendly ;)
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/Worm-Threader-for-fisherman-live-and-plastic-worms-/140735066621?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c476b1fd
Pink plastic worms have gotton me a few steelhead. The wool might be to make it look like a wounded worm. ;D The hook coming out by the tail is probably the best position to get it in the mouth rather than the fish just getting the worm in it's mouth.
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All I use is a normal sewing needle... Bring the line through the eye of the needle and fold it back down around 4 inches or more, then thread the worm on and pull the worm up the line until the line comes off the needle. Hasn't ever been too hard even with longer 6 inch worms. I have seen those hollow threaders around, and they might be good for out on the river quick thread ups, but it seems a bit un-necessary to me.
As far as the wool, I have no idea why he would. I personally add a bright chartreuse plastic egg just above the hook and below the worm. My reasoning for this is almost totally for the fact that the worm won't rip when it hits a snag or a fish grabs it and I can get multiple fish on one worm. I have also found however that the green highlight is deadly sometimes, no idea why. I will often times buy green tailed worms or green headed worms as well.
Lastly, the orientation of your worm doesn't seem to matter all that much. I have caught fish both having the worm threaded head down or the normal tail down, but generally I will run my worms with the typical tail down approach. Another helpful hint is to put the needle in around an inch down from the head of the worm and come out an inch above the tail. Seems to add more movement in the water, and I feel like I've been doing better with that.
Cheers,
Dan
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The wool is probably just his way of keeping the hole on the worm from sliding over the eye of the hook, which is the most common spot the worm starts to fail. I usually use a Jensen egg or a small bead if I have them.
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I like the jensen egg idea.
However in the video he uses a bead first to stop the hook from entering the worm, and he also adds white wool to the bait loop.
So the wool must serve some purpose other than perventing the hook from pulling inside the worm
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Here is my no cost method: get a 3 inch paper clip, straighten it, file one end so it is sharper, knot your leader to your hook, nail knot the other end of the leader onto the paper clip, pull the ends of the leader very tight, trim off the stub end, thread it through the worm. It works for me.
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Army and Navy has the exact thing you are looking for. Bought one last year there
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Fred's a set of 2 needles on the front counted near the till. Bought a set myself.
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Fred's a set of 2 needles on the front counted near the till. Bought a set myself.
Bought one a few years ago from them and they worked great. The large one broke so I am glad to hear they have some again.
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Wow i never knew that putting a worm on a hook could be so complicated. Just because you saw Mike Mitchell do it does not mean its a good idea.
That's not Mike Mitchell, I think that is Rob Vodola.
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Wow i never knew that putting a worm on a hook could be so complicated. Just because you saw Mike Mitchell do it does not mean its a good idea.
Actually it is complicated if you havent ever done it.
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Wow i never knew that putting a worm on a hook could be so complicated. Just because you saw Mike Mitchell do it does not mean its a good idea.
Uhhh...yeah...thanks there buds...perhaps one day when I'm a top-rod like yourself I won't need to ask such pedantic questions.
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I watched the vid after and yes its rob vidola, I just assumed it was mitchell as he is the host of bc outdoors.
Im not trying be rude but if you can use big words like pedantic you should be able to put a worm on a hook without a hollow tube. Its not rocket science.
Yes because those with the largest vocabulary catch the most fish.
Uhh.. What does pedantic mean again??
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I watched the vid after and yes its rob vidola, I just assumed it was mitchell as he is the host of bc outdoors.
Im not trying be rude but if you can use big words like pedantic you should be able to put a worm on a hook without a hollow tube. Its not rocket science.
Never assume... and as for the threading part some people are just bad with hand dexterity. Ever see others try to use chop sticks? I know big words too! Like steelhead and Oncorhynchus mykiss (although the same thing lol) and of course my 8 year old son knows a very big one SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!!!
;D
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Never assume... and as for the threading part some people are just bad with hand dexterity. Ever see others try to use chop sticks? I know big words too! Like steelhead and Oncorhynchus mykiss (although the same thing lol) and of course my 8 year old son knows a very big one SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!!!
;D
Johnny Canuck, thank you! My dexterity is rather poor. When I have tried to thread a plastic worm in the past it usually didn't go so well. I'm simply looking for a tool that might make the task a little easier.
Thank you to all who had something constructive/positive to say. I only recently signed up and so far am VERY impressed with the number of guys who have given me good pointers - I've learned a LOT in less that two weeks!
PS: Without looking up the proper definition, pedantic means overly concerned with minute details. Like the "right" way to thread a rubber worm :P
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I have a worm threading buisness on the side, and would be more then willing to help you out at a fair price. Fire me an email anytime.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RXmNRr8x7I
;D
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rofl... :(
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Hobby shops carry hollow brass tubing in an appropriate size.
Just cut to length and glue onto some small handle foam, wood, plastic.
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i was going to say what Typhoon just said. being that Rob is/was a guide im sure he custom made that worm threader. It looks pretty simple to make one ;)
I just do the old fashioned needle trick, have it in my pack when im gear fishing so i can tie them river side. It takes about double the time that threading your leader line through a rubber egg takes, I dont pre-tie anything anymore because im not obsessed/panicked to fish every second im out there. I actually find myself sitting and just enjoying my surroundings alot more then i used to :)
Spawn Sack - do you know how to thread your leader line through a rubber egg ??
and i dont mean with the aid of a needle, i mean doing it with just the line
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i was going to say what Typhoon just said. being that Rob is/was a guide im sure he custom made that worm threader. It looks pretty simple to make one ;)
I just do the old fashioned needle trick, have it in my pack when im gear fishing so i can tie them river side. It takes about double the time that threading your leader line through a rubber egg takes, I dont pre-tie anything anymore because im not obsessed/panicked to fish every second im out there. I actually find myself sitting and just enjoying my surroundings alot more then i used to :)
Spawn Sack - do you know how to thread your leader line through a rubber egg ??
and i dont mean with the aid of a needle, i mean doing it with just the line
Hook, yeah it's possible Rob made that worm threader, however thanks to some writers I've been able to hunt down a few on the net (BassPro, Ebay, etc...read back in the comments to find). IMO the one Rob has is store bought.
I do agree with you that sometimes it's nice to take 5, take a seat, and retie your gear while taking in the beauty of your natural surroundings. That's normally what I do too. However, when I'm steelheading and it's near or sometimes below freezing, I want to be mucking around with my gear as little as possible! I try to have everything as set up as possible before I leave home.
I learned a good trick from Andrew at Sea Run in Coquitlam. Instead of tying your mainline to a barrel swivel, tie it to a duo-lock swivel, then add a barrel swivel at the end and tie your leader to it. On a foam leader board have a few other rigs tied up with a barrel swivel at the end of the leaders. If you want to toss a jig/spinner/etc for a bit, your just snap off the barrel swivel with the leader attached, and snap on the new rig. I usually have 3-5 different rigs on a leader board and just unsnap and switch them in/out throughout the day. No re-tying leaders with cold hands, just snap on/off. Is a lot more work at home and I would NEVER go to this much work in the warmer months, but on a day like today when it was -3 on the river I think it's the way to go!
Oh, and as far a threading line through a rubber egg without a needle...ummm...yeah I think I've done that...pretty sure I just pinched the line close to the end and pushed it through...is there a better way?
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yes there is a better way. cut the line at 45 degree angle and push the line itself through the egg. lightest i can make work is 10lb. Its a little tougher on eggs that arent soaking in oil (jarred ones) but still pretty easy. make sure to lubricate with salive first, makes everything easier with plastics
the trick about the snap swivel/swivel is nothing new and actually sucks compared to tying directly to the swivel. you can still use a leader board while leaving bare tag ends, stick your hook into the leader board and then wrap the line twice and cut free off the spool. this leaves you a leader around 18-24 inches depending how much tag you leave hanging out. way back in the day i used to do the snap swivel/swivel thing and since switching to just a swivel i have more sensitivity to small taps from fish and have caught loads of fishing that never even took the float down (roe fishing)
your probably right that he bought it.
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There's an even easier way to thread a rubber egg on a leader line. Hold the egg in your left hand, hold your hook and leader in your right, take the hook push it through the egg and continue sliding the egg up the hook until it's on the leader above the hook. TA DA like magic lol :P
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I use those hollow worm threaders and they are the cats @#$. Little tricky to get the worm completly straight, but sometimes it makes a little more action when its not straight. I know they are available up here(Kitimat/Terrace) anywere from 4.99-6.99 + tax I believe(last time I bought one). I did see some up here in canadian tire as well, may want to look there. The canadian tire ones are made by berkley and have a wooden handle. I dont like the canadian tire one though as I had to modify it to make it a complete hollow tube, some drilling required. Dont know what it would cost to have one shipped down to you, (probably a stamp) but if you are interested im sure something could be worked out.
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Johnny - I do it that way if my egg gets ripped off by a fish but doing that leaves a larger hole and the egg will slide along your leader line, not freely but it will move even if you dont notice it. I fish eggs with a touch of wool in the loop, pushing the hook through the egg and over top the wool works well but like i said it can slide up the line. I have reeled in and found my egg way up by my swivel, i have also had them ripped off way easier then when you thread just the line through due to the larger damaged area from the hook going through it.
GLX's plastic eggs are alot tougher than jarred ones and work just as well. I havent noticed the scented ones work any better than unscented. infact my dad and i both fished orange egg/white wool combo. him a GLX egg and me a Jensen scented, he landed two fish (both wild) to my one missed hook set.
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Well I've never had a problem doing it my way, to each their own though I guess.
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I just buy worms that are already hollow. Can't remember the name of the company that makes them but I got them down at Dave's Sporting goods in Lynden, Washington just over the border.
Just put your leader through with a small bead at the end and you are good to go.
(http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/t427/chum8888/worm.jpg)