We have
received some questions
regarding how to use our
fish catching gang hooks, or more precisely how we fish with
gang hooks and below you will find that answer. It is called "drift fishing" and is our go to river fishing technique. If anyone is
not able to fully understand
the explanation, or if
anyone has any further
questions, please do not
hesitate to contact us and the video below outlines how to attach a set of gang hooks to your fishing line.
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FREE package of gang
hooks for every 10
or more packages that you order (in
the same size configuration)! For example, buy 10 packages of whatever size gang hook bait rigs and we will send you one extra package for free for a total of 11 in that size. Order 15, we'll send you 16 packages, etc.
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We will start by explaining
the use of the gang hooks
while stream or river
fishing. As mentioned above, this form of fishing is often called drift fishing and it is how we prefer to fish with gang hooks. Drift fishing is an effective technique for trout, smallmouth bass, steelhead, and even walleye.
The first thing that you want to do is
hook a worm onto your gang hooks. Now
that you are ready to cast,
we will create a scenario.
Let's say that we are facing
the stream; our back is to
the bank (we are wading in
the water also). The water
is moving from the left to
the right. Before we cast we
will already have to use
some of our fishing gear- we
should be wearing a pair of
Polarized fishing glasses so that
we can estimate the depth of
the river or stream. If the
water is moving at all, we
will have to attach our
split shot sinkers as well.
Remember, we want our live
bait (usually a live worm) to bounce across the
bottom, so we don't want to
use too much weight that we
get hung up each time we
cast.
The first
cast is normally a
practice cast, so that you get a
good idea as to how
many split shot, or how much
weight to use. Now that we
have some weight just above
the swivel we
are ready to cast. If we are
standing and looking
straight out across the
stream or river, we will be
casting to the 11 o'clock
position for the most part.
What I mean by for the most
part is that when you are in
the ideal situation (no
brush in front of you, a
clear place to cast, no
structure underneath the
water that will break you
off, etc.), the 11 o'clock
cast will allow your bait to
hit the water and start
dropping to the bottom. If
you have the proper weight
and the water is moving to
the consistency of the
weight, you bait should
start bouncing on the bottom
by about the 12:30- 1
o'clock position. Also, as
soon as you cast and flip
your bail closed, you will want to
place the line on your
pointer finger. That way you
will be able to feel your
bait as it bounces across the bottom of the river.
Once you
place the line on your
finger, you want to raise
your rod tip up, trying to
remove the slack in your
line from the cast at the 11
o'clock position. As you
feel your bait moving across
the bottom, you may need to
gently kick your bait back
towards you if it starts to
get hung up on grass, rocks,
etc. As your bait moves from
in front of you towards your
right, you will want to
start dropping your rod tip,
thus keeping the bait closer
to the bottom. Essentially,
as your bait follows the
current, and as your line
creates tension through the
water, your bait will begin
to lift. If the current is a
little too fast for your
liking you will cast
at the 11 o'clock position,
feel the bait across the
bottom, and when you feel the
current lifting the worm up,
take a step or two
towards the bait, or I move
downstream a step or two. You
want your bait to end at the 3
o'clock position from where
you were facing the stream
originally or directly to your
right if you will- at about
a 90 degree angle- you
understand. If you do not get
a bite, then step back to
my original casting spot and
work that area for at least
three casts before moving
further downstream. If you fish this
technique as described, you will
lose some fishing tackle. Don't let this concern you too much.
It's the nature of the
technique.
Don't get too frustrated when you break off and lose some tackle. As JRW used to say, "If you're not getting snagged, you're not fishing in the right place"
What has just been described
is a typical river fishing
scenario where we usually use gang hooks and live worms to catch rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, or even walleye.
JRW Fishing.com ~ Quality products for
fishermen from Northwest Montana
432 East Idaho, Suite #C251 Kalispell, MT 59901 email: tkugler@jrwfishing.com
JRW Fishing.com ~ Quality products for fishermen from Northwest Montana
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Fall/Winter Special: For A Limited Time get a
FREE package of gang
hooks for every 10
or more packages that you order (in
the same size configuration)! For example, buy 10 packages of whatever size gang hook bait rigs and we will send you one extra package for free for a total of 11 in that size. Order 15, we'll send you 16 packages, etc.
The first
cast is normally a
practice cast, so that you get a
good idea as to how
many split shot, or how much
weight to use. Now that we
have some weight just above
the swivel we
are ready to cast. If we are
standing and looking
straight out across the
stream or river, we will be
casting to the 11 o'clock
position for the most part.
What I mean by for the most
part is that when you are in
the ideal situation (no
brush in front of you, a
clear place to cast, no
structure underneath the
water that will break you
off, etc.), the 11 o'clock
cast will allow your bait to
hit the water and start
dropping to the bottom. If
you have the proper weight
and the water is moving to
the consistency of the
weight, you bait should
start bouncing on the bottom
by about the 12:30- 1
o'clock position. Also, as
soon as you cast and flip
your bail closed, you will want to
place the line on your
pointer finger. That way you
will be able to feel your
bait as it bounces across the bottom of the river. 
