[hotrod]

With the start of steelie season here, I've had this question in the back of my mind for awhile now!
Who invented the pink rubber worm? and how long has it been used?

When I first started steelhead fishing it was hard for me to believe that these things actually work. Now you can see they come in a wide variety of colours ranging from white, red, purple, orange and several shades of pink.
I have had marginal success with them,but what a blast when you do get one on them.I've caught dollies and rainbows on them as well! Rainbows absolutely smash them.

Anyone care to share their pink worm expierience and knowledge? A little history lesson......anyone?


Hotrod

 

[rln]

don't know who invented it, but I do remember back in the very early 70's being in Rumble's sporting goods in New Westminster and watching a guy buy the last 300 packs of the original "Creme" brand pink bubblegum worm. It was before any home pouring of plastics. The new color by Creme at the time that replaced the bubblegum pink was an orange color that work well at times in the Cheakamus in it's day. So I guess they have been used locally here for almost 40 years now. Another red hot item that has long dissappeared is the "Jap" gooey bob. Factory burned down in the late 60' and stock dried up in the early 70's. It's the original color that the BC orange color is trying to copy but it never has been copied correctly.

 

[hotrod]

I've had some success on the cheak with the rubber! Orange would be an interesting colour to see if I can get a fish to bite!


Hotrod

 

[Bent Rod]

It's said that the first rubber worms were being used on the island around 1970, a local angler(kingfisher) I know says they started with them around then too.

I have seen early renditions and they are very firm and not that flexible compared to the soft supple worms we now use.

Like RLN says, color like orange, a whitish pink, red and the like were the norm.

I have had success with worms for around 12 years and used to fish them almost exclusively for a few seasons.

When we would do our yearly trip to the Skeena rivers, the PW was the weapon of choice and it was deadly up there.

Seems the steelheaders of the American PNW are goo goo for worms now.
They use them more often without a float and drift fish them with various set ups.
Not to say that they are not floating them, just that drifting is still KING and many top rods have killer success with a drifted worm.

The new Salmon Steelhead Journal will have a pink worm article by a guy who fishes with my friend Joe(rvrfshr)
, the article will be about drifting worms and should be a decent read, just subtract 5 pounds from Mr Tripleys fish estimates :happy:.

Tipping jigs with worms is killer as well and should not be overlooked in the future of "Wormin".

 

[Dfisher]

Thanks RLN for using a word which is a blatant racial slur. Reminds of those days when I used to go fishing with an individual and when he saw some one float fishing from shore, he would say look at those guys "ni**er fishing". A bit off topic, but we should strive to clean up our language.

 

[hotrod]

I think I'll try the jig and worm combo this winter. Sounds like alot of fun. I love getting fish to bite things that are out of the norm! Any colour recommendations?


Hotrod


PS. Let's keep it on the topic fellas!

 

[Bent Rod]

HR, the delta tackle worms in pink 6" are primo, I cut about 1.5" off the fat end and 2" off the thin end and throw away the middle piece. I then just slide a piece on the jig hook.
As for jig color just match conditions, in the murky stuff chartreuse and oranges are good, as she clears up the reds, pinks, and others come on, in the gin clear , cerise and purple is hard to top.
I tend to stay away from worms when rivers are way low and clear, just my experience with them(unless you are fishing faster water and pocket water, then they are super).

 

[EZ Rolling]

I caught my first steel on the pink worm.

 

[rln]

Thanks RLN for using a word which is a blatant racial slur. Reminds of those days when I used to go fishing with an individual and when he saw some one float fishing from shore, he would say look at those guys "ni**er fishing". A bit off topic, but we should strive to clean up our language.

the bob's were japanese made and therefore called Jap bob's. It was before tackle moved to Korea, then Taiwan and now China. History is just that like it or not. What would you have expected them to be called in the 1960's and 1970's? Off shore made plastic egg imitations?

 

[Rib]

Let's just concentrate on the original poster's topic...

I have used them with success in the past, but find I have moved away from them the last few years. I tend to stick with items that are a bit more hardy and easy to rig up in a pinch.

Most of us have heard it said before, that "it doesn't matter what you put in front of a steelhead, if they're there they'll take it...", I agree with this statement for the most part, but in some cases it seems these worms will illicit a strike when all the other more popular items won't...year after year some beauty fish are taken on the worm.

In my experiments with them, several times fish would take the worm and nothing else...Just goes to show you, it does pay to switch it up once in a while.

As for who invented them, I haven't a clue...They've been used forever, but they did enjoy some renewed popularity something like 10 years ago...seemed everyone was fishing them for a couple years there.

In fact, I think I'll rig up some of those gaudy old pink worms I have kicking around here for the upcoming season...

 

[fishortho]

I hadn't caught a steelhead, or any other fish on a pink worm until this past Spring when I was "forced" to use them on a bet by a member of this board...Good morning, Kenny!.....Well, one of the biggest reasons I didn't put any ink on the card was the plain fact that I did not use them very often!...Threw the pink 6" for 5 straight hrs. in fast clear water on the Stamp and came up with 10 fish........go figure!
Now, as far as the worm goes, I think they go back a little earlier than the 70's. I used to fish real dew worms in the local rivers back in the 60's and I saw my first imitation at that time. It was a rubber worm originally intended for the bass fishing industry. A guy caught a really nice Steelhead in the Coquitlam with this worm and I was so much in disbelief with his story I just shook my head and smiled, and walked away.
The smile on my face quickly turned to shock when , right beforw my eyes he caught a second fish on the same plastic/rubber worm!!.........IMHO they work better in some streams than others and I agree with B/R the right color for the right water can make a big difference along with the size.......Keep experimenting boys and girls.............Ortho 8)

 

[jetboater]

Dave Hawkes seems to pour the best worms in the valley now.... so many different colors to choose from... the only one I ever fish is white.......

 

[rln]

before the 70's there were both Creme whitetail worms of a natural color used, particularly on the Squamish system and before those there was a natural colored rubber worm made by a company called "Weber". These ones had a washed out color to them with a orangey section in the middle that looked a lot like the worms you see coming out of the ground when fishing (not like the good old night crawler dew worms) in the spring time on the cheakamus. mOre of a grey colr with white tips on each end.

 

[hotrod]

HR, the delta tackle worms in pink 6" are primo, I cut about 1.5" off the fat end and 2" off the thin end and throw away the middle piece. I then just slide a piece on the jig hook.
As for jig color just match conditions, in the murky stuff chartreuse and oranges are good, as she clears up the reds, pinks, and others come on, in the gin clear , cerise and purple is hard to top.
I tend to stay away from worms when rivers are way low and clear, just my experience with them(unless you are fishing faster water and pocket water, then they are super).

I'll try this on those jigs I won for guessing the weight of your posted steelhead pic. All those colours were in the package you sent me.Thanks!

So no one knows who invented them.But everyone agrees they've been around for almost half a century. Imagine how well they must have worked back in the day when there was alot more fish around.


Hotrod

 

[Big Green Machine]

I think it was Steve Kaye that said "fish em last and fish em fast." To me that means it's a good bait to use when you have tried all your other presentations. Fishing them fast means if you don't get a bump after a couple of passes, move on. I also know they tend to work better on higher, off color water.

 

[South Texas Salt]

History, down south, plastic worms. They arrived here after the mid 1960's , do not know the dates. I prefer many baits down here for fresh water or salt water, just never got to like the plastic worms. Yes, at times a worm guy will out catch me serveral times over, just as often not the case and I will out catch them. Personal taste. Who invented the things ? Salt.

 

[fishin30]

They fish well being rigged up and used in a number of different ways. Gotta mean something right ??? One of my faves is a light bubblegum with a small orange or green corkie at its head ,rigged tail end at hook. That corkie gets that worm to dance like it was on speed :happy:

 

[tuberdude]

What is the smallest sized pink worm anyone has ever used. The only reason I ask is because is there any possible way to make one small enough to cast with a fly rod, but big enough to imitate a real one? A little off topic,but what do you think?

 

[hotrod]

I know I've seen them in 3" lengths and very skinny compared to the ones you usually see in the tackle store!


Hotrod

 

[EZ Rolling]

Berkley makes a thin 3 inch worm ...I have not seen it in pink.
This year I am trying out the BIG Gulp worm in Pink.

EZ