If you spend any time fishing for trout with live worms, this article is for you. More than 25 years ago I was introduced to the most effective live bait rig that I've since come in contact with, and in this article I'm going to introduce you to that trout fishing rig. The rig is called a "gang hook rig", and when it comes to fishing with live worms, there is nothing more effective.

The bottom line is that after reading this article, you are going to know exactly how to rig live worms to catch more trout (and any other species of fish for that matter). Let's begin with your live worms themselves. We want to keep them as lively as possible whenever we're on the water fishing. This is where a bait bag becomes such a godsend to the trout angler. A bait bag is simply a small bag that hangs from your fishing vest and not only keeps your worms at your fingertips at all times, it also gives you the ability to easily dip your worms into the water to cool them of and keep them lively. A bait bag is a must have for any angler who wades or spends time moving from fishing spot to fishing spot (which are both something that most trout anglers spend a lot of time doing).

Now for the hooks that you employ while trout fishing. When trout fishing it's incredibly important that you use small hooks, and when I say small hooks I mean no hooks larger than a size 6. As a matter of fact I personally use size 10 hooks for almost all of my trout fishing. The point is that small hooks should be employed when trout fishing. And whatever you do, don't think that large trout can't be landed on small hooks. I've personally landed many trout over twenty inches while using size 10 hooks.

The best way to use small hooks for live worm fishing is to use gang hooks. Gang hooks are simply a pair of small hooks tied in tandem, which enables live worms to be presented in an outstretched and natural manner. As a matter of fact, the rig that I'm going to discuss next involves the use of gang hooks. The bottom line is that when using live worms for bait, pre-tied gang hooks need to be used to rig said worms.

Now down to the business of how to rig live worms to catch more trout. For the purposes of this article, I'm going to explain the rig for fishing in the flowing waters of a river or stream. Remember, you have your live worms hanging from you in a bait bag for easy access. Begin by grabbing the end of your line and tying on a small barrel swivel (size 10 or 12). Now tie a set of pre tied gang hooks onto the opposite end of the barrel swivel. At this point split shot sinkers are added for weight above the barrel swivel. The size and number of split shot will vary with water depth and current flow. Now all you have to do is grab a live worm from your bait bag and put it onto your gang hooks.

This is the best way to rig a live worm for trout fishing. The rig that I just described can easily be modified for still fishing as well. Just think about it. Don't you think two balls of Powerbait would be more effective than just one for still fishing for trout? You bet your bottom dollar it is. Give it a shot and find out for yourself.