THE TRICKIEST OF TACTICS...

Worming for salmon is a serious skill to test the best

HERE are a number of angling techniques that are slowly being lost, and we are all the poorer for it. When did you last hear of elderberries being used as bait for early autumn roach, or see a driftbeater float on a spring tench trip?

As the few who skilfully keep these tactics alive fade from the scene, so too does their knowledge. I have been very lucky to have fished with such people, and I treasure every little angling gem passed on to me.

One such man is Raymond Fisher, worm-rattler extraordinaire, and a master of the art of fishing the ‘garden snake’ for salmon.

Raymond is Cumbrian born and bred, and in his early years he might not have seen eye-to-eye with the local river keepers. His grandfather taught him well, and I have never seen a man charm worms from the ground as well as Raymond does.

Picking a mature cowpat with an inch of grass around it, he stays downwind and waggles a metal rod pushed into the ground to mimic the vibrations of a mole. The worms, I assume, panic, and writhe in their dozens on the ‘pat’ all ready for collection. They are then stored in sphagnum moss to toughen them up.

Shop-bought lobworms are a poor substitute, as they are too plump and full of water. They won’t waft around on the hook, which is vital to success, and they won’t withstand many casts before they fall off.

Preparation is key, and maybe that’s why worming for salmon is less popular than it should be. Using a fly is clean and simple by comparison, and if you’re not prepared to put in the effort, it’s easy to advocate a worming ban.

With a batch of worms collected and suitably toughened up, you need a long barbel-style rod and a fixed-spool reel with a very good clutch. The spool is loaded with 20lb-30lb braid, the lack of stretch of which ensures you are always in contact with your terminal tackle and never miss a bite.

A strong swivel links the braid to a 2ft hooklength of either 15lb