Red worms and night crawlers remain among the most popular of early-season natural trout baits. Red worms can be fished as is, but you'll do better by pinching a 'crawler at the collar and fishing only the back portion. Both baits should be fished on a small, fine wire hook no larger than a No. 8, though some anglers prefer a No. 10.

For stream fishing, pinch on only enough split shot to bump bottom on a drift. If it takes several BBs to keep in contact with the bottom, chances are you are fishing in too heavy a flow. The shot should be crimped to the line about 18 inches above the hook.

The key to drifting natural bait is to position yourself in the stream so that your bait bumps along in productive water. During the early season, it's best to fish the head and tail-out areas of deeper runs and pools, avoiding the depths of slow-moving holes and fast-moving riffles.

Make casts that quarter a bit upstream, and swing the bait into the area where you would expect trout to hold. A light-action spinning rod is ideal for this, especially a longer rod of 6 1/2 feet or so. The longer rod can be used to hold the line off the water, which creates a more natural drift. Mealworms, wax worms and salmon eggs can all be fished in the same manner. Steve Porterfield relies heavily on salmon eggs and Power Bait when the water is very cold.

Live minnows are normally threaded onto the rig at this time of year. To do this, one needs a threading needle, small swivels and No. 10 double or treble hooks. Snip off about 3 feet of line to be used as a leader. Tie the swivel to the end of the fishing line.

Take the 3-foot section of leader material and double it back on itself. Clasping both ends of the leader together, tie them to the remaining eye of the swivel by use of an improved clinch knot. Doing so will create an 18-inch loop of line.

Minnow threading needles have a small opening in the eye. Clip the eye of the needle onto the loop of line via this slot. Now the minnow can be threaded by running the needle down the minnow's mouth and out through the vent. Unhook the needle, run the loop of the leader through the hook eye, then open the loop up and hitch it around the hook eye via a girth hitch. Pull the leader and hook shank up into the minnow's body. Crimp any added weight onto the line about the swivel via slip shot. If you don't like dipping your hands into the icy water of a minnow bucket, salted minnows are a good option.

Cast threaded minnows upstream or quarter them upstream. Winding them in from straight downstream isn't as effective, and often results in lost fish as the trout tend not to get hooked as well.

Keep in mind these tactics are aimed at the put-and-take portion of Glade Creek. Consult your 2004 West Virginia Fishing Regulations Guide for more details on fishing the catch- and-release section.