worms

[Steve Walker]

I tried the soapy water method last night with little joy, only a couple of tiddlers. I then tried digging them up in a section at the back of the garden where I've had trees removed, a distinct lack of anything worm like there. The soil in my area appears to be clay based, do lobs like a particular type of soil?

 

I used to use the soapy water with success on my gran's lawn when I was a kid, but I think it's a pretty unsustainable method for hunting worms - it irritates them, and I suspect that it does some of them in. If you do want to use it, you want a nice bit of well mown grass, preferably where you see a few worm casts. Big bucket of water, little squirt of fairy liquid, douse.

 

What did you think of Speen at the weekend Steve?

 

Lovely venue, absolutely lovely, and a cracking day out. The actual fishing wasn't spectacular, but I think that was because I was determined to spend the day wandering about enjoying myself with the float rod. I had a nice little chub (and lost another), a couple of spotties and I suppose ten or twenty assorted little dace and gudgeon. If I were fishing it regularly, I guess I would target the big chub with legered breadflake or cheese, or the perch with lobworms, but a day of trotting maggots on such a nice bit of river is always a pleasure. You were doing pretty well upstream, from what I heard?

[Rusty]

You were doing pretty well upstream, from what I heard?

 

Yes without doubt my best day of the season. Glad you enjoyed Speen, I'm trying to organise a fish-in there during the Autumn months but haven't yet been able to talk to the right person. NAA do hire out venues on occasions so I've got my fingers crossed, it would be great to see how 20 AN'ers do there. I regard it as a pretty tough venue, I've caught decent perch but never really found the chub in the 18 months that I've been trying.

 

I'm off to try vibrating for lobs in the garden, hopefully the neighbours are in their front rooms watching telly

[Bowsa]

Quite simply your "lob worms" need moist soil to a good depth. Both frost and prolonged sun will penetrate soil upto 12 inches. Its worth bearing in mind that some modern housing estates will be lucky to have 12 inches of soil in the gardens.

 

My front garden is dry south facing and useless for worms. Moist back garden is perfect for lobworms and all sizes and types of worm up to those big juicy ones.

 

So I hate to say this but if you don't have a shady garden with ample soil, no amount of soapy water or shaking of forks will help.

If you go for areas near fences, gardens sheds etc then they should be more shady spots in the garden...hope that helps.

[Andy Macfarlane]

I tried the soapy water method last night with little joy, only a couple of tiddlers.

 

That's about as good as it gets with soapy water and besides, I doubt your lawn appreciates the gesture, never mind the worms and all the other bugs that your garden probably depends on.

 

I tried it a few times in the past and it rubbish IMO. Can't beat a fork.....or a well placed carpet with a few rocks on top.

[tony tinca]

That's about as good as it gets with soapy water and besides, I doubt your lawn appreciates the gesture, never mind the worms and all the other bugs that your garden probably depends on.

 

I tried it a few times in the past and it rubbish IMO. Can't beat a fork.....or a well placed carpet with a few rocks on top.

 

 

It has no effect on the lawn as it is biodegradable almost immediately and environmentaly sound in any case.

Its not like i swamp my garden in the stuff anyway, just small areas during heavy rain fall is best .

 

Its not rubbish either , but you have to do it during or shortly after a heavy rainfall.

 

Given a choice i think my garden appreciates this more than being covered in old carpet and rocks

[Steve Burke]

When I lived on heavy clay I found that putting old teabags and vegetable peelings in a corner where two fences met quickly turned it into a great spot that somehow never seem to run out of lobworms.

[Tigger]

I think appart from just digging them up one of the best methods of collecting worms is by torchlight an hour or more after dark. Obviously the grass can't be to long otherwise you won't see the worms. I've found it better not to use to bright a torch as the worms seem sensitive to light and dart back down their holes at hight speed if your not carefull. If you move the main beam of the torch away from the worm when you've spotted it just enabling you to see it, you can get to gripps with the buggers before they do one and bolt below. When you do get hold of one you musn't pull it hard or it'll snap, just hold it and put gentle pressure on till it weakens and slipps out of it's hole.

 

Forot to mention they're sensitive tol vibrations so you've vgotta tread quietly....like kung foo did on the rice paper !

 

Infact I think I'm gonna nip outside now as conditions are spot on...mild and damp

Edited February 23, 2011 by Tigger

[Steve Walker]

You'd be amazed how many worms there are under the pavements in suburban streets. One evening, when we were teenagers, a mate and I were walking home from fishing on a dark evening when it started really chucking it down. There were soon lobworms everywhere, coming up through the cracks in the paving stones, we collected loads! This might be even more likely to get you arrested than creeping round the bowling green with a torch, though.

[jason.p]

I used to work with a mole killer and would pick literally a couple of gallons of worm a day walking behind a plough (you've got to be quick cos they diasappear pretty quickly, or the seagulls have them). On occasions when there was no ploughing around we'd fill a 45gallon drum with water. add about a litre of formalin (from farmers co-op) and up-end it on an area of grass. After a while (could be up to 20mins) the worms came up in large numbers. These were washed dried and kept in soil. The secret is to really flood the area and be patient.

[Andy Macfarlane]

You'd be amazed how many worms there are under the pavements in suburban streets. One evening, when we were teenagers, a mate and I were walking home from fishing on a dark evening when it started really chucking it down. There were soon lobworms everywhere, coming up through the cracks in the paving stones, we collected loads! This might be even more likely to get you arrested than creeping round the bowling green with a torch, though.

 

Myself and a mate were once stopped by the Polis, while it was hammering down, one fruitful night. One of the Gendarmerie rolled down his window and asked what we were up to, so I pushed my pot through the window about 2 inches under his pork-like face and he was quite horrified to find it writhing with 100s of wriggling bloodsuckers.

 

Silly rozzer....