Hooking worms

[medwaygreen]

I have been advised over the years to hook worms either through the tail,saddle,head,hook them twice,three times,cut in half etc,etc.

My question is what is the correct way to hook worms depending on size and type.

[tommo666]

If worms are big, I tend to cut them in half and put the hook through the cut end. This is the end the fish find attractive and tend to get more bites this way. If using barbless hooks I usually tip with a maggot to keep the worms on the hook. Don't know if there is a definative answer to your question.

[edd]

i hook them through the band just once and use a piece of rubber band to keep them on the hook. i also use the lift methond and hook at least 90% of bites

[Andrew Burgess]

There are numbers of ways of hooking the worms

have an look on this thread

 

http://fjames.proboards6.com/index.cgi?boa...read=1118141206

 

[ 10. July 2005, 12:49 AM: Message edited by: Andrew Burgess ]

[Andy Macfarlane]

I stole this from another site I write on. I don't know if any of my ramblings here will be of any use but they might be interesting if nothing else.

 

Word of advice to all you worm users.

The saddle is where the highest concentration of blood vessels are. Hooking through the saddle will kill your worm faster than stamping on it with a size 10 Doc Marten boot. I used to hook through this bit myself. I don't know why either, it just seemed to be the right bit. I was told this by a friend who studies biology and since then I've hooked through the tail somewhere and to be honest, he was right. My lobs do in fact last that bit longer.

Also, the story about halfing worms and both ends growing into a 2 worms is also a myth. The head end may survive but the tail end withers and dies.

Did you also know you can 'beef' up your worms by adding mashed potato to them over a period. We do this with both Dendrobes and Lobs and we grow some right big snakes. Even the 2lb Perch are scared of them. You can add a handful of freshly mashed potato or a liberal sprikling of Smash/Mr.Mash..whatever. Potato peeling done in the blender works well too as does a lot of household waste. Just don't use anything from fruit because they don't like it and it alters the PH of the medium. Fresh leaves fallen in Autum are a big favourite of the old Lobs. Just leave them on the surface and the lobs will drag 'em down into thier lair.

If you must keep them for a period, make sure the soil is PH neutral or they can can die of pretty fast. Also make sure you ventilate the tub from all sides.

Um...if you add a handful of sharp sand and moss to a tub of Lobs you can toughen the skin, which makes them extra hookable and if you soak them in a few mm of water on the night before you go fishing, they absorb the extra water to save themselves from drowning and bloat right up. Even fatter still.

You can give all your worms names but don't get too attached or you,ll never use them for bait.

You can reuse worms if you put them back into a nice medium after 20 mins or so. Any longer and they drown. I leger big Lobs and I rotate them often. Even if they catch fish, as long as they are still kcking, they'll survive if you look after them. A bit of mash and they soon spring back to health. Change them into fresh medium after a session and you can keep the same bunch of worms for ages.

Err...that's about it on the subject of worms.

Oh yea...did you know that worms are an excellent source of minerals and protein. If you go fishing for a few days and you break your pinkie, you won't die as long as you have a tub of fat lobs. Yum Yum.

Um...worms can't climb trees without crampons......

[Andrew Burgess]

Andy Macfarlane:

If you go fishing for a few days and you break your pinkie, you won't die as long as you have a tub of fat lobs. Yum Yum.

Just been sick in the toilet after reading that

[les middy]

ok a stupid question on worms

 

what is the best medium to keep worms in ?

 

when you buy a kg of worms they come in a compost type soil but what is it

 

 

les

[GlennB]

les middy:

 

when you buy a kg of worms they come in a compost type soil but what is it

 

les

Think they might be dendras, Les.

 

In my experience lobs hate peat-based compost. Too acid I'd guess.

[Andy Macfarlane]

quote:

---

In my experience lobs hate peat-based compost. Too acid I'd guess

---

Methinks I already explained that....didn't I?

[blob]

The late great Ivan Marks once told me that bream suck the worm in from one end. If you hook it at either the head or tail you have a 50% chance of hooking shy fish. If you hook it in the middle the fish really need to be having it to hook them. Still seems good advice to me.