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digging lugworms


skippytheroo

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Hi

 

Ive been trying recently to dig worms with little success

 

Ive found this on a web site and would like a little clarification on a few points :P

 

The worm lives in a burrow that can go as deep as 2 foot during the winter months and as little as 9 inches during the summer. If digging then the best way to get the worm is to dig in front of the blow hole and cast 1 spade of sand away, then step back and take out a full spade of sand being careful to keep the spade as straight as possible, lift out the sand and normally the worm will be found in the sand you have just removed, if not then dig 1 more spade full out, depend on how deep the worm has gone will depend on how many times you have to repeat this process, however anymore than 4 then you would have almost certainly missed the worm.

 

 

Does this mean that you dig in front of the blow hole and the cast?? or between the hole and the cast?

Skippy

 

So many questions so little time....

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my biggest hint is dont use a spade ,find a fork ,try to find a fork with fairly thick tynes (sp?) and move fast and watch carefully they are hard to spot ,dont pull but break them out and dont keep broken ones they die and kill the rest unless your using them the same day.

i dont dig them anymore they seem to be getting smaller so our steel shaft bulldog fork has now retired ,wooden handled ones always broke and usually at the beginning of a dig rather than at the end :(

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still suffering lower back ache for 18 worms that took two hours to get and so far a week and a half of greif!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 :headhurt:

 

but they were well deep and find the best way is to find a highly populated(by worms) area and then trench dig approx 4-5 ft accross and usually then dig towards water turning over sand to side of trench initially then back fill with second depth of sand

 

they are pretty deep this time of year :wallbash:

Andrew

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Position your fork between the blow hole and cast but in front of it, dig a half fork out to make it easier to get at the worm on the next dig without crushing it. As already said you want the wide tinnes on your fork(it's a potato fork) otherwise you cant hold the sand up to chuck it away. How deep they are depends on how cold it is and how much frost there is, sometimes when you think youve lost it ,have a look in the water in the hole as you can often find them in there

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Guest @Winter@

Flat tined fork is essential - Expect to pay 30 quid plus for a decent one but it will pay for itself in no time. Mcneils at Ruswarp sell some good ones. Dig 2 spits deep at the cast and then move back toward the blow hole till u find the worm. Best bet is to find a beach that is thick with them and just trench them out. I can get 200 worms (small) in less than an hour.

 

Some guys dig 2 spits at the cast and then head back toward the blow hole removing a bit of sand at a time at a slight angle, this helps you locate the blow hole which you then follow untill you see Mr worm.

 

Bait pumps are Naff as we dont get blacks here (*or not many).

Edited by Elton
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Where I dig you can always tell where the worm or worms will be, as in amongst the sand/clay/mud you will locate an area of fine shingly stuff and the worm is nearly always in this bit. If the ground is fairly soft you can probe the ground around the cast and blowhole by just pushing the fork in and not removing any dirt till you hear the crunch of the shingle then concentrate on this. Doesn't half get the lower back, but worth it for top quality worms! ;)

Live to fish!!

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Every beach is different. You need to get someone local who knows how to do it to show you. One tip, if it's seriously hard work you are probably doing it wrong or at least using the wrong equipment! My preferred method is to start about three inches in front of the cast and then work back towards the blow hole taking slices of about an inch and following the hole down to the worm. You need a narrow bladed spade to do this (less sand, less work) and the worms have to be a decent size to be worth digging individually. On other beaches it's easier to trench them with a potato fork.

The pumps were designed to get yabbies, a kind of prawn found on Ozzie beaches but they are good for getting black lug (species that live out near low water, no blow holes). They can also be used to get blow lug if the bed has an inch or so of water over it, a completely different technique where you basically use it as a water jet to blast the sand away from the worm's tunnel.

The most important thing is to be able to visualize where the worm is lying down there. They haven't got anywhere to go (they can only move down their tunnel, they aren't fast enough to out dig you!) so as long as you are careful you should be able to get them.

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