insect larvae etc

[peter mccue]

Wasp grub (and the remains of the nest for groundbait) is reputed to be a fantastic bait for chub, such that some clubs ban it in matches.

 

I can vouch for Wasp grubs Steve, absolutely deadly for Chub & anything else that can fit them into their mouths.

 

The nest (Waspcake) is the ultimate floater for Chub, broken up into slightly bigger than tenpence pieces & fished on a size eight, they really cannot resist it.

 

Removing the grubs from the cake is actually classed as an extreme sport...or it should be! Trouble is, in their little cells, the grubs are alive & well & quite a few of them are suited up & ready to sting.

[gozzer]

I can vouch for Wasp grubs Steve, absolutely deadly for Chub & anything else that can fit them into their mouths.

 

The nest (Waspcake) is the ultimate floater for Chub, broken up into slightly bigger than tenpence pieces & fished on a size eight, they really cannot resist it.

 

Removing the grubs from the cake is actually classed as an extreme sport...or it should be! Trouble is, in their little cells, the grubs are alive & well & quite a few of them are suited up & ready to sting.

 

We used to bake the cake slightly to kill the grubs, and put cake and grubs on hook together.

 

A word of warning if you're thinking of digging a nest up, don't use wasp or fly killer sprays, some lads I know did, and ended up poisoning themselves when they ate their sandwiches. They were sick for about 3 days.

[Andy Macfarlane]

I used to use all manner of creepy crawlies and squidgy things when I was more into Trout fishing. Most common was the lowly aquatic snail. With a couple of cracks in the shell, these boys...or are they girls too, were superb, presented under a float. Freshwater shrimp were also pretty handy baits, as were leeches. Luckily all 3 were found under rocks at the water's edge, so you always had a choice.

At the right time of year, I'd use caterpillars, ladybugs, bees, wasp grubs, mealworms (from pet stores) and basically anything that might look tempting.

[Steve Walker]

We used to bake the cake slightly to kill the grubs, and put cake and grubs on hook together.

 

An old school friend of mine was a regular fisher of wasp grub on the River Dane. I once helped him excavate a nest. It went straight into plastic bags, which he then put into a freezer, ensuring that all surviving occupants were suitably deaded.

 

Come to think of it, I never did get my share of that nest!

[Guest tigger]

I used to use the grubs out of the Bull Rush leaves. If you look at the leaves you'll notice little lumps, rip open the leaf and you've got a grub. They used to be good for Roach, Rudd and just about anything that spotted them.

Tigger.

[A Worm OOE]

I fished a match last autumn on a lake on an organic farm. The place was covered in Tiny slugs. There where so many there that they were crawling into my pole pot and subsequently getting fed with the pellet and maggot I was feeding. After a few hours of catching very little I did the enevitable and poped a micro slug on my sise 18 hook and caught three carp in quick succesion.

I supose it was a bit like the Fly fisher matching the hatch.

[david t]

Ive heard mealworms can be good too, i would imagine they could be fished on the hook when feeding maggot on the stick etc, to pick out the better fish. always been tempted to fish locusts, the one you get in pet shops, probably all hop out as you open the lid though, maybe good free lined.

[Dan]

Yep collected all sorts when bait has been forgotten, but best was cheese as an emergency bait, daddy longlegs grubs were brill too

 

Dan

[Snatcher]

Used stonefly larvae and caddis in my youth for trouting on the tyne with good results - christ that was a long time ago

[Andy Macfarlane]

Ive heard mealworms can be good too,

 

Mealworms are cracking baits and they have a good presence too, due to their size and movement, once you've hooked them up. Trout love them and big Roach are partial to them too. I haven't tried them on any other species but I'm pretty sure they'll have a wide appeal.