marine worms

[baitstealer]

The other day I was at sandy hook and an old italian guy was coming off the beach with a pitchfork and a bucket. There was an article in NJ Angler about marine worms. I read that, but hav never went out for them. So can you get worthwhile ones around here, and how do you guys fish them?

[wish4fish]

pic of some worms i got the other day, when u want them go at low tide and dig, dig some more until u find them



and some pics from the internet, i'm a wormologest, lol



Sea Fishing Bait


LUGWORM
Lugworm are large marine worms that live in U shaped burrows in the sand or sand and mud mixes. You rarely find them in the shingle, broken shell or other locations where ragworm are sought, but you will find some ragworm in lugworm beds. You may also find other baits such as clams and even the odd shrimp left behind by the tide. Lugworms' presence on a beach or mudflat is given away by the piles or 'squiggles' of sand deposited above the burrows. The more squiggles, the more worms there are in the target beach/area. The common "blow" lugworm typically grow to 8 inches long (20 cms) and the larger worms are found in the richer marine habitats and farther down the beach... Black lugworm - the preferred lugworm bait - is only collectable at low water and in some locations only on spring tides, when the water is farthest from the shore. Blow lugworm have very soft bodies, with a hard "tail" that is filled with this sand. Black lugworm are bigger and tougher hence the angler's preference for using them.

RAGWORM
The first thing to know about ragwom is that they are predators and give sharp nips! The king ragworm can grow to over a foot long (30 cms) and you do not want to get a nip off one of those 'snakes'! There is an amazing supply of them in terribly oozy mud and sand right outside my brother's house in Baldoyle, in the estuary. We have taken lots of monster king rag out of that estuary but we stink horribly afterwards! By far the most common ragworm is the red ragworm, far smaller, unlikely to grow to more than a few inches (10 cms), but don't turn your nose up at this excellent bait. Known locally as "maddies" or harbour ragworm, they are a very effective bait when used in a bundle.

[clamchucker]

Nice picture wish4fish. You can do better on the full moon tides because they are extremely low. Go out right before the end of the ebb and start digging. Keep moving to different territory if you don't find them right away. Look for exposed clam beds. Once you find that, concentrate on that area.

[baitstealer]

Is there a way to keep sand worms alive?

[dogfish]

Using them the next day or 2 is the best I have been able to get with those suckers. Keep them cold, not too cold. Put in a refrigerator, but not too near the freezer section or they will die. Keep the seaweed they came in moist, but not too wet. Spraying a few squirts with your wife's water plant mister helps a little. Don't let her catch you doing this. You also want to be nice and tell her not to open the white box that's in the refrigerator. No sense in sleeping on the couch for a week if you can avoid it.

[jonthepain]

be nice and tell her not to open the white box that's in the refrigerator.

ain't that the truth learned that the hard way

[seamonkey]

I have seen them cinder worm hatches in the back bays at night. Doesn't that usually happen around the full moon? I have never seen them wash up on the beach in front though, I guess you never know what to expect in Jersey.


http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news.../51705972.html

Monday, July 27, 2009
Worms on the beach!
Wow, I thought I'd seen everything at the beach in Jersey. But today, wow, worms! At the shore! And I'm not talking about those slimy politicians in Deal. I'm talking actual worms, red, juicy worms, washing up in your ocean onto your beach. Comme ca:

That's a closeup of one such sucker in the sand in Ventnor. The beach patrol guys said not to worry, they are clam worms, and they are your basic bottom of the ocean food chain, bait for schools of blue fish and the like, washed up to shore by all the churning of the seas, the same churning that brought all that slimy seaweed and smelly mussels that were bumming every one out. The lifeguards said they are not harmful, except that we should maybe watch out for the schools of fish that are coming after them, make sure we don't get zapped by some fins or bit by some hungry fish. Ok.
Here are kids playing in the piles of mussels! Isn't Jersey fun?

Anyway, mussels a la Ventnor is an old story. The mussels wash up, they dry off, they start to stink. We get it. But the worms, that was freaking everyone out. At least the water was warm though. Definitely in the low to mid 70s. But slimey. Here's another picture of the worm tracks left on the beach.

And, because this is just so gross, here's another picture of the worms swimming around in the ocean as it washed into shore. Again, no health hazard, says the beach patrol. Just another reminder, that this is an ocean, people. But still. Worms!

[VSdreams]

Found this story on the net.

http://www.ccar.um.maine.edu/seaworm.html
DEMONSTRATION OF SEAWORM AQUACULTURE IN MAINE
A Near to Market, Maine Technology Institute (MTI) Development Award funded project started in 2003.

PROJECT SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION
The newly formed company, Seabait (Maine) LLC is currently developing the first commercial seaworm aquaculture operation in the USA. Using technology developed over the last 2 decades in the UK by Seabait Ltd, the company hopes to adapt the systems and techniques to local sandworms and the Maine environment by the use of recirculation systems. The market for sandworms as fishing bait in the USA is well established but now under supplied due to declining wild catches. There is now also a worldwide market for frozen sandworms as a high value, pathogen free aquaculture broodstock feed. Establishment in Maine would be of strategic importance providing good access to a large existing bait market, and providing new frozen product for export to Central and South American shrimp farming.
The company has successfully completed 2 seed MTI grant funded projects. Work completed during this stage has demonstrated viable production of juvenile worms using local stocks and will result in the first production of market size worms in captivity in the USA.
The MTI development award will take the company through a beta test to commercialization stage by 2005.

Key objectives of this project:

• o Design, construct and develop indoor facilities for growing and harvesting intensively farmed sandworms in tank-based systems using recirculation technology.
  o The company will test market product for in-depth analysis of the markets.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Proposed Technology
Seabait Ltd (UK) is a world pioneer of sustainable mass culture of marine polychaete worms (seaworms) and this high quality, pathogen free product is supplied to anglers as bait and to fish farmers as highly nutritious feed components, reliably year round without the need for exploiting wild stocks in environmentally sensitive areas.

The newly formed Seabait (Maine) LLC, will utilize unique technology developed by the parent company for the commercial scale rearing of the polychaete seaworm Nereis virens and the sale of this product to fishing bait and aquaculture feeds markets. This partially patented technology was developed over a 20 yr period in UK using local broodstocks. Worms are grown on a commercial scale in a sand substrate using an open, flow through system utilizing waste heat from a local power station. The project will seek to apply and modify these techniques to local, Maine seaworms to achieve successful culture in intensive recirculation conditions.

The technology includes control of reproduction and time of spawning, artificial fertilizations, embryo and early larval rearing, first feeding, juvenile culture, grow-out, harvesting, handling, packaging marketing and shipping. Most of these will require modification and adaptation to local broodstocks, local weather patterns, local day lengths and recirculation. In addition sale of product into the USA will require a full understanding of local expectations for packaging, delivery methods, customer preferences and requirements.

Company History and Mission
Seabait Limited was formed in 1985 to commercialize production of marine worms based on many years of research. Seabait Ltd benefits from an IP spin-out agreement with Newcastle University (April 1984 for 25 years) that assigns all IP-relating to commercially important marine worms to the company and grants access to University facilities and key personnel.
The leading position and ‘best practice’ of the company was recognized by the granting of The Queen’s Award for Environmental Achievement in 1994.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information please contact Peter Cowin
pcowin@seabait.com

[basshunter]

Is there a way to keep your sandworms alive for more than one day?

[rip316]

I have put a small layer of ice in a cooler, covered it with newspaper and cardboard and put the worms with the grass still in the cardboard container you purchase them in and they have stayed for up to ten days like that. Lid on the cooler. They need moisture not to be submerged in fresh water. Thats just what i have done.

[captnemo]

. They need moisture not to be submerged in fresh water. Thats just what i have done.

What he said, keep them cold, but not wet. Or you can refrigerate them if the refrigerator is not at the coldest setting. You don't want them to freeze either. Keep them dry is the most important thing. I move them around in the grass they came in so they are not all clumped up together.

[stripermania]

I keep them in my frig. Wrapped well in paper like rip said. Stay for a while that way.

[cowherder]

I was going through the older threads and found this. It's something I am definitely interested in and I admit I don't have a lot of experience doing it. I like the advice about the marine sand and bloodworms, and want to try digging in the spring. I was wondering if anyone has a lot of experience in digging tapeworms? I want to try that. I read they can be up to 3' long. So how carefully do you pull them out before they break in half?

[storminsteve]

Tapeworms are tough to find, but are like striper crack. I should say they are easy to find, if you look other than the obvious places. For example, SH, which used to have tons of them, now they are few and far between on the back side. You have to look for flats that aren't too muddy, and not too sandy. Pick an outgoing tide, preferably when there is a full or new moon.
You need a stealth mode with the pitchfork as welll. Too many pokes in an area sends vibrations out and the worms retreat.

Once you get one, try to get a few inches, grab it firmly without breaking it. The tapewworm will naturally pull away from you. At some moment after that, it will relax on the pulling a bit. That is when you start your steady pull. As you get a 6" or more piece of it out of the ground, change your gipp to get closer and get more leverage. I have not done it a loit, but have been with some who do. It does take some patience, though. And once you find a good area, don't go telling everyone about it on the internet or it will end up barren like the back side of SH. Good luck.

[gjb1969]

there are a few spots close by me and i know ths worms are there i have a small pich fork i will be useing it more some of the worms are not to big but they still work good luck in the spring guys and girls

[clamchucker]

I wanted to add that this topic is in the surf section, but we use sandworms drifting the channels in a boat as well. They are very effective when the fish are on small bait or the water is colder

[hookset]

Some interesting stuff I found on worms. I might be digging some this week if the bass don't cooperate on clams.

http://www.amscopub.com/images/file/File_145.pdf

[plugginpete]

Awesome info guys thanks for the info on digging the tapeworms storminsteve.

[seamonkey]

check this out digging blood worms no wonder they are so expensive

[DarkSkies]

I got out Monday night targeting weakies, doesn't seem like there is many in the state at all but i did manage to find 7 weaks ranging 15 to 21" on a special piece of water that has a "coral" type bottom, Dark has mentioned this before you sometimes snag what looks like a rock and you look closer and there is small worms in it, this bottom seem to be the ticket they like, also need the bait which seemed to be spearing.

These small worms are so important to the feeding cycle of some large predators.........weakfish...big bluefish.....and bass as well.....I'm surprised ya remembered way back when I was talking about this, Shark....... These aren't the small sand and blood worms that live in the clam beds....they're much smaller......I'll have to do some research to try to come up with a pic and an exact scientific name....

If anyone can help with the ID in the meantime I would be most grateful......They are very tiny worms, no bigger than your fingernail....that live in clumps of bottom vegetation......This vegetation is very specific.....some have described it as "moss-like"....but the key is that it is often found around the "coral type" bottoms that Shark has described......When you're bouncing bottom with a bucktail or jig.....you often come up with clumps of this coral/muck/mud/vegetation....in certain areas....that is filled with these tiny marine worms...........

I think part of the feeding cycle is these clumps of vegetation allow these tiny worms to thrive...which in turn attracts small
baitfish....spearing...peanuts....baby fluke, flounder....sea bass....tog......many other species seem to thrive around it.......the bigger predators either are attracted to that activity...

OR they just center around the worms in the vegetation, and eat that if there are no baitfish around.....
I have found this stuff in the bellies of larger bass and bluefish I kept and cleaned.....and may have mentioned it here...once or twice.....










**(That's why Sharkhart catches a lot of fish throughout the year......IMO is one of NJ's most successful weak fishermen.....and also in the past when there were 15+ lb weakfish that you could hunt.....he was on them regularly...)






He pays attention to the conditions that bring fish in to feed at night....and hunts for numbers, selectively targeting them...based on that.....