general information
Earthworm
Earthworms
- These are quite large invertebrates, measuring up to 3 meters in length. Green worms that live in Russia belong to the order Haplotaxida (representatives of this order live throughout the Earth, with the exception of Antarctica) and to the family Lumbricidae, which includes about 200 species. About 97 representatives of this family live in Russia. The importance of earthworms for the earth's biosphere is very difficult to overestimate. They eat dead plant tissue and animal waste products, then digest it all and mix the resulting mass with the soil. People have learned to use this feature for their own purposes to obtain the most valuable fertilizer - vermicompost or vermicompost.
These protozoa get their name because when it rains, they crawl out of their holes and stay on the surface of the soil. This happens because rainwater fills their holes and they can’t breathe, so they crawl out to save themselves.
Biohumus is a hydrophilic structure that has the ability to accumulate moisture. That is, when there is not enough water in the soil, humus releases moisture, and when there is excess, it accumulates. The phenomenon of humus secretion by worms can be explained by studying their structure. The fact is that in the intestines of worms, after the breakdown of organic compounds, molecules of humic acids are formed, and they, in turn, come into contact with various mineral compounds.
What kind of hook is needed when fishing with live worms?
A mistake that many fishermen (especially new fishermen) make is using hooks that are too large and trying to "skewer" a worm onto that hook.
A catchy way to fish with worms
How to properly rig a worm on a hook - rigging methods
The best way to rig live worms when fishing is to use a bandage hook set, which is a pair of small fishhooks tied in tandem.
Earthworm in fishing
Earthworms in the soil, due to their popularity, ease of extraction, and large accumulation in the soil, represent a universal bait for fish. The most popular among fishermen are crawlers, dungworms, underleaves, and earthworms.
All types of freshwater fish are caught using the crawl; large specimens are especially suitable for trophy fishing. Even pike, perch, and catfish are often interested in it. Can remain active for a long time after being hooked.
Dung worms are the most attractive to any fish. Has a specific smell; Therefore, having selected earthworms from their habitat, before fishing, it is worth keeping them in a box in which moss or clay mixed with cake is placed. Worms can quickly disappear in the heat; You can protect them by adding fresh tea leaves and chopped beets mixed with soil.
The underleaf is also one of the fish's favorite worms. But it has a soft body, so it doesn’t hold well on the hook and is easily torn off by fish.
The earthworm is a sedentary one and therefore can be used for fishing if there are no others. The advantage of such bait is the love of carp and crucian carp for it.
Planting earthworms
Methods of attaching an earthworm
To catch crucian carp, a worm is usually taken as bait, which is attached in a ring, “stocking”. Since this fish is unpredictable, they often use only a piece of a spineless creature or one that has already been used.
The most delicious bait when fishing for carp are worms. Having stepped back a little from the head, the hook is inserted under the skin and pierced the spineless fish in several places, then the end of the sting is hidden with the help of the tail, so that a free piece 1 cm long remains.
Bream does not like very bulky bait, therefore, crawlers are not suitable. Other smaller worms are placed carefully so that long tails do not remain and the sting appears exposed.
In order to catch catfish, fishermen take several crawlers, put them on, pierce them in the middle with a hook, and hide the point in one of the heads.
Feeding with worms
The worm is a universal fishing assistant. It is used not only as bait, but also in the preparation of feeding, when it acts as a base and flavoring agent. For example, you can boil peas, pearl barley or corn and add chopped worms to them. Thanks to this, the fish will find the bait faster even in muddy water, which guarantees a rich catch. Live worms are also used in another way.
To learn more:
Twister bait: the subtleties of fishing for perch and pike
Cut a piece of turf with grass measuring 30x30 centimeters, place it in a small net like a string bag and sprinkle a handful of worms on top. Leave them for a few minutes to burrow into the ground. Carefully lower the bag into the water at your fishing spot. Greenery attracts fish, and crawling worms will interest them. But since there are few of them and they are not chosen often, the fish will not get full ahead of time and will not lose interest in the bait.
How to plant a worm correctly
Worms for fishing.
Photo - the-fishing.ru The nature of the bites and the final result of fishing depend on how the worm is placed on the hook. A correctly mounted worm gives more reliable, successful bites, but an incorrectly mounted one, on the contrary, leads to many false and empty bites.
There are several basic ways to put a worm on a hook, and the rest are just combinations. Therefore, in order to attach a worm, and at the same time make it attractive to fish, it is enough to know only two or three options for attachment.
Piercing in two or three places - a universal method
Zigzag
Piercing the worm in several places (zigzag), even on a small hook, you can completely fit a whole worm, especially if the hook has an elongated shank. This is perhaps the most common and universal method of planting a whole worm.
This method is suitable for fishing with both bottom and float gear. The worm on the hook looks as natural and attractive as possible to the fish.
In pieces - a method for capricious fish
In the middle
If the fish is capricious and does not want to take the whole worm, small pieces are pinched off from it and placed on the hook, pierced in the middle. This method is most effective when fishing with a float rod, but is also used in a feeder. You can attach one piece or several, depending on the size of the hook.
Stocking - a method for cunning fish
Covering the hook with a stocking
When the above methods of attaching a worm give too many empty bites (the fish eats the bait, grabs the worm by the tip), the method of baiting with a stocking is used. The whole worm or part of it is threaded so that the hook is almost completely closed. The fish has almost no chance of tearing off the worm with impunity without swallowing it completely.
Sandwich - a method for picky fish
Worm sandwich for picky fish
A combination of two or more different baits on a hook is called a sandwich. When a worm is used as the main bait, baiting the hook with, for example, maggots can significantly improve fishing results.
But the sandwich can consist not only of a combination of maggot and worm, but also of any other bait. Various vegetable baits are often added to the worm: pearl barley, corn, peas or a bait made from some kind of dough.
Subleaf
The subleaf is similar in appearance and size to a dung worm. Its habitat is rotted leaves, sawdust, boards or stones.
The only drawback of this species is its softness, which makes it difficult to bait the hook.
Zemlyanoy
Earthworms live in the upper layers of the soil. They can be found during work or in the coastal area near the river.
Outwardly, it differs from its fellows - it has a dirty white body color and small size.
This type of bait is effective in small rivers with slow currents. It is best to use it in the spring and during night fishing. Lively tench, crucian carp and other similar fish bite on such bait and bait.
Crawling out
Crawlings are earthworms that appear on the surface after heavy rainfall.
This species is the largest, and therefore this bait can be safely used for catching trophy specimens. Some worms can reach a length of up to 30 centimeters.
Their distinctive feature is a slight thickening in the violet area of the head. The back of the body is lighter in color, slightly flattened and widened.
Due to the fact that it often lives in the ground and loose soil, its entire body is covered with mucus. A universal attachment for different types of fish is a small crawler. It has a brighter color and lives in rotten straw heaps and manure.
How to catch crawlies
Hunting for crawlies is no less exciting than fishing itself. This activity requires even more dexterity, dexterity, caution and patience than fishing. Quite often it lasts almost until the morning, especially during the summer heat. On hot days, crawlers go deep into the ground and may not appear on the surface at all, even at night. Rainy weather is a completely different matter. If it rained well during the day, these worms will definitely show themselves when darkness falls. You can also try to lure them out. For example, pour several large buckets of water over loose soil somewhere in the garden. The crawlers will sense the moisture and immediately be drawn to it. It is important that there is no vegetation in the artificially moistened area, as it will greatly interfere. It is much more difficult to catch a worm in the grass.
Another difficulty lies in the fact that the crawlers almost never crawl out completely. They leave a tail in the hole and, at the slightest danger, “dive” into the ground at the speed of a bullet. This means that you need to behave with extreme caution. When the flashlight beam snatches the thin body of the worm from the crown of the head, the light must be dimmed immediately - taken a little to the side. Next, you need to try to approach silently (the crawlers feel the vibration of the soil), bend down quietly and press the worm to the ground with the fingers of your free hand. At this crucial moment, you should use all your restraint and not give in to the temptation to pull it out right away. Many are in a hurry and begin to pull, which is why the crawl simply breaks and one half of it remains in the hole. This cannot be allowed. Let it resist, strain and lose strength, and when it weakens (after about 30 seconds), then you can begin to slowly remove it from the ground. This is the only way the worm will remain safe and sound, that is, alive and suitable for fishing. To be sure to catch crawlers, you need to use a light source that is not too bright and wear soft shoes that do not create noise when walking. By the way, many modern flashlights have a diffused light mode. Everything else is a matter of technique. After a couple of torn worms, you will understand how to get them out correctly.
