Lugworm and ragworm for coarse fish?

[Wakou]

As Lobworms are eyewateringly expensive, I wondered if anyone has ever used lugworm or ragworm from a sea-fishing supplier in freshwater for coarse fishing? Tench, perch etc?

 

[Alan Whitty]

Excuse my ignorance,but aren't lugworm and ragworm expensive too,with all of the rain we've been having,my evenings walks have seen loads of lobworms out on the path,if it was raining and dark twenty or more a night would have been easily achievable, all free,but sea worms do work,TA fishing on YouTube caught a few on them...

 

[no-one in particular]

I have never tried them coarse fishing. Lugworm are about £3 for ten locally, either frozen or fresh. Fresh have more blood and guts in them and juices! but frozen or fresh I believe contain plenty of amino acids so, maybe a fish attractant. The yellow ones have iodine in them, whether that would repulse coarse fish I don't know but it doesn't sea fish. Do not often see yellow ones mainly black so I wouldn't worry about it.. You could chop the worm into two or three bits, discard the sand bag tail. Sea anglers often chop a worm in half or even quarters to make a bait for small sea fish. I would give them a go but whether it is cheaper than other baits! Pint of maggots is £3-ish, a loaf of bread, sweetcorn etc. cheaper. Still, might tempt a fish that are wary of the usual baits, one problem might be the salt in them, maybe a good rinse under a tap first might improve that but then again some fish might be attracted to the salt. maybe try some rinsed and some not. You could have 10, 20 or 30 baits for £3 which should last a while. Worth an experiment I would have thought, might even try it myself but I would probably attract eels in my usual places and I don't like them.
I do not often see ragworm except for in packets with preservatives, sea anglers don't catch much on them but who knows, coarse fishing might come up with some result, fresh ones, more wriggly than lugworms so that might be a fish draw if you can obtain them.
It would all be a bit of an experiment but have a go, why not.

 

[Alan Whitty]

Fresh rag are a brilliant sea bait,but certain areas fish better on lug,ragworm are a more solid bait,lugworm are nearly all liquid attraction in a skin....

 

[Mark Wintle]

50 years ago there was a huge influx of flounders up to a pound into the Tidal Frome at Wareham every autumn and mostly they'd be gone by March. Plenty were caught on earthworms and maggots, even the odd one on bread, but the best bait by far was harbour ragworm but I only ever remember one coarse fish being caught on ragworm though it was a 2lb roach caught by a 9-year-old girl, her first ever fish!

I did get a perch in Christchurch Harbour on a ragworm-baited spoon when after mullet.

 

[no-one in particular]

50 years ago there was a huge influx of flounders up to a pound into the Tidal Frome at Wareham every autumn and mostly they'd be gone by March. Plenty were caught on earthworms and maggots, even the odd one on bread, but the best bait by far was harbour ragworm but I only ever remember one coarse fish being caught on ragworm though it was a 2lb roach caught by a 9-year-old girl, her first ever fish!

I did get a perch in Christchurch Harbour on a ragworm-baited spoon when after mullet.

A friend of mine used to use marsh worms, that's what he called them, dug from the banks of the Cuckmere, he said they were small and greyish coloured; he used to fish them on a baited fly spoon behind a float and had loads of mullet, whether they are any good for coarse fish though!
Impressive, a 2lb roach on ragworm, if they caught one I am sure they would catch others. I think I would favour ragworm over lugworm if I tried it, more wriggly and all those moving legs, a fish might find that a bit more irresistible than a dead lugworm, I might check if they have any in my local tackle shop sometime and give them a try, but I think fresh and alive would be better than the frozen or the preserved, the latter have never caught much sea fishing from what I have been told.
Whether it would be as good and financially better than buying lobs I don't know, I have never bought lobs.

 

[markcw]

Excuse my ignorance,but aren't lugworm and ragworm expensive too,with all of the rain we've been having,my evenings walks have seen loads of lobworms out on the path,if it was raining and dark twenty or more a night would have been easily achievable, all free,but sea worms do work,TA fishing on YouTube caught a few on them...

When I was in Warrington , a road around the corner from me had grass verges along it.
On a damp night I could fill a 3 pint baitbox in just over half an hour with lobs , Just by going from one to the other .
A resident saw what I was doing ,and when she found out I had permission to use her lawn as a hunting ground .

Regarding lug and rag ,at one time small pieces were used as bait at spike island in Widnes on the Sankey canal .
The lock gate from the canal entered the Mersey .
The was famed for having good eels and flatties in it along with a good head of decent carp and tench .
These were sometimes caught on the pieces of lug or rag . Along with the usual baits like maggots and worms which accounted for a few flatties.