LUGWORM

 

This is probably the number one bait for the shore angler, all the flatfish and cod family will take Lug worm.

There are two main types of Lug worm:

These are as their name suggests very common and relatively easy to collect, they can be found in sandy, muddy and shale beaches and estuaries down near the low water mark. Best to use a flat bladed fork, some use potato forks I use a road breaker this is a one piece steel fork but its hard work. When digging lug or for that matter rag worm, keep the broken ones separate from the whole ones as the dead ones will poison the living ones. Lug can be kept in aerated seawater tanks for several weeks but must be kept cool. Lug contain a high percentage of water and are soft so are best keep in newspaper prier to your trip to the beach this will harden then off. Blow lug doesn’t freeze well and is best used alive.

There are many ways to fish lug worm, you can use a single worm on a fine wire 2 hook with the tail free to wriggle for flatfish, or load 3 or 4 on to a 2/0 fine wire Aberdeen hook using a baiting needle for Codling and Whiting these bait can be tipped with Squid, Mussel or Mackerel this help keep the worm on the hook when power casting.    

Black Lug

These are much harder to find and are harder to dig as they live deeper in the sand and mud. Black lug if not used fresh can be frozen they are first gutted and the sand a stuff is removed then placed in newspaper in ten and frozen or threaded on hook snood then frozen.

The main way of using Black lug is threaded on to a 2/0 hook using a baiting needle or tipped with squid mussel or mackerel this can be a great Cod bait

 Warning

At the end of a nights fishing the juices from the worm would have stained your hands like an 80 a day smoker so take a damp rag and keep it off your cloths.