Fishing with lobworms, redworms and dendrobaena worms

Fishing with lobworms, redworms and dendrobaena worms

Lobworms, redworms and dendrobaena worms

Good old garden lobworms, compost-loving redworms and the Dutch dendrobaena worms all make great fishing baits in certain circumstances. Their juicy protein-packed bodies are packed with goodness that gives the fish all the nourishment it needs, so it’s no wonder why the fish love them so much.

Lobworms

These giant worms are found in the soil of your garden. They are brilliant baits to use on rivers, when the rivers are high, flooded and coloured. The reason why they are so good in those conditions is because of the size of the bait – the fish can find it easily in the murky water.
But more importantly, the size and the wriggling action of lobworms makes them also impossible for perch and tench to resist. A carefully presented lobworm, either floatfished over depth or legered tight to a marginal shelf or weed bed is sure to be taken by either of those species.
The great thing about lobworms is that they are free for those anglers prepared to put in a little effort. A little time spent digging the garden borders will provide you with a handful of worms, but if you want a mass of them wait until there’s a very damp evening and head out to any park, cricket pitch or well-mown garden, armed with a torch, when it’s pitch black.
By carefully creeping along the grass you’ll find that the worms have come out of their burrows and will be wriggling across the grass to find a mate. You will be able to pick them off the grass and place them into your bait bucket.
But it’s not always that easy – some of the worms may only be protruding slightly from their burrows. You’ll have to get hold of them and gently prize then from the burrows by pulling gently. It’s difficult to explain the amount of force that you need to use and the best method, but with practice you’ll master it

really quickly.
If any of the worms that you collect is damaged in any way, you MUST not keep it. It’s unknown why this happens, but if you do store a damaged or broken worm with any other pristine conditioned worms, they will all die within hours, and you will have wasted all your time and effort.

Hooking lobworms

Firstly, you’ll need to match the size of your hook to the size of the bait, so you’ll need quite a substantial hook for lobbies. A size eight, six, four or even a size two will be required. Use a size eight or a six for lobworm tails (the last inch or so of a broken lobworm), or a size four or two for a whole lobworm (hooked cleanly through the thicker and darker coloured saddle of the worm).

Redworms

These little worms are a favourite among tench, bream and roach – they absolutely adore redworms. What’s more, redworms are the perfect size bait for these species too.
The best place to find a readily available supply of redworms is a well-established compost heap. The warm, rotting vegetation provides a healthy home for the worms which will soon breed and thrive in that sort of environment.
Redworms can be bought from good tackle dealers, but if you do have your own compost heap, or you have a friendly neighbour who will let you turn his or her compost heap over to collect the redworms, you’re onto a winner!
They can be fished whole, or halved, on their own or in conjunction with another bait to create a cocktail (a great technique to trick bream and tench).