Meal Worms !

[no-one in particular]

Bought a bag of these in the pet shop the other day. £1.68 for a few hundred. They float which is a problem but I might bung them in some heavy groundbait. What appealed to me was they just look like caddis larva which fish love. Or wire worms that I believe are daddy long legs larva and live in the ground in hundreds. Some of these must get washed into rivers now and then.
I fancy a couple on a 16 or 14 hook with a small shot to hold them down and just bumped along the bottom. Couldn't fish yesterday so did not try them . Anyone ever tried them and what do you think?

 

[dangermouse]

I presume you`re talking about the dried kind rather than live ones? Would soaking them for a while make them sink?

Can`t say I`ve tried them, Chav Professor probably has though. I think he`s tried most of the assorted bugs and insects available from pet shops.

 

[peter crabtree]

Never used them personally but did notice a wily old canal angler had a tray
of live ones on my canal match last Sunday...

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

let mek now how you go on - I but the dead ones to feed wild birds

 

[cg74]

I found that meal worms dead or alive float, the weight of a heavy gauge hook was often enough to sink them when alive. They were an effective bait and often caught a better stamp of fish (tench, crucians and roach).
That said, I don't think they're anymore effective than casters.

I've never heard of wire worms.

 

[Merv Harrison]

Koi carp pond fish love them so they should be effective.

 

[beerweasel]

I've used live ones but found they died quite quickly on the hook.
Proper worms are much better.

 

[robbush]

I reckon you'd be better off trying wax worms,more expensive though,look on eBay for decent deals

 

[David Dalton]

Wire worms are the larva of the click beetle, and are a pest that eats plant roots - it's the leatherjacket that is the larva of the daddy long legs.

I've heard of using meal worms and I'm sure they would work, but then just about any grub or insect will catch fish at one time or another.

 

[chav professor]

Meal worm (or morio worm)... Have used them as a stalking bait. They do catch (perch and roach love them), but they did not set the Chub fishing world on fire. I spoke to an insect dealer, apparently they send consignments to Ireland for anglers.

I quite like to have a few wax worms with me. They are in fact another beetle larva and look like a milky white maggot - but similar proportions to Barry White!

Give them a go! Love to hear how you get on...

 

[no-one in particular]

They were dried, bought them in a ESK store were you shovel them into a bag. They have hemp, biscuits all sorts of things fishy. Thanks for the answer's and clearing up the wire worm thing David, leather jackets were what I had in mind. Next time I go fishing I will try them and let you know how I get on.
Would carp take them off the surface? It would have to be a still day but, would it be a different offering for them.?

 

[trotter2]

I tried the wax worms for chub thinking they looked like wasp grub. They also floated

 

[beerweasel]

Butterworms or silkworms are better, but expensive.
Although they might be just the thing for that special chub you know about.

 

[Titus]

Leather jackets fished over maggot are a great hookbait but finding them is a bit of a problem. Look for unexplained brown patches in your lawn, (don't do this if you have a dog) the leatherjackets eat the roots and the grass dies, a small trowel will usually find them just under the surface and a handful of grass seed will fix the damage.

 

[nicepix]

Chafer grubs can be found in compost heaps and potato patches when you harvest them. They are like wasp grubs only tougher and heavier. And they keep for ages in a maggot box if you feed them potato peelings and change the soil every couple of weeks. Fish them on a size 4 or 6 hook free lined under willow trees for chub