Slugs!

laguna · Jun 26, 2014

The wife read of a toxic slug (still trying to positively identify it/them, though it could be Lungworm disease spread by slugs and snails), that eats the saliva residue left on your pet dogs ball or bone left in the garden and can be fatal for them? any help with that please? much appreciated.

Also, meanwhile I'm collecting a few potential land animal specimens we can use to make an extract from (Acochlidium is a water dwelling critter that also hold some promise), so if all slugs look the same to you then no worries - otherwise if you have a preference/experience which ones make a good chub bait please let me know thanks.

The garden pest that eats everything in sight, good Chub fishing bait too.... The definitive resource: Slugs

chav professor · Jul 8, 2014

Its always been the 'big black slug' for chub..... I just can't get on with them. I don't personally find them that inherently attractive as a chub bait. They seem to scare more fish than they catch...... But they do form part of a fishes natural diet (as do countless other invertebrates).

I have actually eaten some bait samples that contained desiccated/powdered slug... It was alright...

I'd be interested to see if they hold attraction beyond there show stopping 'plop'.

bennygesserit · Jul 8, 2014

chav professor said:
Its always been the 'big black slug' for chub..... I just can't get on with them. I don't personally find them that inherently attractive as a chub bait. They seem to scare more fish than they catch...... But they do form part of a fishes natural diet (as do countless other invertebrates).

I have actually eaten some bait samples that contained desiccated/powdered slug... It was alright...

I'd be interested to see if they hold attraction beyond there show stopping 'plop'.

off topic but glad to see you back

S-Kippy · Jul 8, 2014

chav professor said:
I have actually eaten some bait samples that contained desiccated/powdered slug... It was alright...

Do what ? I know its a bit odd Suffolk way but if this is what you get at the Food Bank then maybe that's why !

rubio · Jul 8, 2014

Not my kind of tasty treat either but they're only Wall Fish without the crunch.
On the Chav's advice I've given up bothering with slugs unless as an opportunist thing whilst on the bank. He says snails is better and I believe him

symonh2000 · Jul 8, 2014

On my local river the Chub nearly crawl up the rod if you fish with slugs.

If there are enough slugs and you fancy a walk you could catch loads of fish.

The only issue is that I can never find them to use.

laguna · Jul 8, 2014

I've used black slugs in the past too but they've never really worked well for me as a hook bait (or any type really)... there must be something inherently attractive about them though not just the 'plop' it could be; they are more an occasional snack?, snails are better just slugs with houses and the crunch factor may be important (carp anglers routinely add crushed egg shells and oyster shell to their home made boilies) perhaps its the calcium carbonate from shells they seek - the mouth-feel?

nicepix · Jul 8, 2014

I don't think that they are special enough to warrant the disadvantages and unpleasantness of their use. Granted, in some cases trying slugs that you've found on the bank might be an option if other baits aren't working. But I would think a large bunch of lobs would always equal or better a slug bait.

laguna · Jul 8, 2014

nicepix said:
I don't think that they are special enough to warrant the disadvantages and unpleasantness of their use. Granted, in some cases trying slugs that you've found on the bank might be an option if other baits aren't working. But I would think a large bunch of lobs would always equal or better a slug bait.

The unpleasantness is what deters for sure, the idea from here however is to produce an extract as a bait additive - easier to handle, though I realise that; whatever it is chub (if they indeed do) find attractive about slugs is something that needs to be researched properly... could be a complete waste of time too but worth investigating over a time, my last collection was discovered by my wife so I need to start over....

greenie62 · Jul 8, 2014

my last collection was discovered my wife so I need to start over....

Hey - talk about leading with your chin!
I won't even bother with the tap-in on that one - it's a 'gimme'!

mg:

nicepix · Jul 8, 2014

It might simply be that they are a conveniently large source of food and would not prove to be any more or less attractive to chub than a similarly sized bait - a sausage, crayfish tail or deadbait for example?

justabitpikey · Jul 8, 2014

nicepix said:
It might simply be that they are a conveniently large source of food and would not prove to be any more or less attractive to chub than a similarly sized bait - a sausage, crayfish tail or deadbait for example?

A bit off topic but is it true that you cant use crayfish as bait? Or is that just some rubbish that've read somewhere

laguna · Jul 8, 2014

greenie62 said:
Hey - talk about leading with your chin!
I won't even bother with the tap-in on that one - it's a 'gimme'!
mg:

yup, I never learn... though a bucket o' slugs in the back yard with the lid on is less of a disgust than deadbaits and maggots in the fridge?, think she thinks its her job to find something to complain about... but this time i'm taking them to work for a quick cull

---------- Post added at 12:36 ---------- Previous post was at 12:23 ----------

nicepix said:
It might simply be that they are a conveniently large source of food and would not prove to be any more or less attractive to chub than a similarly sized bait - a sausage, crayfish tail or deadbait for example?

Could be, could also have limited appeal given a choice and variety of food and even then, might only work best in the summer months when slugs are around. Extracts are generally more attractive than the 'real item' so its worth finding out one way or the other.

ps. Never did anything with cray tails on the hook

symonh2000 · Jul 8, 2014

I remember watching an episode of River Cottage with Hugh Fernly-Whittingstall (If that is how you spell his name) and he made a meal including chopped up slugs.

Not sure I would fancy it, but it goes to show that they are a food source.

nicepix · Jul 8, 2014

laguna said:
Could be, could also have limited appeal given a choice and variety of food and even then, might only work best in the summer months when slugs are around. Extracts are generally more attractive than the 'real item' so its worth finding out one way or the other.

ps. Never did anything with cray tails on the hook

Wouldn't it be better to 'tank test' the theory first? Chuck a couple of slugs, bits of pork sausage, sprats, etc into a known chub swim where you could watch the activity. With many animals including my cat and dog you can see which items they favour. If we give my dog some left over stew she will eat the meat bits first followed by carrots, lick the gravy up and leave the potatoes until last. If I were to place those ingredients down separately I would bet that she would still eat them in the same order.

If I offer the cat one of those sticks of meat while she is eating her normal cat food she would immediately leave the cat food and wolf down the stick like there was no tomorrow.

If you could do that sort of thing with chub, barbel and carp it would give you much more of an idea on what was their favoured food. Some scientists did a similar thing with pollack. The fish favoured clams and would hunt out the clams first even if they had been contaminated with diesel oil and creosote.

I'm intending trying crayfish tails when I can get some. Apparently it is not allowed to use crayfish as bait or move them from the water alive, but you can use the severed tails or so I've been told.

laguna · Jul 8, 2014

Thanks Clive for your suggestion. I agree they do have preferences/favourites as do all living creatures but rarely do I witness or see any chub feeding on my rivers (far too discoloured/murky) so its very difficult to witness anything - tend to rely on bread and cheese paste (with the ubiquitous banana SAC) to seek them out, catch plenty though.

As for the crayfish tails (used on a mixed fishery in my case), they were bought from Netto or maybe Aldi, they were pretty cheap so I thought why not? A mate caught a decent perch on them but I never had a touch.

nicepix · Jul 8, 2014

The Dearne under the Darfield by-pass area or downhill from Tinker's Ponds isn't too far from you and the water there is suitable for a spot of fish watching. Also, the stretches about 1/2 mile downstream of Linton bridge on the Wharfe are usually clear and relatively shallow.

I used to do a lot of sight fishing for chub on the Dearne using fly gear and it was noticeable that they favoured certain types of fly at different times. Sometimes bloodworm flies, other times epoxy minnows, but nearly always they would take a brown woolly bu99er twitched on the bottom or skated across gravel shallows. So I would add bullheads to your 'to do' list of extracts

chav professor · Jul 21, 2014

I use some pretty weird stuff (much weirder than I have shared...lol).... Chub do seem to have preference to size and where the bait is taken - either surface or sub surface.

Slugs? Nothing that attractive in them as far as I can make out - Still can't understand why they are proclaimed the great Chub bait they are???????

Splash.... 'Bosh'.... or scared sheer panic!

There is definitely something far more attractive in caterpillars.......

Chub do appear to taste around a food item - even when stalking - Well, thats whats it sometimes looks like.

laguna · Jul 22, 2014

I read that slug slime is foul tasting (whoever would want to prove such a thing????) and probably not the first choice food bait...still hedgehogs love em...Slugs are nasty little things to handle and confess to sticking a size 4 in a breathe hole or two - with little success in catching.
The idea probably came about when natural baits were the "in thing" prior to the advent of modern commercially available food baits, "Lets try a slug they're free and plenty"! and it became generally accepted that chub (more than any other) like slugs?

Phase One: I now have a small collection of Black slugs (Arion ater) taken after a bit of rain, these are now having their bodily juices slowly extracted over the next few months Mmmmmmmm cant wait to taste (not).

Handling slugs hands-free? like other members of the family Arionidae, the black slug has a pneumostome (breathing hole)... just wait for an intake of breath and stick the hook in!

Btw, ever noticed slugs eat other dead slugs?

mick b · Jul 22, 2014

Come on Guys get your brains in gear......

Using Crayfish or parts of is illegal in the UK.

Using shop brought Crayfish, how do you know its origin and if its fresh how do you know what disease it carries and if it does will it further attack our few remaining native Crayfish stocks?

Friends of the water or single minded fish chasers

mg:

Slugs!

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