Live vs Wrapped Black Lugworm

[SirGunner]

My tackle shop was out of wrapped black lug yesterday so I fished for the first time with what the tackle shop called 'Live' lugworm. They were alive in sea water. The tackle shop said they were Live black lug, exactly the same as the wrapped blacks I normally use except they were still alive and ungutted. They said some anglers prefer them to wrapped blacks. It was a difficult day yesterday but I managed 1 Dab, 1 Rockling and 4 Whiting all on the live lugworm.
I'm curious as to whether live lugworm is considered a better, same or worse bait than wrapped lug? Do any of you guys use live lugworm? How have you found it as a bait? I found it very messy with much more yellow staining of fingers and hands than I get with wrapped lug. Just wondering if its worth the extra aggravation?
Looking forward to thoughts and opinions
Cheers

 

[Kine262]

If I had a choice I would go for live every single time. I have found my success rate far higher with fresh, although I do find the worm better when freshly dug rather than shop bought after being stored in water.

 

[SirGunner]

If I had a choice I would go for live every single time. I have found my success rate far higher with fresh, although I do find the worm better when freshly dug rather than shop bought after being stored in water.

Thanks for the reply @Kine262 when you use live lug do you gut it before threading onto your hook? Or do you thread it straight on as is? I was just threading on as is and it caught me fish on a hard day but I did find it more difficult to thread onto my hooks and my hands even today are still covered in yellow dye lol

 

[Kine262]

Thanks for the reply @Kine262 when you use live lug do you gut it before threading onto your hook? Or do you thread it straight on as is? I was just threading on as is and it caught me fish on a hard day but I did find it more difficult to thread onto my hooks and my hands even today are still covered in yellow dye lol

No, I never gut it, as I feel the juices are a great attractant. I know what you mean about the yellow staining, but I find that it is much better if I use a baiting needle and then slide the worm off that straight onto and around the hook as I get far less punctures in the body of the worm.

 

[Angrybear]

Sounds like normal live Lug ?
usually a more Terracotta colour than black lug which is what you get frozen, gutted & wrapped.
Live are usually kept wet but not actually fully swimming, you can keep them alive for a few days wrapped in newspaper in a cool fridge.
Most would agree live lug are about the best bait going, just thread it straight on to the hook & tip with a sliver of squid or fish, just to stop it sliding back over the barb.

 

[Stevie69]

I would use live bait over frozen any day of the week and as said fresh is best.i also find after a session and my fingers are stained like I've been smoking 50 woodbines on the trot shaving foam helps remove it or wear gloves

 

[SirGunner]

No, I never gut it, as I feel the juices are a great attractant. I know what you mean about the yellow staining, but I find that it is much better if I use a baiting needle and then slide the worm off that straight onto and around the hook as I get far less punctures in the body of the worm.

Yeah I was using a baiting needle also but still found it more messy and a little more difficult than wrapped blacks when baiting up, I thinks it was because they were more juicy and slippery than the wrapped I normally use. I think I will try them again as I did seem to do better than most of the anglers out yesterday (most went home with only 1 whiting).

 

[SirGunner]

Sounds like normal live Lug ?
usually a more Terracotta colour than black lug which is what you get frozen, gutted & wrapped.
Live are usually kept wet but not actually fully swimming, you can keep them alive for a few days wrapped in newspaper in a cool fridge.
Most would agree live lug are about the best bait going, just thread it straight on to the hook & tip with a sliver of squid or fish, just to stop it sliding back over the barb.

These were a dark brown in colour and came In a sealed bag of sea water which I emptied into a bucket and refreshed the water periodically. Cheers for the tip about tipping off with a sliver of squid, I'll give that a go next time. I didnt have any squid with me yesterday only the live worms and blueys which I put out hoping for an early Ray but no joy on that front sadly

 

[SirGunner]

I would use live bait over frozen any day of the week and as said fresh is best.i also find after a session and my fingers are stained like I've been smoking 50 woodbines on the trot shaving foam helps remove it or wear gloves

I normally use fresh wrapped rather than frozen but do freeze any leftover bait for future sessions incase I can't get any fresh bait. This was my first time trying live worms though. Good idea about the gloves and I'll try the shaving foam tip to see if I can get my hands looking a bit better

 

[Wolf]

I prefer wrapped black lug

 

[SirGunner]

I prefer wrapped black lug

Do you mean as a bait in general? Or because its easier/cleaner to use? @Wolf

 

[Angrybear]

These were a dark brown in colour and came In a sealed bag of sea water which I emptied into a bucket and refreshed the water periodically. Cheers for the tip about tipping off with a sliver of squid, I'll give that a go next time. I didnt have any squid with me yesterday only the live worms and blueys which I put out hoping for an early Ray but no joy on that front sadly

A sliver of Bluey or Mackerel belly strip tips them as well, just something to stop them sliding back.
I have never seen live worm sold in a bag of water like that maybe the shop struggles to get old newspaper ?
I'd tip them out & wrap them in loose newspaper parcels, either the night before or as soon as you reach the beach, they'll expel some of the water and firm up a little.

 

[chesilpete]

My hunch is they were yellow tails???

 

[Topwater]

Common for diggers/sellers to promote swimmers aka skellies in my area when tides/conditions are poor for decent black lug pumping. They're not blacks but yellow tails and they sell them like this because they know if gutted there'll be little but skins left and nobody wouldbuy them.

 

[Kine262]

A sliver of Bluey or Mackerel belly strip tips them as well, just something to stop them sliding back.
I have never seen live worm sold in a bag of water like that maybe the shop struggles to get old newspaper ?
I'd tip them out & wrap them in loose newspaper parcels, either the night before or as soon as you reach the beach, they'll expel some of the water and firm up a little.

Exactly my thoughts too.

 

[Wolf]

Do you mean as a bait in general? Or because its easier/cleaner to use? @Wolf

I find it easier,I usually put it on a single hook,or wrap it around a baby squid

 

[SirGunner]

My hunch is they were yellow tails???

They may well have been @chesilpete I wish I took a photo of the bag they came in and of the worms themselves now. I thought yellow tails were just immature blacks? Is that not the case? I keep finding lots of conflicting information when I google it

 

[SirGunner]

Common for diggers/sellers to promote swimmers aka skellies in my area when tides/conditions are poor for decent black lug pumping. They're not blacks but yellow tails and they sell them like this because they know if gutted there'll be little but skins left and nobody wouldbuy them.

You could be right there @Topwater Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of the worms before using them. As I said to Chesilpete above I thought yellow tails were immature blacks but keep finding conflicting information when I search online

 

[SirGunner]

A sliver of Bluey or Mackerel belly strip tips them as well, just something to stop them sliding back.
I have never seen live worm sold in a bag of water like that maybe the shop struggles to get old newspaper ?
I'd tip them out & wrap them in loose newspaper parcels, either the night before or as soon as you reach the beach, they'll expel some of the water and firm up a little.

No the shop doesn't struggle to get newspaper, it's the same shop I normally purchase my fresh wrapped blacks from and when I was in there yesterday morning picking up my bait they had a big stack of papers on the counter ready for wrapping

 

[Ianpick]

Yellowtail lug will curl up into a spiral when out of the sand and put in water. Did they do that?
I think as some above, that this is what they were.
I find them to be a poor bait.