Live vs Wrapped Black Lugworm

[Ianpick]

Yellowtail lug
Black lug
Common (blow) lug
Tail-less lug

All different species.

 

[SirGunner]

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.

Hi @Ianpick yes they did seem to curl up in the water so it sounds like that's what they were thanks. I cant really comment on if they were good or not as although I did seem to do better than others around me on a hard day I cant 100% say it was due to the bait as there are so many variables. I will probably try them again though especially if they don't have my normal fresh wrapped blacks available

 

[Mushty]

Yeah sounds like you got the “live lug” or in other words what we sometimes call “blow lug”
It’s a better than nothing for those who don’t like using frozen lug when the tides are short or the weather restricts the ability to get black lug.
I use fresh ungutted lug when surf fishing for Bass but these are ungutted black lug, otherwise I wrap my lug. If I can’t pump fresh black lug I’ll happily use frozen.

 

[SirGunner]

Yeah sounds like you got the “live lug” or in other words what we sometimes call “blow lug”
It’s a better than nothing for those who don’t like using frozen lug when the tides are short or the weather restricts the ability to get black lug.
I use fresh ungutted lug when surf fishing for Bass but these are ungutted black lug, otherwise I wrap my lug. If I can’t pump fresh black lug I’ll happily use frozen.

Cheers @Mushty I'm not sure if it was Blowlug or not, you may be right. My Father in Law said he thought it might be Blowlug also but the tackle shop assured me it's black lug same as in the fresh wraps I normally buy just alive and ungutted. I might get some more next time I go and take some photos for people to identify

 

[Shirleycodlin]

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

Live 'fresh outs' are my preferred bait for all my proper fishing (in other words, codding)
I'll keep them for up to a week like that in trays with an ⅛" of sea water to keep them moist.
However, if they are tanked, I'd prefer to use fresh wrapped, as I feel tanked worms get washed out.

 

[SirGunner]

Live 'fresh outs' are my preferred bait for all my proper fishing (in other words, codding)
I'll keep them for up to a week like that in trays with an ⅛" of sea water to keep them moist.
However, if they are tanked, I'd prefer to use fresh wrapped, as I feel tanked worms get washed out.

Hi @Shirleycodlin thanks for reply. Sorry for my ignorance but what does "tanked" mean? Is that how they're stored? Cheers

 

[J Richards]

Hi @Shirleycodlin thanks for reply. Sorry for my ignorance but what does "tanked" mean? Is that how they're stored? Cheers

Farmed lug. Not as good as fresh dug. I wouldn’t buy farmed. I’d rather fish frozen blacks.

 

[Shirleycodlin]

Hi @Shirleycodlin thanks for reply. Sorry for my ignorance but what does "tanked" mean? Is that how they're stored? Cheers

Either farmed or wild dug that is stored in tanks of seawater.

Weirdly, I'm happy to use farmed ragworm with 100% confidence.

 

[SirGunner]

Farmed lug. Not as good as fresh dug. I wouldn’t buy farmed. I’d rather fish frozen blacks.

Ah I see thanks

 

[SirGunner]

Either farmed or wild dug that is stored in tanks of seawater.

Weirdly, I'm happy to use farmed ragworm with 100% confidence.

Ah ok so the tanked stuff gets washed out and is no good cheers

 

[Shirleycodlin]

Ah ok so the tanked stuff gets washed out and is no good cheers

In my opinion.
Not too say other anglers don't rate it.

 

[Cwab]

Hi @Shirleycodlin thanks for reply. Sorry for my ignorance but what does "tanked" mean? Is that how they're stored? Cheers

Some folks I knew of and good anglers who would consistently have good results would place orders from a guy who dug (not pumped) for large blacks and keep in aquariums for around a month till next digging tides.
This was around 2012 and small group would buy all he could supply and split, then for quality dug worm they were paying 70 pence per worm and ended up happily paying £1 or a little more, to them bait was king.
Was tempted myself as not labour intensive but stuck with fridges, cat litter trays and tending daily, when the source of dug blacks dried up they all sold their kit.
If could wave magic wand the worm fairy would hand me a bucket containing a little water and a couple of dozen of very large black lug every time I fished for the cad fash.

 

[SirGunner]

Some folks I knew of and good anglers who would consistently have good results would place orders from a guy who dug (not pumped) for large blacks and keep in aquariums for around a month till next digging tides.
This was around 2012 and small group would buy all he could supply and split, then for quality dug worm they were paying 70 pence per worm and ended up happily paying £1 or a little more, to them bait was king.
Was tempted myself as not labour intensive but stuck with fridges, cat litter trays and tending daily, when the source of dug blacks dried up they all sold their kit.
If could wave magic wand the worm fairy would hand me a bucket containing a little water and a couple of dozen of very large black lug every time I fished for the cad fash.

Upto £1 per worm and I thought £8.50 for a score now was expensive lol

 

[Cwab]

Upto £1 per worm and I thought £8.50 for a score now was expensive lol

And over a decade ago, would pay that myself now for large quality live dug blacks, but not pumped as tend not to keep as well having probably had the Benz or something like.
Had to stop digging due to back and tending worm daily very time consuming with good husbandry needed to keep in good condition till next tides also involved a lot of driving.

 

[SirGunner]

And over a decade ago, would pay that myself now for large quality live dug blacks, but not pumped as tend not to keep as well having probably had the Benz or something like.
Had to stop digging due to back and tending worm daily very time consuming with good husbandry needed to keep in good condition till next tides also involved a lot of driving.

Yeah I had thought about trying out pumping or digging myself but it's a 40min drive to my nearest beach and would rather be fishing than digging when I do get the time to be out. I'm happy to pay someone else to do the hard work for me

 

[Cwab]

Yeah I had thought about trying out pumping or digging myself but it's a 40min drive to my nearest beach and would rather be fishing than digging when I do get the time to be out. I'm happy to pay someone else to do the hard work for me

Used to love it and maybe as much as the fishing but gets to a point when buying becomes more sensible if going to freeze down a few hundred for winter fishing and having to compromise like most.
Only stopped buying frozen blacks about for years back and just bought wings, squid, bluey, and mussel since to make cocktails but does not instil the same confidence in me as large live blacks in bucket at my feet

 

[flappy]

And I thought worms were expensive up here.. I can get 10 frozen black lug for £2.00..

 

[Topwater]

A quid a worm is daylight robbery

 

[Beach]

And I thought worms were expensive up here.. I can get 10 frozen black lug for £2.00..

It's a fiver for 10 nearly fresh & gutted black lug.

 

[Cwab]

A quid a worm is daylight robbery

And this was a decade ago but for dug not pumped large blacks for keeping in tanks, with all parties more than happy, I was ok with 70p then providing of size to keep in trays in fridge.
Used to buy my frozen Blacks from a guy over your side of the coast who used a quad bike when pumping and said it was getting harder to find quality and quantity and travelling further on certain tides to do so.
He would give me a ring when order of a 1500 ready and would collect and worked out ok, still don’t mind paying for quality bait but must be good.
Considering back then at a £1 for a live large dug black considering travelling, sleeping in cars to get two tides and then digging not pumping and delivering is to me well worth it and pure donkey work, but ok if digging for self as well.