Worms make very popular bait and can be collected fairly easily, and because of this they have been traditional bait for many years. Red worms are particularly popular and can be bought online with us. Most of the earthworms are particularly good at resisting the attentions of smaller 'nuisance' fish because of their size and are very effective on the hook. While there are 20 species of earthworm found in Britain, there are three species found in the average garden which are used for angling. Most of these will wriggle furiously when first put into water, making very attractive bait which must be hard to ignore for the average passing fish.
Lob Worms
The lobworm is Britain's largest earthworm, and it's the one that leaves those tell-tale curled heaps of soil - or 'casts' - in your garden. They grow to 20cm+ and can be dug up anytime. The lob worm is very effective for catching perch, large roach, tench, bream and carp. It can also be chopped into small pieces and is effective in this form for catching lots of canal perch in the depths of winter. This can be done with any of the earthworms, and is just as effective.
Collecting the lobworm is best done at night, when, with a soft-footed approach, they can be found lying on the grass with their tails still in their holes. Tread lightly though, the faintest vibration will send them shooting back into the earth. If this happens, a sprinkling of water with a very weak soap solution will bring them up to the surface where they can be gripped until they relax, and gently pulled out of their holes. An over-zealous tug will end up in half a worm. The other half will retreat and grow a new front half. Place them in damp newspaper or on some compost to clean off the soap solution otherwise you won't catch many fish.
Ocean Fresh tip - Wearing washing-up gloves are handy for easing worms from their holes.
Ocean Fresh tip - When first collected, lobworms tend to be a bit slimy, placing them in a container of moss or grass-cuttings will leave them clean and lively.
Redworm
The redworm is one of the smaller species of worm, and is not usually more than four inches long. Many species of worm may appeal to all freshwater fish. This worm is found in compost heaps, and under large stones or rotting logs. Any sizeable object in the garden could conceal enough worms for a full days fishing.
Brandlings
The brandling is of a similar size to the redworm (about 4 inches long), but it is easily distinguishable by a series of yellowish rings around its red, shiny body. It can be collected from manure heaps or compost heaps. The presence of a compost heap will guarantee a regular supply of worms.
How to Hook Worms?
It is important to hook worms correctly, so they stay on the hook and wriggle naturally to attract fish. A whole worm can be hooked anywhere along its length, but make sure that pieces cannot be bitten off by the fish without it also taking the hook. If necessary, hook a long worm several times along it's length, and feed it onto the hook. Tails and pieces of worm should present no problems, and will stay on the hook. In general, try not to cover the hook.