Catching Beach Worms for bait

Large beach worms are frequently gathered and used as bait by avid fisherman. They grow quite long with sizes up to two metres plus being found on the coastline of South East
Australia. Living under the sand, beach worms are rarely seen as they only surface to feed

on Pipis, fish and other food sources that appear nearby.

There are two different types of Australian beach worms. Most fisherman refer to them as “Greenies or Pinkies”. Greenies are shorter in length, much thicker in diameter and therefore harder to catch as they are stronger. Pinkies are the long red skinny worms which are the more common variety and can grow to lengths of 2.5 metres. They are much longer and provide many baits for you to chase that prized fish with.

Beach worms cannot see however what they lack in sight, they make up for in their incredible sense of smell. They are one of the best baits that you can use for both estuary and beach fishing. However, they are quite tricky to catch, and many people get frustrated trying to do so. Worming can be difficult to get the hang of however try using these tips

below to help you on your way to seizing your first beach worm.
Start by examining the tide first up to see how much sand will be exposed. Typically, between high and low tide you will find them rise. When the water is receding is generally the best time to try. 

How to catch the worms!
Target the worms up on the wet sand that are not near breaking waves, but somewhat still covered by water at times. When the water recedes, this is when you want to attempt seizing a worm. By doing it this way, you will have more time to bring them to the surface and extract the worm, without the added pressure of waves crashing over the top while trying to catch it. 
 

Throw some old fish frames, full mullet or anything cheap that stinks into a keeper net. Swish it around from side to side in the water as the waves draw back. This is how you will get the worms to rise to the surface. As the waves recede, look for a ‘V’ shaped ripple to appear. You will see this when the worm raises its head out of the sand, making them easily identifiable.

Local Pipis are preferred as finger bait for the worm to latch onto as they are quite hardy however, if you cannot find any, just cut a piece of the mullet off and use this for the worm to latch onto. When you see their head surface, place your finger bait down in front of them, holding it only about half a centimetre away. Holding it firmly between your finger and thumb, let them bite it and then wait for them to curve their neck up onto the bait. Once they have done this, carefully use your other hand to pinch the worm down behind its neck and hold tightly until you feel it relax, when you feel the worm relax, lift it out of the sand. Often, people will try to pull the worm out while it is tugging down, this normally will result in you snapping part of the worm off and its best to avoid this as you are wasting good bait. Be patient and wait until you feel the worm relax.

When you catch a worm, place it in a bait bucket around your waist and continue worming.

This saves you having to walk back and forth up onto the beach.

Hopefully these few pointers will get you onto your first few beach worms.

Good luck!

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