salted lugworm

[blowin]

I was reading through previous posts on how to keep blow lug . Seems that the longest you can keep them alive is just a few days , and they don't freeze from fresh . Someone suggested salting them down for a couple of weeks , after which they could be frozen if you want . Sounds like a plan but if it is that simple why isn't it better known ? And why can't you buy them ? ( Maybe it is and you can ? ).
Are they really any good as bait after salting and freezing ?
Cheers .

[MarkoC]

To get into the logical route now, get a bag of soil from Lidl or B&Q and let them live for few weeks in there.
Mission impossible ? Well,thats how it works over in Estland

And they dont freeze ? What kind a statement is that ? Everything on earth freezes below 0 degrees !

[Preston]

I think what he meant was they don't freeze well as in unusable as hookbait .

[blowin]

And they dont freeze ? What kind a statement is that ? Everything on earth freezes below 0 degrees !

Very funny Antifreeze doesn't
The meaning is obviously not to do with the physical laws of freezing and thawing but whether they are any good as a hook bait after that process .
After your second statement I'm not sure whether the first one was to be taken seriously either . Perhaps you could educate me just a bit more ?

[MarkoC]

When u freeze them just pull the shait out of them (squeeze ?) before (so they wont expand), another story is how good are they as a bite after freezing as nothing can beat a fresh bite.

Bag of soil is your way to go

[blowin]

Thanks for that
The idea of salting them before freezing sounded good because you'd still have the guts inside and I imagine that would help with the scent trail and general appeal . Dunno . The guy who recommended it said they worked well . Unfortunately can't remember his name and don't have the patience to search again .
I guess the obvious answer is to bag in soil then try the salt if I haven't used them within a couple of weeks
All the best .

[MarkoC]

I guess the obvious answer is to bag in soil then try the salt if I haven't used them within a couple of weeks
All the best .

And how long they live in natural soil ?
Months, some of the years ... Just keep moisten the soil but never flood it, get 2-3 bags for the winter, easily kept outside as the lugs will just slow down on winter months.

I would stay away from all chemical and other processes ... Keep it as natural as possible !

[grady]

hi, i had salt lugs last winter just completely covered in salt and kept them in shed, without freezing them atall
it last me for almost two months untill i finish them
whenever i go fishing i take an amount as i think will be enough, put them unclean in smaller box and if not finished bring them back again for another session
an i will do that again this year it's just handy to have them, don't bother to search for them before every session
and of course cought a fish as with fresh ones
they stud a hook even better

[beachbuddy]

Im with Grady on this one,no need to freeze the blow lug just put them into something like a sealable plastic container and cover with salt.After a few hours i drain the blood away resalt and leave for another few hours .Then drain away again and resalt again,job done.
Store them away til bait supplies are low and when using them just put them into some salt water for a few minutes before use and this rehydrates them so they swell up in size.Don't leave them for too long in the water.There a handy bait that can be tipped with a bit squid or razor and do catch fish but obviously if fresh blow lug available then they would be better.
Interesting idea on using soil for keeping lugworm,i used use the wormery idea for garden worms but would have thought the blow lug would need sand and salt water for survival,must check it out

[FisherKing]

Here's a link how to salt them for anyone who wants to give it try. http://codheadbob.tripod.com/topmarks/id36.html & they work great, save time digging & very handy to have for a quick session!!! plus there alot better than the frozen ones you can buy in shops. But at the end of the day the the fresh bait is hard bet if ya have time to go digging.

[blowin]

... they live in natural soil .....Months, some of the years ... Just keep moisten the soil but never flood it, get 2-3 bags for the winter, easily kept outside as the lugs will just slow down on winter months.

I would stay away from all chemical and other processes ... Keep it as natural as possible !

Hi MarkoC , I've been pondering on this a bit because I sadly can't just accept things which seem too good to be true . Have you actually used this method yourself or was it just recommended to you ?
The quantity and size of worms in the beds I have dug varies very considerably with only a slight change in the sand / sediment / substrate . Decent Blow lug have invariably been in areas with sand or grit in the mix .
The Lidl / garden centre compost or mulching products do not contain grit ( unless you go for a John Innes blend , which includes soil ) . I don't think they contain much "edible" nutrient either . You won't find many if any earthworms in the pure stuff even if you leave a heap of it on wormy ground for several months . While I can see that lug might survive in it for a few days I can't imagine them "living" in it . Similarly I would have thought you'd need to moisten with reasonably fresh sea water and change the whole lot reasonably often to prevent excessive build up of salt ?
Lastly , the majority of the nutrient in potting compost etc is added in the form of chemical fertiliser unless it is labelled as "organic" .
Genuinely sorry if I appear to be giving you a hard time and I hope to be convinced but I hate to think of loads of worms being dug to no avail .
ATB .

[blowin]

Yep , thanks again for the tips on salting ---- except you didn't mention that if you then dry out the bloodied salt in the oven it gives off a strong , almost sickly sweet smell !
Now where's that thread on how to remove the smell of fish ?