Types of Live Fishing Worms
Both fresh and saltwater anglers use various kinds of worms for bait. Live fishing worms secured to a hook have always been successful at attracting fish. Since so many species will ingest a live worm, worms are one of the most frequently employed baits. Children and novice anglers typically start by using worms for bait, but astute anglers often use them too.
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Night Crawlers
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The night crawler is a large, thick earthworm that anglers can easily capture on a damp night during warm weather. Also sold at convenience stores, some larger chain stores, gas stations, bait shops and roadside stands, night crawlers catch a plethora of freshwater fish species. Night crawlers are large enough that the angler often uses just a small piece of the worm on his hook, especially for nibbling fish like crappie and bluegill. Carp, trout, bass and catfish are fond of night crawlers as well as the smaller types of earthworms that live in rich soil. When the weather cooperates, night crawlers come out of the ground where the fisherman, using a flashlight to spot them, can deftly pick them from their holes if she is quick enough.
Red Worms
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The red worm is a much thinner version of the night crawler, but not as long. Also called leaf worms, these worms remain quite active once hooked and will wriggle constantly. Anglers can purchase them in many of the same places that sell night crawlers. Panfish are susceptible to this type of fishing worm. Crappies, white perch, yellow perch, bluegills and pumpkinseeds will all chase after a red worm. These species have small mouths and find the size of a red worm appealing. A trick anglers use is to pass the hook through a red worm but allow the point of the hook to remain uncovered. This helps them snag the fish's jaw when it tries to bite the worm from the shaft of the hook.
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Bloodworms
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Saltwater anglers will bait their rigs with bloodworms to catch sea trout, striped bass, flounder, whiting and bluefish. Bloodworms live in the shallows of saltwater areas on the bottom. These creatures acquired their name from the fact that their skin is so light that the reddish fluids within their bodies easily show through their membranes. Bloodworms burrow in the sandy bottoms of their environment, and anglers catch them for bait or purchase them from bait shops.
Waxworms
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Technically not an actual worm, waxworms catch many of the same fish that red worms do. Waxworms are white smallish larvae of a moth known as the wax moth and resemble wriggling worms. The angler that uses this type of bait puts it on a small hook or fishing jig and lowers it into the water. Ice fishermen will often use a waxworm, putting it on a hook and targeting panfish such as perch and crappies through holes in the ice.
Sandworms
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Anglers frequently refer to sandworms as either ragworms or clam worms. This worm has a reddish-brown color and at first glance resembles a centipede. The worm possesses a pair of feelers that enhance its senses and four eyes. It has eight separate tentacles. The species that sandworms will appeal to include stripers, blackfish, croakers, sea perch and porgy.
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