Boat Fishing Baits

Lug Worm

There are two species of Lug Worm. The Black Lug and the Blow Lug. Both can be very productive as a boat fishing bait.  Black Lug ar the bigger of the species and can reach up to 19'' long. Blow Lug only reach about half that and are usually red or dark brown in colour. Lugworm can be found on shallow beaches that are not sujected to huge amounts of surf. lug are best found in muddy estuaries in places protected from the elements and can always be identified by the worm shape casts the leave on the surface of the sand. Blow L:ug also tend to leave a small blow hole close by, hence their name. Collecting Lug You should search for Lug at low tide in the wet sand. Neap tides will produce the best numbers as the water will recede further leaving fresh stocks exposed. they can be collected by digging a trench o about a two foot deep starting near the water line and slowly working your way backwards. Continue this for a few meters and then go back to the water line where there are more casts and start digging again. If your method is good and the worm beds are up to scractch then an hours digging should provide you with enough lug for a session. Using them as bait This really depends on how big the fish are in the area you are fishing. Big worm baits will take smallish fish such as the savage Whiting and can prove quite wasteful. If however you think there could be good sized fish around that are say over 2 lb then don't be shy about pileing them on.  Just make your snood lengths long and pile 4 or 5 up the hook and onto the snood.  You never know it could result in a good Cod or Pollack. Lug Worm can also be deadly when combined with Squid. Fish Species Cod, Pollack, Pouting, Whiting, Coalies, Wrasse, Bass, Flounder, Dabs, Plaice, Scorpion Fish, Rockling and many others. Hotspots Dollymount Beach (Dublin Bay), Sandymount Beach (Dublin Bay), Outside Dunlaoghaire Harbour (Dublin Bay)

Rag Worm

Rag Worm like the Lug Worm is often found in estuaries and harbours. their colour is a deep orange to red and they look like a cross between a worm and a giant centipede.  Unlike the Lug which is docile, the rag worm is a voracious predator that feeds on small animals living in the sand. their jaws will often nip the angler but will not hurt if this ocours.  Collecting Rag The collection of Rag Worm is much the same as that of the Lug Worm but for the fact that their habitat.is different.  The Rag Worm favours shaley ground with a mixture of shell, sand and mud.  the place to dig for rag is around the rocks and bridge suppports or any other hard structure in the harbour or estuary. The hole should be again about two foot deep and because of the rocky gravelly environment, you should always use a garden fork. a spade will get you nowhere and only leads to chopping the worms in half.  you need to be quick to get the worms as they will burrow as soon as theyhear you coming and you should watch out for small holes in the sand that suddenly fill with water caused by the worm burrowing deeper.  Using them as bait Again the same principles apply for the  Lug. but if its big fish you want then do not be afraid to pile them on. this is the basic shore princple. However, although this method works very well when boat fishing, it should also be noted that hooking a large Rag through just the back of the head and using the live wriggleing creature in the same way as a 'Red Gill' lure while over a wreck or reef has seen the catch of many a fine fish. Fish Species Cod, Pollack, Coalies, Whiting, Pouting, Wrasse, Flounder, Plaice, Scorpion Fish, Dabs, Bass, Dogfish,, Rockling and many others. Hotspots Clontarf Strand (Dublin Bay), Sutton Beach (Dublin)

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