bait,ragworm

ok i'm bored tonight as i can't get out n fish , so i'll type o bit about rag.

its probably the most universal bait used along the south coast all year, and accounts for many species both big and small.

availiable from most tackle shops as a farmed bait or dug.
or dig your own if you know where.

there are several species but for ease i'll generalize and split them into 3 groups by average size.

1, maddies- small harbour rag , found in dense colonys in soft mud, they're a delicate worm of 2-3inches,
best head hooked in bunches to create a lively wriggleing mass, good for flatties, bass n eels, just about anything really .
i'm told mullet will take them but i'm yet to catch a mullet by any method. :oops:

2, red/harbour rag,- larger and tougher than maddies at about 3-6 inches found in inter tidal mud/sand/ shingle mixtures ,use whole , in bunches or sections on small hooks for small species.

3, kingrag,- larger still, up to 18inches maybe bigger , but mostly 6-12. tend to be a definate green in colour, found as above.

maddies usually have to be dug as they seem to be rarely availiable from shops due to being delicate and difficult to keep,
red rag or kings can usually be bought from tackle shops, either dug from the shore or farmed.
either wrapped in mikalite, or in sea peat.

as a bait they work best when live as both a sight & scent bait , they are a lot less effective as a dead bait though i've had a little success with salting and freezing large kings and useing them after dark.
once i've dug some i sort through my bucket & discard any broken or dammaged worms unless i'm gonna use them immeadiately.
cleaning any mud & draining the water off. to toughen them up a bit by drying them out i put some newspaper in the bucket to soak up access water, (mikalite does the same job).

exposure to heat will kill them quickly and turn them to a nasty stinking mush. keep them in a cool place short term, the fridge if the wife will let ya ( the fresh water condensation will kill them off here if left too long or you don't change the paper wraps)
or if youve got a bait fridge ( or a very understanding wife) in the fridge in a very shallow tray of sea water, even better if you've a dedicated bait fridge with a small water pump so you can circulate sea water through the tray.

oops,- edit, forgot about whites,

white rag,
some times known as snake whites for the larger ones,
these beastys are a bit different, sizes , up to about 6 inches, as you might have gathered, their white.
unlike the ones previously mentioned they are usually found in sand when digging lug or razors etc.near the low tide mark.
best kept in a tray or bucket of shallow water .
i've never seen bait shops stock them coz they are difficult to keep.
match anglers luv 'em , they're very lively when fresh and make an attractive sight bait in clear water, usually used as a tip bait ,head hooked & left to wriggle.

i also hear tell of - rock worm, a ragworm that lives in burrows in soft rock, chalk etc, same sort of areas as piddock clams? to be honest i know bugger all much about them coz they're not found round my neck of the woods.

Nice job

And they fookin bite too the little t**ts,nice piece there Geejay
I'll have to pull my finger out and get some fishing in this coming winter,the codling are showing on our rocky marks.

nixon wrote:And they fookin bite too the little t**ts,nice piece there Geejay

cheerz nixon, i keep waiting for someone to say - i'm and have got it all wrong

thread went a bit off topic so i split the natter about cod to here-

https://ukfishingforums.darkbb.com/sea-fishing-f10/cod-hunting-saturday-danny-t1196.htm#28167

tight lines guys

Im gunna be looking to get myself a new sea reel,as I sold my 525mag to pay a surprise bill a few months ago.
Still got my penn ruff stuff rod and most of my delapidated gear nestling in the shed,so I cant wait to get back out in the sea breaze and get mezmerized by the rod tip for hours upon end.
In fact I might have a ride across to whitehaven and get stuck into the mass of doggies and whiting in a few weeks.
We should perhaps think about a sea fishing social,again...somewhere neutral,and wont nessecerrily need the proper beach casting rods,just spinning or heavier course rods,the lads would love it,even getting amongst shoals of whiting,or the odd eel or a rockling,Might be something to think about and perhaps plan out.

bump

update re - whites.

Gord once again

mind you, they do get bigger

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1165930/Barry-giant-sea-worm-discovered-aquarium-staff-mysterious-attacks-coral-reef.html

thats a serious monster of a worm ,

thats 1 ugly worm imagine the size of perch you could catch on that foooook the sea bait it would make a good perch bait