Seeking beach worming tuition

[URAGANGI]

I'm seeking one on one tuition from a fellow Ausfish member in the art of beach worming. I've been beach fishing since I was able to hold a coke can then graduate to a stubby and beyond. Since that time I've tried countless times to master the art of worming. All I manage to do is to either gather worm sections or just feel that bugger slip past my finger tips...FRUSTRATING STUFF!!

I'm Gold Coast based but willing to travel as far south as Wooyung. The price of worms is making my fishing budget bleed. If I can gather them myself...Happy Days. Any help will be accepted with gratitude.

Cheers, P.M if you like.
Gavin.

[Jackinthebox]

Gavin,

Send me a pm or mob: 0410 816 461 and we can work something out.

Lucky for you I am also on the Goldy. :)
Cheers,

Mick.

[griz066]

Here is how I do it.
In my left hand I hold my wallet and quickly open the freezer at the bait shop, then quick as a flash I grab a tub of the little buggers with my right hand........... job done. I do this as I can't catch the little $h!ts either;D ;D ;D

[Timfishin4fun]

Hi mate, just a little tip.

You said you get pieces of the worm, then when you pull up and the worm grabs the sand with his body stop.

Wait for a little wash to come past and when the wash runs back to the sea wash away the sand in front of the worm, this will loosen his grip and the whole worm will come straight out.

Hope this helps.

Timbo

[rando]

Dont pull straight up, pull them out sideways.

[goat boy]

I'm South Goldy. Willing to help if near you.

[Noelm]

best tip I can give is keep practicing, once mastered it is quite easy, although I am pretty useless at it but I can get enough for bait most times, I keep some frozen ones for use when I fail to get enough.

[URAGANGI]

Grizz thanks for that slight of hand trick!!! That's one big belly LOL from me.

For the above that have posted once again thanks for your interrest, the tips that have been mentioned by RANDO AND TIM....yep yep I'll put that into practice.
Cheers
Gavin.

[dnej]

Gavin,
I was shown by a very very vintaged gentleman, on Fraser.
Take a pinch of sand, on each side of the worm.

No need to rush it.Then when you feel the worm arch in the pinch of sand, the worm can be pulled up.

You can actually hold the worm in place for a longwhile, when you take the pinch of sand on either side of the body of the worm.
David

[URAGANGI]

David cheers for the sand tip. I reckon that this is my biggest error, no sand between fingers and thumb while pulling up or sideways means no worm at all.
I can get a head up and ark no worries the rest just sent me around the bend. My timeing could also be slowed a little.

[pommy]

Anyone around Ballina show me?

Regards, Rob.

[URAGANGI]

Rob when I finally get things down pat and I can hold my own in worming, I'll glady pass on what these good blokes have shared with me. If your located in the Ballina region, this is one of my favorite beach fishing haunts. Patches and Air Force beach.

I gotta say it.... What a sight this is for the dedicated fishing community.

cheers,
Gav.

[Flex]

I have been worming since i was a wee worm myself:)

i have taught alot of people to worm, My wife caught worms within 5 mins of me showing here how.

The easy part is bringning them up, make sure you worm on a slightly elevated bit of beach on a falling tide, gives you more time at the worms before wave hits.

present the hand bait a few mm in front of it to get him arching and flicking down.
The big misconception going around is you have to "time" the grab of the worm when he arches up. Thats wrong.

First of all practice getting your fingers down beside the worm while he is feeding, you can touch him lightly to see what direction he is coming up from. as not all worms are vertical in the sand.Do it gently and he wont know your there.

Next is the Secret bit(if you can call it a secret)
Trick is to gradually and slowly build up pressure on the worm over say 30 seconds(faster as you get better at it). Its the key to catching em. Practice grabbing your own finger then time 20-30seconds from going from light pressure to hard as you can squeeze..
Does that make sense?

if you do this I guarantee the worm will not even know you have him. The worm reacts to sudden changes in pressure. So if you dont move to quick then they are easy...


Hope it helps

[BLOOEY]

I have been worming since i was a wee worm myself:)

i have taught alot of people to worm, My wife caught worms within 5 mins of me showing here how.

The easy part is bringning them up, make sure you worm on a slightly elevated bit of beach on a falling tide, gives you more time at the worms before wave hits.

present the hand bait a few mm in front of it to get him arching and flicking down.
The big misconception going around is you have to "time" the grab of the worm when he arches up. Thats wrong.

First of all practice getting your fingers down beside the worm while he is feeding, you can touch him lightly to see what direction he is coming up from. as not all worms are vertical in the sand.Do it gently and he wont know your there.

Next is the Secret bit(if you can call it a secret)
Trick is to gradually and slowly build up pressure on the worm over say 30 seconds(faster as you get better at it). Its the key to catching em. Practice grabbing your own finger then time 20-30seconds from going from light pressure to hard as you can squeeze..
Does that make sense?

if you do this I guarantee the worm will not even know you have him. The worm reacts to sudden changes in pressure. So if you dont move to quick then they are easy...


Hope it helps


Spot on Flex. Although if you don't do it for a while it is hard not to grab at them! I (luckily) saw an old bloke doing it on the beach one afternoon and after showing interest in what he was doing for an hour or more he showed me the ins and outs of it. I still struggle a bit at the start because i don't do it so often but after the first couple of heads i pull off i remember what he taught me and pull them pretty easily. Been pulling some massive ones the last month but unfortunately i haven't been putting them in front of jew. Viper, Look for the old fellas on the beach mate! Ben

[URAGANGI]

Hey nice one fellas, another one of my faults when worming is to be a little more gentle. Flex when I look back at what I'm doing wrong. With what you've pointed out, yes you've made perfect scence!
Cheers,
Gav.

[pueter66]

When you go for a worm dont let your shadow fall over the worm, use a fairly firm piece of fish bait with out to many trailing edges. Maintain loose pressure between thumb and finger. When the swell washes over the worm wait for him to arch up his back between your fingers. Apply tension with fingers and here is the important bit Pump the worm as you are pulling him out this avoids the tug of war and your success rate will be much higher. If you get a skitish worm its best just to move on and try another. You will get him on a different day. I often use an old fish frame on a rope to excite other worms while I am chasing a different worm a few meters away. I once saw a guy catching them with his toes. smartarse.
Cheers Pueter

[mcchaddy]

I have seen an old guy catch them one single handed on a beach near yeppoon. Amazing to see.

I use whiting tales for bait. easy to hold in the hand and reasonably tough flesh so the worm cant just rip it off.

Flex is right about the build of pressure. It took me a while but once you do it once it will come naturally. Keep some sand between worm and fingers.

If they are not coming out easy just dig your foot/toes/hand in front of them to loosen the sand and they should come out ok.

[fish'n'chippy]

great to read the techniques of others, especially the way you can wait 30 seconds whilst applying pressure.........interesting.

funny story.......
many years ago, i was worming at broadbeach early one morning with a large mullet for burley. an elderly couple stopped to watch, and after about 10min of moving closer the gentleman got close enough to say hello, and ask me what i was doing. i showed him the worms (to which he took a few steps away from the water), and he confessed they thought i was taking my fish for a walk.........tourists, gotta love 'em

anyway.......my method
push your fingers into the sand either side of the worm with a little bit of clearance on both sides, but slightly spread your fingers outward away from the worm when doing it so there is no pressure on the sand surounding the worm, this allows you to get deeper into the sand (you will know if you get it wrong........oops no worm)
move your fingers together gently until you are touching the worm with both fingers and no sand in between, tease the worm forward with the hand bait and when you feel it moving forward to arch up, pinch it between your fingers hard.
most times the head of the worm will go a bit limp and it pulls straight out with very little effort.

i haven't noticed a problem with shadows, and a lot of times i would go worming at night with a head torch, wind and onlookers walking around are the biggest problems........they don't like either

there are plenty of worms right along the goldy, however i have found that i have mostly gotten larger worms north of narrowneck.

saturday arvo looks ok atm, happy to come down for a worm/fishing session

grahame

[Muddy Toes]

Is there anything you can't do grahame?

[fish'n'chippy]

Is there anything you can't do grahame?

hahaha.........i just love my fishing

cheers mate

grahame

[Dignity]

I can sometimes get plenty, other times struggle, usually if I have had a beer or two back at camp before going worming. I watched a pro once at Curimundi many years back and he did it all one handed, he had a pipi strapped to his thumb with a rubber band and in the other hand a number of mullet frames on a rope. He would wait till the water totally receded and the sand was dry then just walk to the spots where he had seen worms, put his bait close by and just pull one out after the other. I have never seen the like of it since.

[URAGANGI]

Ok nice idea a beer a two before worming, Hmmm...? maybe this might stop me from being a little heavy handed with the little suckers.
Cheers,
Gav.

[Dignity]

just slower - maybe the 30 sec trick will work, haven't tried that one yet but will be at Fraser in a month or so and give it a go although there will be about 5 waves come through in that time and I figure I would be drenched. Oh well nothing another beer or a even better a rum won't cure