Keeping of Bloodworm

Coxy

Senior Member
Hi Guys

I often pump Bloodworm at Muizenberg, and then go fishing straight after, however, there are times when I pump around mid morning but only go fishing late afternoon, or even at night.

How on earth do I keep the Bloodwork as fresh and alive as possible?

 
 

MickJack

Senior Member
You gonna have to ask the Marine Bio's at your ocean aquarium

down there for that answer!!

Cracker shrimp/mud prawn are easy, just wrap in

folded wet news paper and keep cool.
 

ASHLEY

Senior Member
Hi Coxy

 

i have absolutely no idea on how to keep bloodworms alive, but here are my suggestions:

 

since they live in the sand, underwater, i think that you should store them in a bucket with a little sand and water. also you could use a small water pump to keep the water circulating for the worms to stay alive for longer

 

 

just my 2c worth.

Ash
 

Coxy

Senior Member
Hi On Dad

Bloodworm IS illegal in KZN, but not in WP.  We're allowed 5 a day per licenced person!

 
 

Elvis

New member
Coxy wrote:
Hi On Dad

Bloodworm IS illegal in KZN, but not in WP.  We're allowed 5 a day per licenced person!

 

Hi Coxy,

I have pumped bloodworm in Muizenberg and driven the next day all the way to Plett, i kept them in a bucket with some of the same sand that I pumped the worms in, only thing is that you have to keep the water as fresh as possible(keep changing the water), the worms stayed alive for about 3 days. Hope this helps
 

Patrick

Sealiner
Hey Coxy,

You reallly just need to keep the water oxygenated. To do this, get yourself a battery operated air pump that you submerse into the bucket of water. Northern Aquatics fish shop on Bothma Rd, Bothasig sell them for R29.

Good luck

Patrick
 

Patrick

Sealiner
Tell me Coxy, do you have a special technique to getting the worm out whole?

I find I mostly just end up with tails and only now and then does a full worm pop out.

Which means either the angle of the pump isnt correct or there is some secret. I see some guys pump witht the pump slanted.

Hope you can help.

 

Cheers
 

Coxy

Senior Member
Hi Patrick

 

I tend to use a slight slant when I pump (the bloodworm that is ;)).  You got to pump almost all the way to the handle, and if nothing comes out, put you hand in the whole and feel around for the worm, you often find them that way.

Hope that helps!

 

 
 

Old Sea Dog

New member
Coxy wrote:
Bloodworm IS illegal in KZN, but not in WP. 

Can you give a reference to the regulations that prohibits use of bloodworm in KZN? I know that they were illegal under the old Parks Board regulations, but from what I understood those fell away when the whole coastline came under the control of Sea Fisheries and I haven't been able to find any reference in their regs to KZN being different to the rest of the country for worms.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you're incorrect - I would simply like to make sure by knowing which regulation (and whose) it is that prohibits the use of bloodworm in KZN.

 
 

Coxy

Senior Member
Hi OSD

I grew up with an old man who was NPB for 35 years, hence where I'm coming from.  With regard to falling under MCM, now I'm not too sure, but I do see on their website they refer to" KwaZulu-Natal Invertebrate Permits(KZN Wildlife Permit Offices)
" and also implies the following "The collection and gathering of intertidal resources requires a permit issued by KZN Wildlife".

I'd be interested to see if any other anglers from KZN can shed any further light.  I'm guessing Buckled might be the right guy to give a definitive answer.

What I can try is to give Ken Morty (NPB) a call and see what answer he gives, I'll keep you posted.

 

Cheers

Coxy

 
 

MickJack

Senior Member

Old Sea Dog

New member
Fishing for invertebrates is not allowed in the area between the line drawn 145° from the south breakwater of Durban Harbour and another line drawn 145° from the mouth of the Umgeni river, extending three nautical miles from the high-water mark.
Agreed, this is a long standing regulation, which is why Vetch's and Limestone have been off limits for pulling bugs, for example, for decades.

 
 

Haggers

Senior Member
Coxy wrote:
Hi Guys

I often pump Bloodworm at Muizenberg, and then go fishing straight after, however, there are times when I pump around mid morning but only go fishing late afternoon, or even at night.

How on earth do I keep the Bloodwork as fresh and alive as possible?

 

Hi Coxy

Where in Muizenberg do you pump for bloodworm?

Thanks

Haggers
 

kraken

Senior Member
Howzit guys!

Bloodworm is a damn fine bait,no doubt about that!

What follows is my own experience regarding this bait.Most of what I know I got from such stalwarts as Vincent Taylor,one of the oumanne of SA shore angling.

I very rarely pump my worm these days.I use the wire method and within a very short space of time I've got my quota of 5 worms.This method is far less exhausting than standing in the surf for hours pumping blind.The beaches of Sunrise circle and Macassar always have healthy colonies of worm.Needless to say,low tide is your best bet.

Identifying the holes takes a bit of practice as does the feeding in of the wire,but once you've got the knack you're on your way.

No doubt the question arises as to the damage inflicted on the worm by the wire.Yes,the worm is almost always damaged in some way,but this is were keeping the worms in tip top condition comes into play.

Whether you pump your worms undamaged or get them with the wire,the secret in keeping them usable lies in the importance of bleeding the worms.Unbled worms do not keep well and one is very often left with pap and very useless bait.

I bleed my worms as soon as I get them.A small incision in the head part of the worm is made and all the blood,sand and guts are squeezed out.Don't bother with the tail. I place these bled worms in a bucket of clean sea water while I seek the next worm. What one will notice happening,is the worms will contract.Change the water often.This is a very important part of the process.

When I prepare the worms at home,I dry each one individually and wrap the worm in a section of newspaper.These are then keep in the fridge at a cool temperature.If done correctly,your worms will stay alive for up to 5 days.It is important to keep the temp.constant.When you use the worms at the sea,you will find that they are firm and easy to mount on the hook.

This is a tried and trusted method.It really does work!

Tight Lines

kraken
 

Haggers

Senior Member
kraken wrote:
Howzit guys!

Bloodworm is a damn fine bait,no doubt about that!

What follows is my own experience regarding this bait.Most of what I know I got from such stalwarts as Vincent Taylor,one of the oumanne of SA shore angling.

I very rarely pump my worm these days.I use the wire method and within a very short space of time I've got my quota of 5 worms.This method is far less exhausting than standing in the surf for hours pumping blind.The beaches of Sunrise circle and Macassar always have healthy colonies of worm.Needless to say,low tide is your best bet.

Identifying the holes takes a bit of practice as does the feeding in of the wire,but once you've got the knack you're on your way.

No doubt the question arises as to the damage inflicted on the worm by the wire.Yes,the worm is almost always damaged in some way,but this is were keeping the worms in tip top condition comes into play.

Whether you pump your worms undamaged or get them with the wire,the secret in keeping them usable lies in the importance of bleeding the worms.Unbled worms do not keep well and one is very often left with pap and very useless bait.

I bleed my worms as soon as I get them.A small incision in the head part of the worm is made and all the blood,sand and guts are squeezed out.Don't bother with the tail. I place these bled worms in a bucket of clean sea water while I seek the next worm. What one will notice happening,is the worms will contract.Change the water often.This is a very important part of the process.

When I prepare the worms at home,I dry each one individually and wrap the worm in a section of newspaper.These are then keep in the fridge at a cool temperature.If done correctly,your worms will stay alive for up to 5 days.It is important to keep the temp.constant.When you use the worms at the sea,you will find that they are firm and easy to mount on the hook.

This is a tried and trusted method.It really does work!

Tight Lines

kraken
 

Thanks Kraken, do you mind explaining the wire method?

Or do you have a link to where it has been explained before?

Thanks
 

Coxy

Senior Member
Hi Haggers

 

You go about 30m to the left of the life saving building (when facing the sea) at Sunrise Beach, and you're where the worm are!

 

Hope that helps! :)
 

kraken

Senior Member
Hi there

I don't know of any link that describes the wire method but here's how I do it.

Firstly one needs to get the right type of wire.I use stainless steel wire of about 1,5 metres in length.I used to use the rods used for tig welding with a dia.of about 2.5mm but I find the wire used to electrify ones property to be ideal.

The next trick is to bend the first cm or so into a hook.By this I mean bending the wire back on itself so that the bent section runs parallel to the main part of the wire.

Locating the holes takes a bit of practice.I look for a tiny.almost indistinguishable little dot.One can sometimes see a plume of sand coming out of these holes in the last bit of water running off the beach.Once you have located a likely looking hole,feed in the wire gently and carefully.Do not force it in.A bloodworm tunnel is rarely straight,they almost always run at a considerable angle.U-shaped would be the best way to describe it.It often helps to probe the entrance to the hole in order to determine in which direction the hole runs.If you get it right,the wire will proceed with very little resistance to a depth of up to a metre.The wire is then pulled upwards with a sort of circular motion.When it reaches the worm,you will feel immediate resistance.Do not pull too hard!The idea behind using the wire is to trap and hold the worm in place.

Now you pump.This part of the operation must be done with much care.If doing this for the first time its a good idea to have someone along to help.Pump carefully alongside the wire.The idea being to loosen the surrounding sand.Avoid touching the wire at all costs,you simply want to follow the direction of the tunnel.Keep an even tension on the wire at all times.This is where having an assistant helps.I find moving the pump up and down and side to side helps greatly in freeing the worm.If all is going according to plan,you will feel the wire and worm begin to move.Be patient and gentle here.If you continue to loosen the surrounding sand,the worm will come.

Once you have the worm,bleed it at once.This is best done by using the wound caused by the wire.Squeeze everything out.Don't stress too much about any with serious damage.If bled,they will survive.

Once you've got the knack,I gaurentee you will have your quota long before those hardy souls in the surf will have managed to get even their first piece of tail.

Hope this helps!

kraken  
 
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