One of the best fishing baits,
particularly for shoreline fishing, is the sea worm. These fishing worms
are abundant and caught during low tides, in portions of the shore
where the water meets the sand. I learned the techniques of catching
sea worms from the same fisherman, Juanito. The worms we caught were blood-colored, but I'm
not sure if it would fall under the ragworm specie.
To catch
these sea worms, you will need a piece of old undershirt the size of a
hankie and a gallon-size container filled with the water that was
used to wash rice before it's cooked. Food leftovers can be added into
the container to make a concoction that is smelly and more
attractive to the worms. The more putrid it is , the better to lure
the sea worms out of the sand.
Soak the cloth in the container
and then spread it on the spot where the water meets the sand. The sea
worms will start biting the cloth with it's pincers located at its
head, and try to pull the cloth deep into the sand. Gently make a
counter-pull near the bite spot with your thumb and index finger, and
as you raise it a little above the sand, use your other hand's thumb
and index finger to snap the worm's head. Here, the battle begins as
the worms will really fight for dear life. You now go under the
cloth with your free hand and start tickling the worm, again, using
the thumb and index finger. Sometimes, while you're at it, you'll get
a bite or two from the other worms, which nonetheless will back off
immediately with a slight movement of your hand. Some worms are
tickled out whole, while some, the more stubborn ones, give up o
nly a
portion of their length. We just do it repeatedly until we
accumulate enough fishing worms that we need. These fish baits were
usually placed in a can filled with sand at the bottom.
Will
shoveling the sand make it a better and faster way to harvest the sea
worms? I really do not know as I had never tried it. Besides, there
was more thrill and excitement in the method I described above.
Sea
worms are admittedly one of the best fishing baits for shoreline
fishing, easily recognizable by most fish species, and can be had for
free if one so desires.
[A Unique Flat-Ended Canoe]
