worms for catfish and how to catch them

Why worms for wels catfish?

The use of worms go back a long way in the world of angling and are a firm favourite bait for targetting many freshwater fish. The use of worms for catfish seem to be a logical choice as they are meaty, wriggle like mad and form par of the natural diet. It does appear that the Lobworm is by far the most popular worm used for targetting catfish but most other worms all catch wels catfish, especially at night.
The Lob worm is the largest worm readily available to us anglers which is probably why it is our first choice although dendrbenas and red worms will catch equally as well.
The worm has a two fold approach in helping us catch catfish, the first being the obvious movement with it's wriggling, twisting and turning which will attract the attention of the vibration detectors on the catfish. The second is the scent and trail of free flowing amino acids which the worm gives off. These amino acids are easily detected by the extra sensitive taste receptors the catfish has all over it's body. Once the catfish has detected the movement it can then close in on the amino acids with pinpoint accuracy.
The only drawback to using worms is they are pretty much confined to the hours of darkness as every other fish in the lake will devour them.

Fishing for catfish with worms...

Being a very versatile bait worms can be fished in a number of ways and everyone of them work as well as each other.
Single Lobs on the bottom can be a very effective way of stalking catfish. Fished directly on the hook and free lined in the margins over a few chopped worms can prove to be a great way of tempting a catfish. keep the line nice and slack so it lays along the lake bed and just let the worm wriggle around in the silt or gravel. If you need to use some weight to cast the worm try using a simple link ledger technique or a few lightly nipped on AAA shot or even some heavy metal type putty. Takes on this method are usually slow and constant as the catfish tend not to know they ahve been hooked until the line tightens and then all hell breaks loose as the catfish powers off across the lake.
Popped up off the lake bed worms make a very tempting prospect to a passing catfish. The worms are free to move around in the water but cannon bury themselves in the silt. As the worms wriggle around and stretch they will send out all kinds of vidrations which will attract any passing cats. Takes are normally quite violent and result in a screaming run as the cat attacks the worms and shoots off to a close by snag to consume its meal.
Another underated and under used method is to fish worms on the surface or just below. There are a few ways or presenting a bait just below the surface the most popular is to use a dumbbell type rig as illustrated. The idea being you cast out and allow the rig to pull the worms up to the surface. A free running lead sits on the bottom which is used to get the bait out and to anchore the rig on one place. On warm summers evenings this method can be absolutely awesome as the catfish will charge up from below, break the surface as it attacks the worms with a big splash. As soon as you hear the splash the bite alarm will scream off. Another method of presenting a bait just below the surface is to use a weak link and attached to a tree on the opposite bank. This method will only work on certain waters where you have access to the far bank with some mrginal cover. I have used this method on a few waters and it is very successful. You either use a baitboat to take your rig over to the opposite side of the lake or cast just the lead onto the bank. You then use a weak mono link attached to the swivel on your hooklength. This weak mono link is then tied to a tree or bankstick. Back at the rod you tighten up your mainline until the rig begins to lift out of the water, slacken off to allow the worms to drop down into the lake and wait. Presentation is perfect as no line actually goes into the water and once the cat takes the bait the weak link breaks and you are connected to a catfish. This method also works well for livebaits and even catcatcher baits glugged in liquids.

Conclusion...

Worms make an ideal bait for catfish and are certainly alway worth taking along with you on your next fishing trip. They may be a little more haasel than using pellets or boilies but the extra effort is worth it when everyone is sitting behind motionless rods.
Worms are relatively cheap and if you can fisnd them they are free, how good is that!

Tips

Hook the worm through the wrist which is the thick band about 1/4 of the way along the body.

Try using more than one worm at a time to create a mass of worm activity.

If using single worms, try poping them up from the lake bed or they may dive into the silt.

Try snipping the ends off of some of the worms to release all the amino acids!

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