Garden worms + Salt water = ???

[Damned67]

Hi All,
Was having a conversation with a bunch of workmates that enjoy a spot of fishing.
One was raving about his supply of, and success with worms from his garden....
Anyone used good ol' garden worms for salt water fishing with any success?
I would have thought that the salt would kill them and dry them out pretty quick, but his response was that if it was in the water long enough to suffer a dead, dry fate, then you're fishing in the wrong spot... Plus, as he pointed out, how would it be that different to the packet worms sold as bait??? It almost makes perfect sense....
Who's got experience with garden worms, one way or the other?

[sandbankmagnet]

Yeah I've caught fish with garden worms in salt water. Bread and butter species. Sure they don't live long, but they still do the trick. Not as good as blood worms though.

[marto78]

We used to dig up a few to catch whiting when we were kids, we always came home with a feed.

[Matthias]

I rekon they are great for bream and whiting. Cheap and easy. Plus they wriggle alot more than sand worms.

[myangle]

I'm convinced. I might have to try them on the weekend.

[flatzie]

Im watching this with great interest! Ive been told they simply dont work. WORK? Digging those worms out of heavy clay and rock at the shore, now thats work, whereas the ones in my garden are easy!
Let us all know how you get on myangle!

[4x4frog]

They are particularly good when the bream are being fussy. They get inquisitive and bang they get hooked easier I think because the earth worms are so much softer than a tough old sand worm.
They do work well for gar in the salt water too, used to use them from my grandparents garden when at Lake Cootharaba as a kid.
Might have to dig a few before I head to one of the dams for a spot of garring this year.

[HeadBanger]

I've never used them myself, but I've seen a few people use them regularly when I've been out fishing. A few blokes I met on holiday swore by them, and continuously brought in decent whiting and bream.

I guess I'll have to give them a go as soon as I can.

Cheers,
Kaidon

[flatzie]

Anyone out there who can sware they dont work, which is the most common response every time I have asked. Maybe a myth is getting sorted out here?
Not saying that the beachies and bloodworms are not better, but nice to know if these are worth a try.
Im calling Mythbusters!
Cheers
Flatzie

[tigermullet]

Garden worms definitely do work as bait, especially after heavy rain and run-off.

In run-off of fresh water I've seen them work on bream when several other types of bait have failed.

[Axl]

They certainly do work for whiting as kids we would dig them out of our mothers gardens and meet up at the mouth of Lota creek on the mudflats at low tide where we would catch a nice feed of big whiting.

[Damned67]

One of the reasons I asked was that I've got a mate that loves to come for a fish, and once asked if he should bring a container of worms from his compost worm farm. I told him not to bother, as the salt would kill and dry them.... Sounds like I may have been wrong.
And, I guess, if the SP worms work, why wouldn't garden worms?

Geez, just think of it, start a worm farm, compost your food scraps, and have a seemingly endless supply of bream and whiting bait! It would seem to be a win-win situation!

[sleepygreg]

They certainly DO work. We used to take a heap with us when we went to Burrinjuck for the weekend chasing Redfin and trout, and usually came home with half as many as we took. The next weekend we would take them with us, rather than waste them, to either Port Hacking or Botany bay and fish them in the shallows in the Bay, and against the deep dropoffs against the shore in Port Hacking (South West Arm), for some stonker bream and OS whiting. Used to get a lot of silver trevally in the Bay on them. They usually dont stay in the water long enough to die or dry. The downside is you have to use a finer guage hook than you normally would, though i cant recall losing too many fish to straightened hooks...but then we wouls usually use 2kg or 3kg line...direct to the hook...with the smallest running pea sinker directly onto the hook (just enough weight to give about 5m casting distance).

Cheers
Greg

[MY ALIBI]

hey mate i reckon give em a try as i used to use saltwater yabbies at leslie dam and do the yellow belly and cod love em caught heaps
cheers all the best

[Bear001]

Yep garden worms at coast for flattie, whiting and bream.
Freshwater frozen shrimps - same.
Even some barbie grubs!
Have enough to drink, run out of bait and start to use the cocktail frank...lol



Saltwater prawns and yabbies for yellowbelly...lol