[Andy Marquis]

Well we have some monster tides in the Channel islands this week. Tomorrow has a high of 10.3m and a low of just 0.1m, a range of 10.2m or 33ft 5inch or so in old money.

Wouldn't want to be stuck somewhere without a paddle around mid tide on that one!!

I've got the afternoon off work tomorrow so that I can go dig for Australia and see if I can turn in a good supply of verm (rockworm) for the freezer and maybe some tail ends for fresh this week.

I am hoping these tides will bring some bass in. We had an open comp this weekend which about 50 anglers fished fairly hard. How many bass were caught?? None over 3lb is the answer. Shocking. I only did about 2 hours with the plugs and nowt seen or felt. Could have made an effort and headed to deeper water but I am not confident that it would have made a difference.

So assuming you lot all have equally large tides (for your areas), what are you up to if anything??

 

[trev richardson]

Andy,
What are "verm"...Excuse my ignorance.

 

[Tim Griffin]

Andy, still a bit early for me to have confidence in finding a bass, so perhaps back on the pike I think. That said, Simon Clapham found some cracking spots with clear water in West Wales that makes me start itching...

 

[Simon L]

Monster tides here in West Wales over the next 3 days Andy. But i too fear that the Bass are not around in any numbers. I'll either be Croc Wrestling, or Fluff Chucking for the next few weeks.

 

[Steve Lewis]

Andy,
What are "verm"...Excuse my ignorance.

Rockworm, Trev !

 

[Andy Marquis]

Verm = http://www.fishing-guernsey.co.uk/Baits/baits.asp?BaitType='Verm'

Bit like a king rag on steroids.

 

[trev richardson]

Cheers Andy,
You learn something new every day!! Looks like a cracking bait and they freeze as well. :shock: :shock: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[Andy Marquis]

They freeze very well actually. Had my PB bass of 8-12 on frozen verm. Stays really tough but full of black gunk when defrosted. They have blood which is red thick and very sticky when fresh. More important, I can smell them perfectly well so that means that bass can as well. Pretty much everything in the sea eats verm if given a chance.

 

[trev richardson]

I look forward to getting the chance to use it one day.

 

[kevin white]

I look forward to getting the chance to use it one day.

make sure you've got your chain mail gloves on mate, these things are like haywoods pickled onions, they bite back.

kev

 

[trev richardson]

Are they really as bad as King Rag..Have had a few nips from them in my time..little b****rds.

 

[Retired]

Worse. Double fangs each side and much tougher all round. Pitbull of the worm family. I've never been bitten by one though......

 

[Andy Marquis]

Haven't been bitten myself but the nipper has. I just heard screaming looked over and there's a beaut of a bit of verm hanging off his hand!!!

Can just about see the second set of fangs on this one. They aren't that vicious really. Need to be provoked. Picking them up will do the trick!!



I dug for nearly 2 hours today. Method is sinply get down a foot or 2 then keep the depth and work your way up a gully using an old army trenching tool. I cleared a gully about a foot wide and 6ft long and was very happy wth 3.5lb of verm (weighed on the digi scales in a bucket after zero'ing and taking out as much cack as I could.

here they are...

10 packs for the freezer and better times, 1 pack into the fridge for use this week maybe. Each pack contains sufficient for an evening session of 2-3 hours with 1 rod.

 

[Mark Sleep]

Nice going Andy! How's the back....

 

[Andy Marquis]

What back?? I think it fell out somewhere near the low tide mark...

 

[Tim Murphy]

Haven't been bitten myself but the nipper has. I just heard screaming looked over and there's a beaut of a bit of verm hanging off his hand!!!

Can just about see the second set of fangs on this one. They aren't that vicious really. Need to be provoked. Picking them up will do the trick!!

View attachment 403

I dug for nearly 2 hours today. Method is sinply get down a foot or 2 then keep the depth and work your way up a gully using an old army trenching tool. I cleared a gully about a foot wide and 6ft long and was very happy wth 3.5lb of verm (weighed on the digi scales in a bucket after zero'ing and taking out as much cack as I could.

here they are...

10 packs for the freezer and better times, 1 pack into the fridge for use this week maybe. Each pack contains sufficient for an evening session of 2-3 hours with 1 rod.

View attachment 404

That's a lot of take out cartons there!

 

[Andy Marquis]

£1.69 for 8 at Aladdins Cave. Honest guv, never eat Chinese myself... ;-)

 

[Andy Marquis]

Here's another pic of them part way through processing...



Doesn't look like that much there but they filled my paint pot bucket thing 3/4 of the way up.

Apparently you get these in the SW of the UK as well if you fancy something to do which will knacker your back and legs and if you me put a hole in your waders meaning you had to go buy some new ones...

 

[kevin white]

well done andy, that lot must of took some digging mate

kev

 

[trev richardson]

Haven't had to go near anything other than a bait pump since the lad started his bait business.

But if they are as good as you say it has to be worth a bad back...