So today I was mowing, weeding, chainsawing wood etc... and I kept some critters for bait...

1) Earthworms... are they as good as tigerworms as I've never used them but have 20 now and could get as many as I wanted... they are in no short supply in Barker...

2) [u]Little grubs found in two spots[/u]

(a) in dry redgum that I was cutting

(b) in the earth I was weeding.

I know that bardi grubs are good for cod (but haven't yet collected them so I'm clueless) but are they different or are they worth a crack anyways???

penny for your opinions?

Hi mate- I think any grubs are worth a go. As for earth worms, i think they are better than tigerworms because tiger worms are a manure worm and take on the taste which apparently fish dont like- you will still get bites on the tigers for a little while atleast. Other options for freshwater baits are Scrubworms (if you can get them) are great and as the weather gets warmer and dryer dont look past the humble Grasshopper or Locust. hope this helps you out a bit.

Cheers, Jono (SAFWAA Committee Member)

never tried the grubs but earthworms have caught me plenty of monster carp and some decent sized bream.

smokeykebab wrote:


bream??? coool... never thought of salt!!!

I caught my first ever Jumbo Redfin at Bushland park on an Earthworm excavated from under a log.....I have always found the bigger ones work best (3-5 inches long and about as thick as a pencil).

That said I had a go at Bushland Park a week or so ago with worms (after failing to bring up anything on HB's or Blades) and still got nothing.

Don't think I have ever caught anything on those witchetty grubs (or however you spell it).....not for lack of trying though

Scrub worms are the best for trout. They JUST love a floated scrub worm just drifted down with flowing water.

Even using them on a running rig in fast flowing sections is deadly.

Not sure on the smaller grubs you got but not sure if you know that Bardi's are dynamite and rainbow trout.

Its the big Scrubbies that you need, and ideally if you can dig them from the spot your about to fish you will do better. Thats really giving em fresh bait from there direct surroundings.

Trout also eat Millipedes by the dozen but Ive yet to work out a way to put em on a hook. And I just cant convince myself to use em. Nearly every single trout I have eaten has either had yabby or millipedes in there bellies.

The smaller grubs that you find in lawns ands gardens are generally beatle larve and fish will bite them but generally spit them out for whatever reason (must taste like shit?)so their not great bait!

Grubs found in timber however (borers, purple bardies found in sapling gums and currawong grubs are all great bait as are ground bardies.

I like to use native scrubbies and flat tailed red earthworms for native species of fish but the noxious/introduced species of fish tend to be more attracted to the introduced tiger worms and the white earthworms which are pretty useless because their normally softer and fall apart easily.

Hope that helps

voogoofish wrote:


I read that earth worms work well after heavy rain and last year I gave it a try in west lakes. caught 7 legal sized bream in about 2-3 hours all on worms.

I only use earthworms when no tigers are handy as they drop dead quicker under water-ok for carp but never done much good with other species. Ive had heaps of luck at Mawson Lakes using black beetle grubs-keeps the lawn free from pests and the carp seem to love em.

well be giving all this advice a go!!! even if it conflicts (but everyone has their special "way" of doing things) which is what makes fishing so great