Finding bait: worms, larvae and insects
Without bait even the best hook catches nothing. Nature supplies it almost everywhere: earthworms under damp boards and in leaf litter, caddis larvae on stones in a stream, beetle larvae in rotten wood, grasshoppers in the grass. If you know where to look, you have enough for a day in ten minutes. Scraps from your first catch also make good bait.
- 10–30 minuten
Eenvoudig uitgelegd
Fish like best to bite on things they know: worms, small larvae and insects. You do not have to buy them – you find them almost everywhere if you know where to look.
Earthworms live in damp soil under boards, stones and leaves. In a stream, little tubes made of sand stick to the undersides of stones – a larva lives inside that fish love. And grasshoppers jump about in the grass, still very slow early in the morning.
What matters: put every stone and every piece of wood back exactly as it lay, because many small animals live underneath. And wash your hands well afterwards.
Hoe het werkt
Fish eat what gets into their water or lives in it. After rain, worms are washed from the soil into streams and lakes; in summer insects fall from bankside plants; and countless larvae of caddisflies, mayflies and stoneflies live on the bottom.
Bait from around the water therefore often works better than something the fish do not know. Movement is an extra lure: a wriggling worm or a struggling insect on the surface stands out.
Scraps from the first catch are also good bait, because predatory fish and crayfish can smell them well.
Waar het om gaat
The right place and time: worms are best found after rain and at night, insects early in the morning, larvae all year round under stones in streams.
Keep bait fresh: worms in damp soil, cool and shaded; larvae in a little stream water; insects with grass and air holes. In the sun they die quickly and lose their appeal.
Thread it correctly: the hook point should be covered so the fish feels nothing strange, but the bait should still look alive.
Veiligheid: hier moet je op letten
Soil, dead wood and stream stones are full of tiny organisms, including germs. After searching, wash your hands thoroughly before you eat.
Always put stones and wood back. In nature reserves do not turn anything over. Large larvae in rotten oak may belong to the protected stag beetle – they stay where they are. Fire salamanders and newts under stones are protected too.
Live bait fish are banned or restricted in Austria and many German states.
Stap voor stap
Look for earthworms
Worms live in damp, humus-rich soil. Lift boards, flat stones and lying branches, or dig under thick leaf litter at the woodland edge. After rain and at night they come to the surface and can be picked up by headlamp.
- 1
Look for earthworms
Worms live in damp, humus-rich soil. Lift boards, flat stones and lying branches, or dig under thick leaf litter at the woodland edge. After rain and at night they come to the surface and can be picked up by headlamp.
- 2
Larvae in the stream
In shallow stream water, lift stones and look at their undersides. Caddis larvae sit in little tubes made of sand or plant pieces; other larvae crawl about freely. Open the case carefully and take the larva out.
- 3
In rotten wood
Beetle larvae and worms live in lying, rotten wood. Lift a piece of bark or break open a piece of wood with a stick. Take only small larvae and put the wood back.
- 4
Insects in the grass
Grasshoppers and crickets jump through the grass in the warm part of the day. Early in the morning, while they are still cold and slow, they are easy to catch by hand.
- 5
Keep bait fresh
Keep worms in a tin with damp soil and a few leaves, cool and in the shade. Larvae in a container with a little stream water. Insects in a tin with grass stems and air holes.
- 6
Thread it correctly
Thread a worm onto the hook so the point is covered but one end still wriggles freely. Hook small larvae and insects only lightly so they look alive.
- 7
Scraps from the first catch
Once the first fish is caught, its innards, eyes and small pieces of flesh make good bait for the next. Do not throw them into the water; use them or bury them far from the water.
- 8
Tidy up and wash your hands
Put back all stones and pieces of wood, release leftover bait where you found it. Then wash your hands thoroughly.
Veelgemaakte fouten
- Not putting stones and wood back
- Leaving worms in the sun
- Hiding the hook so completely it does not catch
- Using protected animals as bait
- Throwing bait scraps into the water
Kort overzicht
Materiaal
Bucket with a lid or a sealed bag
Small tin with damp soil
Never transport live invasive crayfish – only ones already killed
Klein schepje
Or a digging stick
Wegwerphandschoenen
If you would rather not search bare-handed
Houd rekening met latexallergieën – kies bij voorkeur latexvrije handschoenen (bijv. nitril).
Geschikt voor
- Any fishing with a hand line, set line or rod
- Areas without a tackle shop
- Children who like looking for small animals
Niet geschikt voor
- Nature reserves – do not turn stones or break up dead wood there
- Protected animals such as stag beetle larvae or fire salamanders
Voorwaarden
- Permission to fish – or genuine danger to life
- Basic hygiene: wash your hands afterwards
Veiligheid
- Soil and dead wood can contain germs. Wash your hands thoroughly afterwards before you eat, and never put bait in your mouth.
- Put stones and wood back as they lay – many animals live underneath. Large white larvae in rotten oak may belong to the protected stag beetle: leave them alone.
- Live bait fish are banned or restricted in Austria and many German states and are not recommended here.
Hoe het werkt
Fish eat what naturally falls into the water or lives in it: worms washed in by rain, insects dropping from the bank and larvae living on the bottom. Bait from exactly this water or its surroundings therefore often works better than something unfamiliar. Movement – a wriggling worm, a beetle on the surface – is an extra lure.
Voordelen
- Bijna overal te vinden
- Kost niets
- Matches what the local fish eat
Nadelen
- Harder to find in cold and dry weather
- Disturbs small creatures if you do not tidy up
Achtergrondkennis
Vakinhoudelijke achtergrond
Natural bait is as old as fishing itself. Survival manuals advise looking for bait around the water because fish are used to that food, and using scraps from the first catch as bait.
Many anglers still gather worms and larvae themselves. What matters is to stay careful: countless small animals live under stones and in dead wood, and a stone turned over and not put back destroys their home.
Varianten
- Dough bait
- A little bread, flour and water can be kneaded into a firm dough that many coarse fish take readily. Good when you have supplies.
- Shiny artificial lure
- A piece of foil, a shiny button or a piece of can glinting on the hook attracts predatory fish. It does not replace natural bait but helps when none can be found.
Veelgemaakte fouten
- Not putting stones and wood back
- Leaving worms in the sun
- Hiding the hook so completely it does not catch
- Using protected animals as bait
- Throwing bait scraps into the water
Grenzen en risico's
- No live bait fish
- No identification of individual insect species
Materiaalalternatieven
Afgeleid van materiaaleigenschappen: een vervanger moet alle relevante eigenschappen hebben. Let op de opmerkingen bij de vervanger.
- Bucket with a lid or a sealed bag
- Enkelwandige roestvrijstalen fles (Verhit alleen enkelwandige flessen zonder verf of plastic; haal de dop eraf voordat je verhit.), Dubbelwandige geïsoleerde fles (Nooit rechtstreeks verhitten.), PET-fles (helder, max. 2 liter) (Niet verhitten en niet in een vuur zetten.), Voedselveilige waterjerrycan (Gebruik alleen bakken en jerrycans die nooit chemicaliën of brandstof hebben bevat.), Gebruikte chemicaliën- of brandstofverpakking (Nooit voor drinkwater of voedsel – resten zijn niet betrouwbaar te verwijderen.), Gegalvaniseerde emmer (Niet verhitten: de zinklaag kan bij verhitting schadelijke dampen afgeven.), Waterdicht doosje of zakje, Luchtdichte, voedselveilige voorraadbus (Vul alleen als de bak schoon en helemaal droog is. Gebruik nooit bakken waar eerder chemicaliën in zaten.), Voedselbak die dieren niet open krijgen (Waar bepaalde bewaarbakken verplicht zijn, gebruik dan alleen goedgekeurde modellen – controleer de lokale regels.), Klein blikken busje met deksel (Brand gecoate of gelakte bussen eerst buiten uit.), Opvouwbare jerrycan of waterzak (Beschermen tegen scherpe voorwerpen.), Voedselveilige waterzak (Alleen voor drinkwater gebruiken, nooit voor chemicaliën of brandstof.), Fermentatiepot of gistpot (Gebruik alleen voedselveilige bakken van glas, voedselveilig geglazuurd aardewerk of voedselveilig plastic – geen metalen bakken voor zuur eten.), Hersluitbare voedselzakjes (Gebruik alleen zakjes die bedoeld zijn voor voedsel; gebruik ze niet met kokend water, tenzij de fabrikant dat uitdrukkelijk toestaat.)
Resultaten komen uitsluitend uit gestructureerde items. Er worden geen geïmproviseerde instructies gegenereerd.
Bronnen (2)
- Headquarters, Department of the Army (USA) (2002): FM 3-05.70 Survival · Bait from around the water (worms, insects, larvae); innards from the first catch as bait
- Freistaat Bayern – Bayerische Staatskanzlei (gesetze-bayern.de) (2008): Bayerisches Fischereigesetz (BayFiG) · Restrictions on live bait fish