Waterwereld

lugworm

A large worm, up to 20cm, living in the sand in the intertidal zones
of the beach. They are red-brown colored and live about 40cm under the surface of the wet beach. The sandworm or lugworm is used as a populair fishing bait to catch bass from beaches. The lugworm has many enemies: krabs, flatfish and sea birds like the seagull, Atlantic cod and the ragworm.


A young lugworm. The gills stick to body if the worm isn't in
the seawater. The lugworm can become 6 years old.
With thanks to Bert of Topsybaits



How to catch lugworms

If you dig up the lugworm use a garden fork and dig a trench and work along it filling it in as you go. This is the most economical way for collecting lugworms. When digging lugworm, back fill all the holes as you dig. This minimises the scar and allows the environment to quickly recover. If fishing in summertime, keep the lugworm out of the sun. Hot water can make them sluggish or even kill them. Only touch with wet hands , to avoid removing the worms protective slime layer.


Sandworming, a photo made by OneillGT


The best time and place for sandworming

Look for a place were there are a lot of casts on the beach. Worms can be found between the holes and the casts. Best time is at the end of the ebbing, as the new tide start the worms go up in there holes. Bad wheather (low air pressure) is a good time for digging. Freezing wheather makes that the worms go deeper in there holes.



Annalid worms of the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.
1 tomopteris renata
2 spirographis spallanzanii
3 mopworm or red fanworm or Protula bispiralis,
4 calcareous tubeworm, fan worm, plume worm or red tube worm or Serpula vermicularis,
5 slender rahworm or Nereis pelagica
6 sea mouse or Aphrodita aculeata
7 Eunoe nodosa
8 ragworm or sandworm, nereis virens
9 lugworm or Arenicola marina
10 Autolytus sp.
11 Amphitrite johnstoni ,a Terebellid worm
12 Onuphis conchilega




Marine worms of the North sea
Librairie J.-B, Baukkuere et Fils, 1906
1 seamouse or Aphrodite aculeata
2 Lepidonotus squamatus, Polynoidae
3 slender ragworm or Nereis pelagica
4 lugworm or Arenicola marina
5 Ross worm tubes of Sabellaria spinulosa, een borstelworm
6 peacock worm or Sabella pavonina
7 Keel Worm or Pomatoceros triqueter
8 Spirorbis carinatus
9 Echiurus echiurus