I've got worms!!!

[donsgal]

Catalpa worms, that is.

Anybody want to do some fishin'????

Here are some photos of the little buggers! If you're curious... (Also, my catalpa tree - after!) (these photos are around 350kb each - big - for you dialup folks).

http://www.webwonderful.com/worms/worms1.jpg
http://www.webwonderful.com/worms/worms2.jpg
http://www.webwonderful.com/worms/worms3.jpg
http://www.webwonderful.com/worms/catalpa.jpg

donsgal

[Sassafrassa]

Oh! We had the nasty little buggers, too! Stripped my tree bare in just a couple of days! Your tree looks like mine does every year. But funny thing is, the tree comes back, and is in full leaf again by the end of summer. I'd never seen them till I moved to NC. Wondered if they were a regional abnormality. Guess not.

Our chickens won't touch them. We stomp them if we seem them in the garden. Really yucky on the bottom of our shoes. Ugh. I don't like creepy crawlers.

Sassa

[Beltane]

Wow! I've never heard of a catalpa tree or worm before. They kinda look like the large worms that destroyed my tomato plants this year.

[MTNwomanAR]

Catalpa worms are some of the very, very best flathead catfish bait you can get... they go nuts over em...........I have my horse at a friends house, and there are two HUGE catalpa trees in his back yard...have to be careful when the worms are thick...it sounds like it's raining worm doo doo.............

[insanity]

Thanks for posting the pics.I wouldn't have recognized them.Haven't seen any since i was around 8 years old.My dad used to take me wade fishing on a large creek in Alabama back then.Best bait we could get when they where out.

[AR Cattails]

Man that brings back memories. Thanks for the pictures. Haven't seen the tree and worms for 30 years or so. We had one on our farm growing up. It was a bigger tree than the one in your picture and many a time we would go and gather the worms to go fishing. Great bait. Great fun. Great memories. Thanks.

[Shadow]

We have several down on the creek, the worms are getting fewer and fewer seems the federal goverment brought in a smalll wasp to kill tomatoe horn worms and the stupid wasp or goverment agent did not make sure the wasp could tell the difference. So the wasp kills all large catapillers, lays white eggs on the worm and they hatch out and have the worm for dinner. Problem in the long time is the catalpa moth is the only sure way for the catalpa tree flower to pollinate. So they may dissapear over the next few years. Would it be sad to find just after the caltalpa tree dies out it had the cure for cancer. or something else. David By the way we use the wood from storm damaged catalpa in our carving here in the south it is one of our best carving woods. Very stable and fence post made from it will out last red cedar. But working it has an effect on your lungs wear a respreation if doing much dusty work.

[uncle Will in In.]

The trees are getting scarce around here. The old guys who used them claimed they turned the worms wrong side out on the hook. Anyone ever done that??

[Shepherd]

Originally Posted by Beltane

Wow! I've never heard of a catalpa tree or worm before. They kinda look like the large worms that destroyed my tomato plants this year.

I thought that's what they looked like too! So are they the same worm?

Originally Posted by uncle Will in In.

The trees are getting scarce around here. The old guys who used them claimed they turned the worms wrong side out on the hook. Anyone ever done that??

Now you gotta explain how they'd manage to do that! LOL

[Shadow]

No they are not the same worm they only eat catalpa leaves when worm is fully grown it drops off the tree burrows in to the ground under the tree, come out as a moth flies back up on the tree lays her eggs, pollinates the tree and dies. (and I thought my life is boreing) The eggs hatch and so on and on and on then the goverment brought in the wasp and everything dies.
As for turning the worms inside out on the fish hook, yes I have seen it done, do not want to go into detail as I am eating my bowl of cereal while checking out the forum. Just use your worm as are they are great bait.

Funny thing about those worms is that we've got catalpa trees here in North Florida, but in all my life I've never seen catalpa worms on them. We don't lack for tomato or tobbaco hornworms though.

Wasp larva is one of the best fish baits around.

.....Alan.

[Shepherd]

Thanks Shadow.

[cricket]

I wish I could find a catawba tree...That's what we call them anyway.