England beaten... by ragworms
Nudd’s heroes’ World Champs glory scuppered... by ragworm!
“The small packs we got hold of worked out at £1 a worm!” – England Veteran Bob Nudd
TRIPS by English teams to fish the World Championships in foreign climes often see them fishing against sides using the most random of baits.
The recent Veterans and Disabled events in Italy were no exception, with a bait more associated with sea fishing used to great effect by the top teams helping push England just off the podium in fourth.
In the contest on the tidal Scolmatore Canal, a type of local rag worm worked well for the mullet that were one of the main targets in the brackish water.
The worms – which can give you a nasty nip – were what Italy, San Marino and Switzerland, who all won medals, used to get among the mullet.
“Mullet, especially, loved them,” said Vets debutant and four-times World Champ Bob Nudd, who also tried the worms.
“They were a silver colour and were very much like our harbour ragworms. I think they were sourced from the estuary just below where we were fishing. I fished two halves on the hook for the mullet, as they were so soft
that if you tried to hook a whole one, it just fell off.
“You couldn’t feed them, though – not unless you were a millionaire. The small packs we got hold of had around 10 worms in them and I reckon they worked out at £1 a worm!” Bob continued.
“The Italians, in particular, seemed to have worked out how to catch the bigger mullet of around 1lb 8oz on them, but I think they were perhaps just a bit too odd for us to base a key part of our attack around.”