Super whites
Learn how and when to use a ragworm wonder bait
Callum Graham’s top tips on using white rag.
THERE is one bait that I never go to the beach without, particularly in the winter to spring period. If you turned up to a competition on my local beaches without them, you may as well hand your money over and head home, they really are that good.
You might have guessed it, but this bait is white rag. Commonly known as whites, these little worms have the same appeal to fish as a big juicy steak to us; they can’t resist them.
Almost all of your predominantly winter species go crazy for them, but I’ll leave them alone during the summer because I don’t find they make a great deal of difference.
Baiting up with these worms can be a bit fiddly for a couple of reasons. Firstly, when you pick them up they wriggle. Trying to thread them around the bend of a hook can be a real pain. Threading them on a wet baiting needle is far easier, time saving and it stops you from ruining worms.
Secondly, whites have a very tough tongue, and when threading them around the eye of the hook, it can get caught and burst out the skin, rendering the worm useless. However, If you give the head of the worm a quick squeeze before you bait them up, then the tongue should pop out; snip this off and you won’t run the risk of wasting bait.
BAITING CHOICES
Once you’ve got the hang of handling these little wrigglers, there are a lots of ways to fish these baits. I have a few favourites, starting with my winter match-fishing classic – lug tipped with whites.
Firstly, I slide a lugworm up around the bend of the hook and over the eye. If I’m using black lug, I prefer to use a small amount of elastic to bind the lug in place. Once I’ve done that, using a baiting needle, I thread a white on the hook, breaking off any tail that is left dangling. This bait is a brilliant all-rounder for open beach fishing in winter. By using larger or multiple lugworms, this bait can also be very effective for bass.
Another one of my favourites is double whites. Simply thread two whites on the hook using a baiting needle. You can break off any remaining tail to reduce the chance of fish getting a free snack. A neat and streamlined bait, it is brilliant for distance fishing.
My last, and probably favourite, way to use whites is by tipping them off with harbour rag. This is the ultimate fish-attracting bait and my favourite for open-water flounders. Anyone who has used harbour rag will know how tantalising this bait will seem to fish. For those of you who haven’t, it’s like getting that big juicy steak and serving it with a side of lobster – impossible to turn down.
Again, as with the previous baits, I load the white on my hook using a baiting needle. Once up the line, I tip off the worm with four nice-size harbour rag, threading a third of the worm on the hook, leaving tails to dangle. If I want to cast this bait any distance, I’ll snip the dangling tails in half, but not fully off.
Whites aren’t the easiest worm to get hold of, you’ll probably find your local tackle shop will only get them in to order. It might be worth asking if they know where you can dig them; they only live just under the surface of the sand, so digging whites isn’t too tiring.
When you start off using whites, you may find a longer shank hook pattern, like the Kamasan B940M Sabpolo, simpler to bait up with; I prefer to use Sabpolo wormers.
Make sure you tie on your hooks with a grinner knot, or similar, so the tag end points away from the hook, because if the tag end protrudes from the side of the knot, it can catch the worm and make baiting up a real pain.