Finding Wigglers????

[Black_Ice20]

hey guys looking for some help here. i moved to new york a couple yrs ago and since ive been out here you cant find wigglers for fishing anywhere. they look at you like your stupid for asking about them at the bait shops. does anyone back home in MI know a bait shop or an online store that will ship them to me? thanks.

[khaaxma]

I think Frank's Bait and Tackle in Linden, MI might accomodate you and you can probably get their website on Google or Yahoo. I would like to use wigglers for fall perch, but them don't seem to become available until we have ice. I'm not sure if it is because of lack of demand or that suppliers just can't get their hands on them until later in the year.

[Black_Ice20]

hey khaaxma thanks for the info

[filletandrelease]

Knutson's Live bait carries preserved wigglers.  They claim the preserved wigglers produce as good as the live.

http://www.knutsonlivebait.com/pres_wigglers.html

[wartfroggy]

my experience w. preserved is that they fall apart really easy.  Don't hold up at all, not that live are that great either.  They don't work as well as live, but they do work alot better than not having any! 

[~X~]

You should just try getting some of your own. Look up in the local fly fishing guides to see if any local streams have any "Hex" hatches. Hexagania Limbata in the nymph stage or Hex Nymphs are "Wigglers". You can get them in the silt of any streams that they live in fairly easily by using a screen.

That's exactly how the guys get them for the bait shops here in Michigan. Of course check your local laws & regulations before doing so...

[filletandrelease]

I'm near Dexter, MI.  The Hex hatch on the Huron River is in late Aug.  Is there a way I could keep the wigglers until ice season?

[~X~]

The hatch is not the nymphs. It is the nymphs becoming adults...

You can get the nymphs right now by sifting through the silt and can do so all Winter long in the river.

You would have to preserve them if you planned to keep them for a long time. I have never preserved them so I don't know how...

[filletandrelease]

You're right.  Don't know what I was thinking.   Its been a while since my 9th grade science class.  Found some more info on Hex in AmericanAngler.com

"Nymphs dig U-shaped tunnels several inches deep. They spend most of the their time in these tunnels, especially during daylight hours. At night, nymphs often leave their tunnels to feed on the fine organic material that collects on the mud bottom. The openings of their tunnels look like small clam holes on the surface of the mud. Since nymphs are well hidden, these small holes may be your only indication that Hexagenia nymphs are in the area. Where dense populations occur, the holes give the mud bottom a pockmarked appearance. To confirm the species present and their size, use a small net with a stiff hoop and drag it through the mud several inches deep, and then empty the contents into a large tray of water. If burrowing nymphs are present, you will see them crawling and swimming in the tray."

[~X~]

Yeah, just sift a screen through any dark silty areas of the stream. Which if you spend much time in a stream you know is most often in the more slack water areas. If there is Hex Nymphs there you will come up with a bunch every scoop of the screen. Like I said all the Wigglers sold in bait shops were caught that exact same way. If you find the proper spots you can get 300+ per scoop.

[wartfroggy]

You'll find them on muddy flats with a little bit of current.  Look for little bubbles on the mud, meaning something is in there. Not always wiggies, but a good sign.  Dig a couple shovels loads into a bucket and take it up to shore to sift out.  To preserve them, I have a recipe at home but don't remember all the details.  You end up boiling them in water with some boric acid for a couple minutes and then then try cool and try on paper towel for an hour or so.  I'll try to find the recipe and post it this weekend.

[~X~]

You probably mean borax and not boric acid...

[Black_Ice20]

hey thanks for the help guys i will have to give it a try this weekend.
 

[wartfroggy]

You probably mean borax and not boric acid...

.......no.......I mean Boric Acid.  It works great for preserving spawn too.  And I like it better than Borax.  You can find it in the Pharmacy in the first aid section, or they might have it behind the counter.

[~X~]

Yeah I remember using boric acid now on some loose eggs a couple years ago. Sucked... They lost their color in about two drifts. Well preserved eggs so it did it's job, but I prefer pro cure in orange so they keep their color.

Don't have to worry about color loss with Wigglers may have to try it some day...

[Iceassin]

I have tried keeping wigglers alive. I have used a screen,aerator,and changing water 2-3 times daily trying to emulate the bait shops, with only moderate success...'bout 2 weeks is all they would last. So I just buy more after they've died in the fridge. No experience with the preserved stuff.