You think fish would like hornworms?

[Allthingsterrarium]

On occasion I like to get hornworms for my terrarium animals. I wish I could more often but in my experience they can get somewhat pricey. I think they're fantastic, especially when you can get a tub of them and let them grow. They're definitely my bearded dragons' favorite treat but pretty much all of the terrarium creatures get excited about them. Still, whenever I buy them I start wondering how they would hold up to another big hobby of mine. Has anyone ever tried them as bait? Especially when they become a problem in the garden? They seem like they would be perfect! Big, soft and juicy and we already know reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates love them! I bet they would be good for really hot days when the fish are feeling sluggish and too lazy to chase minnows. I know largemouth bass and large trout definitely like huge, fat and juicy insects and I know a lot of people in the south use kind of similar looking catalpa worms for catfish with good success. I often wonder the same thing about silkworms when they grow real fat but I almost never see them for sale except online.

 

[MBullock]

If doing catch and release, i would recommend against wild tomato hornworms, as they could poison the bass with the toxins they sequester from nightshades, tomatine and solanine are known to kill fish. The commercially bred hornworms are basically fed a mixture of yeast and milk powder and are safe.


Personally, I would hook one in the center, weightless, with a drop-shot hook. Use it like an organic senko wacky-rigged.. Pull up smoothly without any jerky motion, then put slack and let the worm sink slowly. should work if the bass are hungry but lazy. They would definitely attract a catfish as they are very smelly even when not fed tomato leaves.

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

If doing catch and release, i would recommend against wild tomato hornworms, as they could poison the bass with the toxins they sequester from nightshades, tomatine and solanine are known to kill fish. The commercially bred hornworms are basically fed a mixture of yeast and milk powder and are safe.


Personally, I would hook one in the center, weightless, with a drop-shot hook. Use it like an organic senko wacky-rigged.. Pull up smoothly without any jerky motion, then put slack and let the worm sink slowly. should work if the bass are hungry but lazy. They would definitely attract a catfish as they are very smelly even when not fed tomato leaves.

Yeah I definitely release 98% of what I catch so I sure as heck wouldn't want to risk harming them. That's good to know! I had no idea wild hornworms had toxins. The domestic ones sure do sound promising though so if I ever see a good deal on them at at expo maybe I'll save a few! And I know right?! They smell awful! The containers they come in always reek when I open them.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Id let them mature to moths and then use them as bait. If you have pinktoes its cool watching them catch the moths out of the air.

 

[MBullock]

Id let them mature to moths and then use them as bait. If you have pinktoes its cool watching them catch the moths out of the air.

All my tarantulas go bonkers over sphinx moths, though the whole enclosure gets showered by an explosion of scales.

Yeah I definitely release 98% of what I catch so I sure as heck wouldn't want to risk harming them. That's good to know! I had no idea wild hornworms had toxins. The domestic ones sure do sound promising though so if I ever see a good deal on them at at expo maybe I'll save a few! And I know right?! They smell awful! The containers they come in always reek when I open them.

IMO you should just stick with senko-type lures, berkeley GULP's 'The general' is a senko knockoff, and YUM also makes the 'Yum-dinger' - both those lures are scented and work very well. Dont waste money on the yamamoto senko, as the salt-impregnation thing is simply to increase weight for wholesale, and the salt also makes the plastic weaker, a predatory gimmick to get people to buy more bags of senkos.

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

Id let them mature to moths and then use them as bait. If you have pinktoes its cool watching them catch the moths out of the air.

That would be awesome I admit and I would love to see it in action...........thing is any moth over about an inch actually freaks me out. Ever since I was a kid. I know that's ridiculous when I have three venomous tarantulas and want to get a scorpion eventually and I'll handle just about everything else but it's the way they flutter you know? How hairy and papery they look. So creepy! On the other hand I've been hoping to grow some large hornworms that are jus small enough for my still pretty young nhandu chromatus my cousin gave me. He's a super aggressive hunter and I bet he's appreciate the extra calories before his next molt.

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

All my tarantulas go bonkers over sphinx moths, though the whole enclosure gets showered by an explosion of scales.

IMO you should just stick with senko-type lures, berkeley GULP's 'The general' is a senko knockoff, and YUM also makes the 'Yum-dinger' - both those lures are scented and work very well. Dont waste money on the yamamoto senko, as the salt-impregnation thing is simply to increase weight for wholesale, and the salt also makes the plastic weaker, a predatory gimmick to get people to buy more bags of senkos.

Oh man that IS a dirty trick! I'll be staying away from those! The Yum-Dinger looks like a really good one! The pictures that popped up on google showed some pretty good sized fish! I'll think I'll get a couple of those now!

 

[MBullock]

Oh man that IS a dirty trick! I'll be staying away from those! The Yum-Dinger looks like a really good one! The pictures that popped up on google showed some pretty good sized fish! I'll think I'll get a couple of those now!

they work great, fresh and salt, sand bass and halibut really love the watermelonseed hawgtails