Yellow Tail Lug, Fork Or Spade?

[brucemyster 75]

Hi guys, going out on Seasalter flats tomorrow to dig a few lug for a session on Tuesday, digging on my father in laws licence, I usually use a fork but recently I have noticed a few of the guys using trenching spades, I always worry about damaging the lug with a tine so even more so with the blade of a spade.

Does anyone on here use a spade, or are you a fork man? bye the bye never used a bait pump as I would assume you'd need a sandy alluvium and not the claggy clay we get down south?

 

[seprim 32]

always used a fork myself

watched an old boy dig 100 lug with a fork quicker than i dug 20 :|

never used the pumps

 

Andrew

[blackworm 58]

Small bore pump will work ok when its claggy for yellowtails,just take your time.

[Tiercel 6,986]

I used to pump blacks and yellow tails for a living. The object is to pump the worm into the pump not push the pump over the worm. Worms cast at set intervals get to know when they will cast and your more than half way there. When the worm casts they are at are at the top of their tunnel, therefore are easier to pump. Any cast that is dry looking without any sheen to it is an old cast and the worm has dropped back down it's tunnel. Look for casts that have a sheen on them, that are smooth with no pitting, that means the worm has just cast and is still at the top of it's tunnel. When the worms are on the top you only need to put the pump in the sand a couple of inches.

 

With the large yellows once you get the rhythm they are really easy and you can pump anything between 20 to 50 lb a tide, if the worms are there. During high pressure the worm casts change from being a circle to something that looks like a miniture dog turd, or not even a cast just a hole in the sand.

 

So it may not be the spade that the diggers are using but the position of the worm in the hole that makes them seem good.

 

Edited to add.

 

If you are unsure what type of cast is what, there is a simple solution, follow the tide out and any cast near the tideline has to be fresh.

 

TC

Edited June 30, 2013 by tiercel

[robbo 828]

 

always used a fork myself

watched an old boy dig 100 lug with a fork quicker than i dug 20 :|

never used the pumps

 

Andrew

I always use a fork as well.I also get shown up by an old boy of 73, who still digs for a living.when he gets going its unreal. Ive started digging away from him so he doesnt keep asking how many ive got, then shaking his head.lol

[NEWKID 27,143]

Always used a fork myself

 

Great post TC, some real useful info there,

[Malt 379]

I used to pump blacks and yellow tails for a living. The object is to pump the worm into the pump not push the pump over the worm. Worms cast at set intervals get to know when they will cast and your more than half way there. When the worm casts they are at are at the top of their tunnel, therefore are easier to pump. Any cast that is dry looking without any sheen to it is an old cast and the worm has dropped back down it's tunnel. Look for casts that have a sheen on them, that are smooth with no pitting, that means the worm has just cast and is still at the top of it's tunnel. When the worms are on the top you only need to put the pump in the sand a couple of inches.

 

With the large yellows once you get the rhythm they are really easy and you can pump anything between 20 to 50 lb a tide, if the worms are there. During high pressure the worm casts change from being a circle to something that looks like a miniture dog turd, or not even a cast just a hole in the sand.

 

So it may not be the spade that the diggers are using but the position of the worm in the hole that makes them seem good.

 

Edited to add.

 

If you are unsure what type of cast is what, there is a simple solution, follow the tide out and any cast near the tideline has to be fresh.

 

TC

Top post! Wish I'd read something like that before I chopped god knows how many worms in half while learning and using the old trial and error method! I always find it useful to take about a 2-3 inch plug out first with the end of the pump before pumping in earnest, especially if the top layer of sand is compact. If you don't get the worm within the first two pumps, chances are you ain't going to get the bugger! I find it easier to work down the beach with the tide rather than just turn up at any time around low water. The wetter the sand the better the action you get I find..

[Tiercel 6,986]

 

Top post! Wish I'd read something like that before I chopped god knows how many worms in half while learning and using the old trial and error method! I always find it useful to take about a 2-3 inch plug out first with the end of the pump before pumping in earnest, especially if the top layer of sand is compact. If you don't get the worm within the first two pumps, chances are you ain't going to get the bugger! I find it easier to work down the beach with the tide rather than just turn up at any time around low water. The wetter the sand the better the action you get I find..

 

Mal, believe it or not if your chopping worms in half your pushing the pump in too deep.

 

Maros used to hold some big blacks in places and yellowtails in others. If there is a surf up (=Low pressure) The top 6" of the sand will be churned up and each wave will flatten the sand so you have a smooth beach, High pressure and the opposite occurs the beach becomes rippled as there is no surf to flatten it out and the sand packs down hard, if the high pressure persists you will even get a layer of silt over the sand as there is no surf to wash it under.

 

Yellow tails and blacks live in vertical tunnels to keep the tunnels open and get rid of the silt they extract the nutriants they feed on from, they have to cast. For the worm to cast it has to be at the top of it's tunnel, on high pressure especially you sometime see its tail out of the sand casting once it makes it's cast it them moves slowly back down it's tunnel which can be anything up to 4 ft deep feeding as it goes, till the time comes for it to make the journey to the top again to cast.

 

This is a perpetual occurance and happens if the tide is in or out, when the worm casts it is in the top six inches of the tunnel. Have you ever wondered when you chop a worm why it's only the tail part that you get in the pump, the reason is, is that the worm is stretched out after or during casting and it is within, depending on size of the worm anything between the top 3 or 6 inches of sand.

 

The reason you pump better in wet sand is because the water creates extra suction in the sand, dry sand is porus therefore it allows air to be sucked through it. As with any form of hunting the more you know about your prey, the better you are armed to hunt for them.

 

I have seen some phenominal pumpers that can pump worms up from the bottom of their tunnels, that takes a lot of accuracy and no mean strength. They could look at a cast and know how deep the worm is and how far they need to push the pump in. Me, I would take the easy ones every time.

 

TC

[brucemyster 75]

 

 

Top post! Wish I'd read something like that before I chopped god knows how many worms in half while learning and using the old trial and error method! I always find it useful to take about a 2-3 inch plug out first with the end of the pump before pumping in earnest, especially if the top layer of sand is compact. If you don't get the worm within the first two pumps, chances are you ain't going to get the bugger! I find it easier to work down the beach with the tide rather than just turn up at any time around low water. The wetter the sand the better the action you get I find..

 

Mal, believe it or not if your chopping worms in half your pushing the pump in too deep.

 

Maros used to hold some big blacks in places and yellowtails in others. If there is a surf up (=Low pressure) The top 6" of the sand will be churned up and each wave will flatten the sand so you have a smooth beach, High pressure and the opposite occurs the beach becomes rippled as there is no surf to flatten it out and the sand packs down hard, if the high pressure persists you will even get a layer of silt over the sand as there is no surf to wash it under.

 

Yellow tails and blacks live in vertical tunnels to keep the tunnels open and get rid of the silt they extract the nutriants they feed on from, they have to cast. For the worm to cast it has to be at the top of it's tunnel, on high pressure especially you sometime see its tail out of the sand casting once it makes it's cast it them moves slowly back down it's tunnel which can be anything up to 4 ft deep feeding as it goes, till the time comes for it to make the journey to the top again to cast.

 

This is a perpetual occurance and happens if the tide is in or out, when the worm casts it is in the top six inches of the tunnel. Have you ever wondered when you chop a worm why it's only the tail part that you get in the pump, the reason is, is that the worm is stretched out after or during casting and it is within, depending on size of the worm anything between the top 3 or 6 inches of sand.

 

The reason you pump better in wet sand is because the water creates extra suction in the sand, dry sand is porus therefore it allows air to be sucked through it. As with any form of hunting the more you know about your prey, the better you are armed to hunt for them.

 

I have seen some phenominal pumpers that can pump worms up from the bottom of their tunnels, that takes a lot of accuracy and no mean strength. They could look at a cast and know how deep the worm is and how far they need to push the pump in. Me, I would take the easy ones every time.

 

TC

Tiercel with all this fantastic information your treating us to there's only one more question I really need to ask, when can you get down here and pump some lug for me?? Great info mate, didn't manage to get out and dig today so I've lost my available time slot to fish this week: If the weather holds and the missus doesn't want me to finish the decorating I might just be able to dig a few Thursday for Friday, hopefully then be able to get on the beach before all the day trippers, don't they know the beaches are for fishing bring on the bass!!

Edited July 1, 2013 by brucemyster