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Ken in Texas 
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Henderson, TX
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 Topic: Catalpa Worms
Posted: 30 Sep 2018 at 8:29am |
I finally got my act together and picked 74 between 6:30 dark and 7:30 am. Light enough to see them without a flashlight. I learned a long time ago the full grown worms crawl down the tree before the sun comes up. They then dig themselves into the ground and pupate to later emerge as a mating adult moth. The tree I got mine off of today is 40 feet tall with 3 trunks. Today they all came down one of the three trunks. Been out there too late the past 2 days and found 2 or 3 crawling in the lawn . Fixed my eggs at 6 and timed it just right. Best fish bait ever for Bluegill and Channel Cat. I will kill these with boiling water and freeze them in water for the next time I go fishin. I find by blanching them they keep their color like fresh. There are more still up there because after this bunch quit crawling down I could hear droppings falling from trunks with lots of leaves. To high to see them without a telescope. More fun tomorrow morning early, I hope.
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Dave H
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Central IL
Points: 3499
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Posted: 30 Sep 2018 at 7:33pm |
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yep when I was a kid, we caught our biggest channel at something like 52 lbs on one of those worms.
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shameless dude
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Joined: 10 Apr 2017
Location: east NE
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Posted: 30 Sep 2018 at 8:11pm |
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guess that's a lot better than digging in the sewer for earth worms huh? lol
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steve(ill)
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Location: illinois
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Posted: 30 Sep 2018 at 9:52pm |
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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john(MI)
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: SE MI
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Posted: 30 Sep 2018 at 9:56pm |
We used to crawl around the yards with flashlights pickin night crawlers. You could pull them into three or four pieces for catching pan fish, usually crapes. Glob a couple up on the hook for the channel cat.
I really miss a good catfish dinner. All you can get is the farm raised catfish and they just don't taste like much of anything. We just don't have any place here in MI like we did back in WI/IA
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D14, D17, 5020, 612H, CASE 446
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Ken in Texas
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Location: Henderson, TX
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Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 7:39am |
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Well Guys. Another successful Catalpa worm pickin morning. Got out there at black dark 6:15 and grabbed a dozen or so crawling down between the ground and high as I could reach . Took a quick walk around the tree shining some crawling away in the lawn. Tells me I should have been out there at 6 . A little better than last time . 81 by count more to put in the freezer.
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DiyDave
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Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 6:25pm |
Just don't mix 'em up wif green beans! 
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shameless dude
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Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 9:22pm |
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what do them things looks like Ken?
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Ken in Texas
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Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 9:31am |
 This is what a catalpa worm looks like. They are about half the size as a big old fat green tomato worm. About 2 1/2 inches long. They are in the same family. Both have a horn on their tail hence the name Hornworm. This is more than 50 that I picked this morning as they were crawling down to dig themselves into the ground to hibernate as pupae over the winter. Hornworms don't spin a cocoon like some other worms
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tadams(OH)
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Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 12:47pm |
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I tramped on one of them at my overhead door. Look like the one that bite
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shameless dude
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Posted: 03 Oct 2018 at 12:14am |
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I've seen them before, thanks Ken...the chickens and geese really like them things!
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Ken in Texas
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Posted: 03 Oct 2018 at 2:18pm |
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Rain Crows are hell on my fish bait. They really take their life in their hands eating my catalpa worms if I'm carrying my 22. Cattypillers are their favorite food
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Ken in Texas
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Posted: 04 Oct 2018 at 5:54am |
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it's 10 till 6. Time to check again to see if any worms are going to the ground. The 17 I caught yesterday may be endgate for the 2018 crop.
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Ken in Texas
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Posted: 04 Oct 2018 at 7:56am |
not quite. just 9 more this morning. If there are anymore up there among the few leaves left they are way to high in the top to see em. These 9 can go in the same bag with the last 17. For bluegill I cut them in 4 pieces. The skin is tough enough to catch more than I fish for each piece. I recall fishermen asking permission to hunt for CORNBOER in our disked down sweet corn stalks. They used them for ice fishing. This was way up north where I grew up on CHICAGOS LAST FARM. Seemed to me a cornboer to be kinda small for fish bait.
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Ken in Texas
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Posted: 05 Oct 2018 at 8:02am |
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Wil this worm pickin ever end? Thought I caught the last 9 yesterday. Got to check the tree at a little after 6:30 today. Sure enough there were 3 crawling down right at eye level. Shined up the trunks for more and spotted more heading down. Some from 30 feet up. Pulled up a lawn chair and played the waiting game. Ended up the morning with 16 more big fat ones. These will be refrigerated fresh for a little BIG Copper Nose brim fishin tomorrow. With a little luck I should catch a bunch of these oversized Bluegills to Fillet.
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