Who Has Ever Heard Of The "bloodworm Run"

[arpie]

Hi guys

I have just heard of the annual "Bloodworm Run" in Adelaide, South Australia!! Apparantly it happens for 2-3 days in July & AUgust!

It seems that the Port river sytem shuts down to fishing due to the thickness of bloodworms and that the fish go off the bite, as they have filled themselves full of bloodworms.

People go out (like us prawners) in the evening of the New Moon & instead of prawns, they scoop for bloodworms!!! They can get enough to last them for the year till the next run! They freeze OK & some folk put them in other mixtures to preserve them!

I've only ever heard of people digging for them in the estuary mud & you can get in trouble for doing it in some areas, as it is considered damaging the eco system!

I have never tried for it, as I heard you get a sore back from digging with spade or garden fork!

Anyway, Beach worming is much easier!!

Any South Australians on the Forum??? Have I let the biggest secret out of the bag????

Cheerio

Roberta

Edited August 16, 2008 by Roberta

[Dreamtime]

When we lived on the Georges River at Illawong we used to dig for blood worms with a garden fork in front of the house. They were plentiful then - don't know about now.

We also "bogged" for green nippers on the exposed weed beds on the mud flats, they were also plentiful.

Never heard of the bloodworm run - have heard of the crayfish march though - apparently they march together in single file after storms. There can be hundreds and sometimes thousands marching to deeper water. This single file positioning is for protection from predators.

[arpie]

Hmmm, 'bogging' for green nippers - is that muddying up the water with you feet to encourage them to swim for clean water?

I have found a few in the lake here, by lifting up rocks at low tide. Quite different from yabbies, eh? Noisy, too.

Roberta

[Dreamtime]

Hmmm, 'bogging' for green nippers - is that muddying up the water with you feet to encourage them to swim for clean water?

I have found a few in the lake here, by lifting up rocks at low tide. Quite different from yabbies, eh? Noisy, too.

Roberta

Spot on Roberta - basically "power walking" on the spot. Not on a submerged weedbed but one that is high and dry. The area becomes somewhat of a "bog" and yes the nippers come to the surface of the mud sludge and make pretty easy pickings. Occasionally a few prawns would surface as well.

Looking back though, when the site was re-visited the following week or so, there were patches of the weedbed that had no weed on it. The weed had been pushed under the mud and or became dislodged and was possibly washed away with the incoming tide.

In those days, (Circa 1970) we were pretty well the only ones collecting bait there. I guess Illawong had a population of around 1 or 2 thousand only then, and the bait collecting was sustainable.

I guess using those methods today, with the increased population in the area, would see a barren desert in no time at all.

[arpie]

We used to call it 'puddling'! Eveyone has a different name for it, I guess!!

I rarely see anyone doing it up here, yet the little blighters should be everywhere! THey should be called 'clickers' as most NSW folk also call yabbies 'nippers', they make so much noise when you get them out!

When you lift the rocks, you see them dart for other cover!

Roberta