Fishing Uthority: The universe of living things inhabiting the ooze at the bottom of your lake is like somet hing out of a sci-fi horror flick. These little creepy-crawlies represent the ubiquitous aquatic invertebrates—biologists use terms like oligochaete worms, bryozoans, as well as the larvae of cadd isf lies, mayflies, and chironomids (midges). The proportions of panfish grazing on these wee beasties are sufficiently scary to keep anglers up at night.
Lest you think these gooey organic zones represent
dead, fishless water, consider: A single square meter can host up to 50,000
burrowi ng invertebrates—nearly all of them tube-building chironomid larvae
anglers call bloodworms. We’re talking about the most abundant, important, and
diverse group of aquatic insects on earth. Midges are found in almost every
water body on the globe and often comprise more than 50 perc ent of all
available species. In some waters, the forage value of midge larvae is the only
reason cert ain fish can exist.
Rarely seen, the
soft-bodied anatomies of these bottom dwellers appear alien: Weird wormy things
with segmented, translucent torsos giving glimpses of their internal organs.
Using little appendages, they writhe, undulate, and contort to propel
themselves wildly yet slowly through the water. Hair-like cilia and antennae help
them feel their way through gloomy surroundi ngs, while a deceptively ferocious
mandible allows them to hunt, gather, and chew food.
Often, they
build and live within bizarre tube structures that extend from the lake floor.
During low-light periods, certain species leave their tubes in search of food.
And in spring, the larvae metamorphose into pupae, emerge toward the surface,
and hatch into midge flies. They don’t bite, however, despite their resemblance
to mosquitoes. But fish surely bite them—a fact ice anglers have known for some
time. Only recently has surveillance with underwater cameras led to discoveries
of the specific locat ions where massive colonies of chironomid larvae draw
monster panfish.
Tracking Tube Towns
Several winters ago I first noticed the presence of these vertical tube structures on my underwater came ra. Friends thought they were a type of grassy vegetat ion. Indeed, some of the tubes were slender enough to resemble plant growth. But in the midst of a spectacul ar bite for big crappies and sunfish, I noticed the bott om was littered with these thicker round chimney-like structures that looked to be about a half-inch in height.Given years as a fly tier with a cursory knowle dge of aquatic entomology, 1 realized these were likely burrows of some form of invertebrate. Research revealed that they were chironomid larvae—the aquatic stage of the midge fly. Bloodworms use salivary secret ions to cement together particles of various types of mostly organic substrate. The tubes serve as a built-in food source, and as a refuge from predators. Individual bloodworms may build multiple tube burrows.
Certain I’d uncovered a key predator-prey connection, I went to several other trophy panfish lakes and searched basin areas with an Aqua-Vu Micro cam in 20 to 35 feet of water for the densest colonies -of bloodworm tubes. Every time I found areas of concentrations of burrows, I caught panfish there during well-defined periods of the day—never the same time from lake to lake. On came ra I watched sunfish and perch dig into the substrate and pluck individual bloodworms out of their homes.
Guide Brian
“Bro” Brosdahi also has closely foll owed bloodworm activity. Convinced of the
power bloodworms wield over patterns for big panfish, he spends most of his
winter fishing amid specific zones with the highest concentrations of burrows
we call “tube towns.”
“At different times, almost every fish in the lake eats bloodworms,” Brosdahl says. “I’m convinced that crappies, perch, and sunfish prefer the taste of them. In Europe, particularly in tournaments, the most popu lar bait is a live bloodworm. Eventually, someone will figure this out and start selling them in the U.S. But for now, you can catch a lot of big panfish by matching the hatch with softbaits.”
While many anglers look for small, off-the-beaten- path lakes for big panfish, Brosdahi likes big water. It’s a preference I share, because large fertile lakes often host not only the best bloodworm habitat, but also the physically largest chironomid species. “Lakes with wide expanses of shallow mudflats in about 40 feet of water and less, have the right habitat for hatching those bugs anglers call ‘lake flies’—giant midges that swarm early in the spring and summer,” he says. “Big, fat one- inch-plus bloodworms grow huge bluegills, crappies, and yellow perch. Bass and walleyes gorge on them, too, and often cough up big balls of what look like red yarn when you catch them.
>Left to right - Akara Mega Softtail Bloodworm and Northland Tackle Impulse Bro’s Bloodworm, next to live dark red bloodworm, light red bloodw orm, and olive brown bloodworm.
“Big, windswept, dishpan-shaped lakes can be terr ific. Because they lack structure and obvious fishing spots, a lot of anglers avoid these lakes. Large chains of lakes also can be great. Lots of shallow vegetation also is good. Some of my favorite spots occur where a weed- flat transitions into soft bottom, like at the edge of sloppy decaying vegetation. Bloodworms are a lakes clean-up crew, moving in and feeding on the dying vegetat ion,” Brosdahi says.
Other spots with good potential for tube towns include small holes or depressions in depths of 20 to 35 feet, even if they’re surrounded by water that’s just a few feet shallower. Brosdahl also loves funnels, where a narrow area joins two larger basins. Sometimes, a subtle one-foot drop in the basin can draw hordes of blood- worm activity, as organic matter often settles into these hollows over decades and centuries.
When you’re sleuthing with a camera, you may spot scattered bloodworm tubes in almost any part of the lake—shallow or deep. But look especially for basin zones where soft bottom is carpeted with a never-ending mass of vertical larval casings. When you find one of these tube towns, punch in a waypoint. At some point during the day, swarms of panfish will materialize and graze like mad—especially at early-ice and mid-ice season.
BOOMS, BUSTS AND RE-BIRTH
Last winter, another guide spilled the beans on one of Brosdahls blood- worm lakes. After 20 years and countless giant pans hooked and released, he was suddenly seeing dozens and even hundreds of shelt ers showing up on this previously unscathed ice. When he let me know what was happening, it was already too late. “Better get up here fast,” he said. “The army has landed.”I fished the lake twice last wint er, and experienced brief flurries of activity throughout the day that usually culminated with quick bites from 5 to 10 crappies. On each day, we also caught just two large sunf ish. Thinking back to previous seas ons before the crowd converged, I recalled crappie flurries often lasting upwards of an hour, with catches of several dozen crappies and maybe 10 heavyweight sunfish during an 8-hour day. Total harvest last winter surely exceeded 10,000 crappies and perch and probably a 1,000 or more large sunfish.
Yet given the
lake’s vast spawni ng habitat and profuse population of jumbo bloodworms, it’s
possib le that if anglers leave it alone for a few years, it will bounce back.
Which isn’t to say I’m wild about the unchecked harvest of 14-inch crap- pies
and 10-inch sunfish, but you’ve got to pick your battles.
By late January, Brosdahl had moved to another lake that had yet to be swarmed by the masses. It’s the same lake that last March produced for us a pair of honest-to-goodness 12-inch sunfish. As we took a lunch break that magical day, we talked about one of his favorite fishing subj ects. “A lot of anglers know panfish eat loads of bloodworms, because they often literally gorge themselves full of them, and then burp them up in the hole,” he says. “These are ‘gills, perch, and crappies with big full bellies—they grow fast and reach monstrous proportions much quicker than in mostlakes.
“Most anglers don’t know about bloodworm movements under the ice. I’ve watched bloodworm-panfish interactions with an Aqua-Vu for so long that I sometimes wonder about my sanity. It’s given me the ability to visualize what’s happening when a fishing flurry kicks in, as well as when it goes quiet down there.”
Chironomids in Motion
“Typically, the larvae leave their burrows to forage and scavenge in low-light conditions,” Brosdahl says. “This can happen at dawn, dusk, or at night on a clear lake; or at any time during the day on waters with limited visibility. Heavy snow and opaque ice—conditions that produce winterkill on smaller lakes—also can spur bloodworm activity. The best fisheries are big, shallow, and fertile with stained water. These are the lakes most likely to house those giant midge flies you see in spring. The bloodworm larvae that become these midges, as you can imagine, are plump and juicy, and when they leave their tubes en mass, panfish swarm.”Brosdahl says that when blood- worms leave their tunnels, they become active swimmers. “They swim and wiggle in a wild, awkward motion,” he explains. “When they’re feeding on zooplankton, they sometimes ascend several feet. If you’re in the right spot, your sonar screen can become a total mess of signals close to bott om because the bloodworms are so thick. That means you’re in the right spot.
“Other times, bloodworms simply poke along bottom and sift through debris. Folks wond er why fish suddenly show up and turn on in their holes, and this is it. Mass bloodworm movem ents spur major jumps in fish activity, no question. And the bite can often be fast and furious, with fish racing around, trying to eat as many as they can before the larvae disappear back into their tubes.
“We hear so much about how things move slowly under the ice, but it’s not necessarily true,” Brosdahi says. “Bloodworms are weak swimmers, but they kick their tails in fast, frenzied motions, even if they don’t actua lly cover much ground. They’re sitt ing ducks for fish, which zip around like it’s summer.”
Matching Maneuvers
While it’s not always necessary to be precise with jig movements or spec ific baits, matching the bloodworm hatch—color and anatomy—nearly always induces more bites, particu larly as action slows, or when fish begin poking into the substrate. When bloodworms are active, Brosdahi pref ers to get down fast with a heavy tungsten jighead and Northland Bro’s Bloodworm. He’s a master at pulling off a micro-subtle wrist shake that makes the plastic tail quiver without moving the jighead. I call it the BroB uzz, and it’s a killer trigger.
Much of the rest
of the time, when bloodworms hide inside their tubes, Brosdahi and I use a tiny
stand-up style jighead, such as a Northland Mud Bug or 8MyBait Reaper dressed
with an Akara Mega Softtail Blood- worm or Bro’s Bloodworm. Wiggle the jig and
let it sit, sometimes right on the bottom. Use a camera to watch as you move
the jig into precise posit ion. Do a painful pause, keeping the jig still for
up to 10 seconds, followed by a Bro-Buzz. Try popping the silt, but don’t overdo
it.
Brosdahl adds that a lot of these softbaits work wonderfully on a micro drop-shot, rigged with a #12 hook. It’s a setup that possibly mimi cs the stationary, frenzied undulat ions of live bloodworms better than any other. You can also drop-shot diff erent chironomid flies intended for fly fishing, and can rig two different flies on a single drop-shot at a time.
Last winter, the
Akara Blood- worm produced numerous trophy ‘gills for me, both drop-shot rigged
and threaded onto a 4-mm Akara Disco Ball
jighead. Note the photo and the spitting-image similari ty between the Akara
softbait and the real McCoy. The Akara bait is a dead ringer, with crazy
tail-kicking action. I also love the J&S Ice Mite and new Mini Versa Mite.
And new in a tungsten jigfly, Jeff’s Jigs Blood- worm, promises to be an
incredible addition to my arsenal this winter— a durable hand-tie with a
beautif ul tail-kicking action.
Beyond classic red, which is for me a confidence color, Brosdahi points out that bloodworms often carry different hues. Black, olive green, brown, and even chartreuse can also be great colors in blood- worm scenarios. Actually, the term “bloodworm” applies only to certain midge species with hemog lobin in their blood. Hemoglobin, which stores oxygen, allows the larvae to exist in low-oxygen envir onments. It might help explain why fish often make quick feedi ng movements through blood- worm tube towns, yet don’t linger in these fertile near-bottom areas where decaying matter quickly consumes oxygen.
While micro plastics produce plenty of bites, live bloodworms impaled on a hook are the best panfish inducements you can use. Using a coffee tin, I’ve built a strainer-type collection can for scooping live bloodworrns from the bottom. It works, but can take time. Or you can simply gather the worms floating in your hole, disg orged by caught fish.
When the bite turns tough— which can happen when fish such as bluegills gorge on bloodworms for short frenzied periods—a live blood- worm is often the only way to cont inue catching fish. And should you find yourself surrounded by fields of creepy-crawlies, emerging menaci ngly from their alien-like underwat er pods, fear not. Great fishing will shortly save the day.•
THE BLOODWORM CONNECTION TO GIANT PANFISH
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