I know the fish love them but spare a thought for what your hard earned money went on unless you dig them yourself. Arenicola Defodiens Black Lug: are fascinating little creatures. Who live buried in sand all their life and life for them can be up to 5-6yrs years eating rotten seaweed and microscopic sea life. We Have all seen their trade mark sandy piles of fine loosely coiled rings Of sand at low water denoting where their burrows are situated 4Ocm deep into the sand and have been known to go to a depth of a meter. These piles of rings are their expelled waste. (Their toilets) Frenicola Marina Blow Lug: on the other hand defecate an untidy mass of entwining rings and is often accompanied by a nearby depression in the sand where they scrape the food when feeding from the burrow entrance. Both Types of Lug are common around the English coastline, apart from the northern beaches where they are in short supply.
Types of burrows differ from species to species, with the Black Lug tending to be vertical and Blow Lug burrows tend to curve in a J or U shape. when both species are found on the same beach, there is evidence of segregation, the black lug is often found at the lower edge of the tide line, only to be uncovered by the bigger tides, where as the blow is found higher up the beach. A body length of between 20cm and 4Ocm and a firmer body with more meat, makes the Black Lug a superior offering, to the blow lug, with an average body length of only 15-20cm and not much meat, the blow is a poor subsitute for the black lug, No wonder there is a market by fishermen everywhere for them. And it is this market that is Putting the Lug Worms in a fight for survival in many areas. The Sale of worms for bait is big business with around 1000 tons of them used by the UK annually, that's a lot of worms used. and some of the people who dig them, are traveling great distances to the beaches, and clearing large areas of beach purely for profit, and have no thought for the environment, when will these people be licensed, to keep the dole fraudsters away.
Mating by these creatures usually starts around the age of 2yrs with An average life span of 5yrs to 6yrs they breed several times in their lives although some die after breeding. And the worms spawn on the same day at around the same period if they are on the same beach.
The young spending up to six months below the low water line before swimming up the beach at higher tides to the "kindergarten" where all the Juveniles live in separate sand beds to the adults. And only moving Further down the beach to the adult beds when they get to maturity at approx 2yrs.
I have read recently on the MCSUK web site (www.mcsuk.org), that the black lug when breeding is called a yellow tail? I have never heard that said before, they are obviously not anglers, if any one out there knows drop us a line so we can get the facts right.
I hope this insight into the WORM that hangs on the end of your hook was not only of interest, but will also invoke a little of your conscience, we can all contribute to conservation, whatever the type of creature in this world needs our help.
Good fishing and remember digging your own Lug can be fraught with danger for the unwary. Keep a sharp eye on the incoming tide especially as it can cut you off before you notice the swirling water round your feet.







A gutted black lug the ultimate bait                                            A gutted yellow super bait.

       The small hairs you can see on the body of the worm, are the worms gills.