hellgrammites

[mojo2530]

does any one have any expierience using hellgrammites as fishing bait. when i was younger a friend of mine introduced me to them, they are crazy looking little creatures and we spent quite a bit of time looking before we found any but with out a doubt the best bait ive ever used.

 

[nsenneking]

i would throw them in a creed or river over anything. i like to throw them with no weight if i can or put them on a jig for smallies

 

[6birds]

Also known as Dobson Flies, there are the finest of bair from the Rockies to the deep south.

A buddy of mine posted this:
Hellgrammites make great bait in Kentucky streams | Kentucky Fishing

It's a pretty good read.

 

[Expat]

When I am fishing streams, I always take my fine meshed net and catch a few for smallies.

 

[hickuleas]

They are a very tough insect. With multiple stabs with a hook and missing body parts they will still be living. The fish in the Ozarks go crazy for them.

 

[mrwil34]

fished with them for years, dont know a fish that will not take one. I used to find them in creeks and rivers with larger flat rocks. Use a minnow sane set down stream and flip rocks over.

 

[jsharmon7]

I don't know that I've ever even heard of hellgrammites, let alone used them. I'll have to look for some this spring and try them out! I can't wait for warm spring mornings by the lake...

 

[snowman46919]

beemoths and local dug earthworms usually work pretty good for me.. the past few years my luck has been so bad I had resorted to buying power grubs and still nothing.. OH and I found someone had hidden my brand new tackle box because they broke it...

 

[Mean Streak]

They are hard to come by now. Used to get them out of Flatrock or Fall Creek but with all of the pollution they are far and few between.

 

[6birds]

For you fly fishermen, remember the mighty Woolly Bugger was originally developed to match the Dobson Fly larvae (Helgrammites).

"The Woolly Bugger is attributed to Russell Blessing of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who's dressing of the fly was evolved from various smallmouth bass patterns, with the intention of representing the Dobsonfly larva. The date of origin is popularly recorded as 'early 1970s', though Ed Dentry of the Rocky Mountain News suggests 1967 as the date."

 

[ZS84]

They are great for bate. The best part is that they will continue to move around after being hit by fish a few times. Just be sure that they do not sit too long in some rocks because they will crawl underneath the rocks and can get you hung up.

 

[6birds]

They are hard to come by now. Used to get them out of Flatrock or Fall Creek but with all of the pollution they are far and few between.

If the water quality is so poor you can't grow bugs, i'm not sure i want to eat the fish.