Gilt-T Pleasures

[Timothy Claypole]

It must have been around mid-June that I caught up with my feelings. It dawned on me slowly- a little like a late October morning- that I was missing the fresh chill of autumn and early winter. Perhaps there’s an innate leaning toward autumn in an October child like me. Then again, I was born in ‘76 so it may be that my hankering after cool and shade was ingrained in me quite literally from the womb!

My thoughts turned to clear, crisp mornings with waders and long trots for the lady of the stream. I felt wistful for a fishing that remained (and remains for a short while) tantalisingly out of reach. In my torpor I sought relief in the form of Reg Righyni and others. To all intents and purposes I self-medicated on the gentle tones of another time, allowing my imagination to run along chattering riffles and whispering glides, seeing in my mind’s eye the bright tip of my crow-quill skip away behind a shimmering dorsal fin.

Up until now I’ve always been happy fishing for grayling with maggots, but reading Righyni sent me on a hunt for a supply of gilt tail worms to start my own colony. Turns out most tackle shops won’t keep them (too much effort) so I had to improvise. I’d almost given up hope until a friend sent me a picture of one small red worm on his compost bin lid. He kindly let me descend on his garden armed with garden fork and large plastic tub. My expectations were not high, but when we opened the front of the bin a good hundred or more gilt tails fell out! Some gentle probing and digging unveiled hundreds and hundreds more of the same, and now I have probably a season’s worth in a home wormery.

But it’s still only just September and I can’t bring myself to trot for her ladyship just yet. I caught three last week by sheer chance, and it didn’t quite feel right. Be that as it may, this wistfulness for the cooler months is at least letting me indulge in a new gilt-t pleasure

Tight lines all.

[Moley]

Hi Timothy

Trotting for Grayling is the greatest occupation. October is the time to start as they seem to be at their physical best. January is the time generally this Fat Bloke stops fishing for them but sometimes February......it depends when they start to wear their dark breeding colours. To fish for them after they are starting to gather in large numbers is unsporting and should be regarded as shooting fish in a barrel.

It is hard to convey the total dismay when the angling papers praise some thoughtless oaf displaying large black fish, whilst pretending to care for them. Words fail to express the ire at such antics felt by the Fat Bloke of the Parish.

The profound love for these fish experienced by some does not make sense to most, unless they too are smitten.

Perhaps you are of the same ilk, if your writing is a judge.

Glad to read of your infatuation. A fellow sufferer.

As ever,.....

Moley

[Wanderer]

I'm showing my ignorance here chaps.
Is a Gilt tailed worm the same thing as a Brandling, or is it something different ?

[Timothy Claypole]

The profound love for these fish experienced by some does not make sense to most, unless they too are smitten.

Perhaps you are of the same ilk, if your writing is a judge.

Glad to read of your infatuation. A fellow sufferer.

Hi Moley,

Yes, I fear I have been bitten, or infected, or whatever it is that makes one gaga for a species. Not that I dislike trotting for others, but the lady holds an increasingly special place in my angling heart.

Shan't be long now my friend.

TC

[Timothy Claypole]

I'm showing my ignorance here chaps.
Is a Gilt tailed worm the same thing as a Brandling, or is it something different ?

Morning Wanderer, you were up early!

Not at all, it is a good question. As I understand it, a gilt tail worm is the same as a red worm, but a brandling is something different. Gilt tails are small, and their tails have a noticeably yellow hue. Brandlings are stripy, and apparently are not a patch on gilt tail worms, at least where grayling are concerned.

I'm sure someone will correct me if I am mistaken and I will gladly hear it.

TC

[Moley]

I'm showing my ignorance here chaps.
Is a Gilt tailed worm the same thing as a Brandling, or is it something different ?

Fatty makes no claim to be an expert on worms but can say with some clarity that a Brandling is not the same as a Gilt-Tail.

Let's look a little deeper here:

The Brandling is a base fellow even for worms as they delight in very ripe manure heaps......you know the ones that steam on cold days, inducing involuntary retching when turned with a fork. The worm itself has a banding of off white, sometimes yellow, oozing a stinky excretion when hooked. Fish like them though.

Red Worms are just that, generally small and call home a well composted heap of that Ilk. They are pleasanter to handle than Brandlings. Grayling like these a lot.

Gilt-Tails are found in the same residence as red Worms, displaying a yellow tail, meant to be very attractive to Grayling in particular and given the nomenclature of 'the ultimate grayling worm' by Reg Righyni.

Now comes heresy

Who is this upstart Fat Bloke to argue with such an expert in this matter, however, being a short, fat, argumentative recidivist type of cove, chucked out of many Auguste fly fishing clubs for not obeying orders from his so called betters, he will now commit blasphemy by disagreeing with Saint Reg.

Is the 'Gilt-Tail' an actual worm species in its own right or just a red worm variant. Not being a true worm expert just Fat but not entirely ignorant, will happily listen to a true expert in the matter. What he can say is, with some practical knowledge, 'The Gilt-Tail ' is a fine bait but not endowed with supernatural attraction for Grayling. For that look no further than Sweetcorn even though it is not good for the fish in heavy amounts. Fatty won't use it for this reason.

So there you have it, scant knowledge but hopefully of some help, or not as the case may be.

As ever,.....

Moley

[BreadFlake]

On the topic of different worms, this makes a good read although the pictures wouldn't load for me

https://nurturing-nature.co.uk/composti ... omposting/

[Wanderer]

Thank you for the replies Gentlemen.
Education is indeed a marvelous thing.

Now, these Gilt tails......
How do I find them ?
I have Brandlings in my compost heap and Lobs in my lawn and that's all for worms, as far as I know.

[Timothy Claypole]

Are you certain that the worms in your compost are brandlings, Wanderer? I only ask because my friend's compost bin was chock-full of gilt-tail worms. In terms of finding some, I suggest you locate a local football ground or cricket pitch that has a large compost heap for all the grass cuttings, and start digging near the edge of it (assuming you can gain permission to do so!) You could also start with your own grass cuttings, but you'll have to make a big heap and then exercise patience.

[BreadFlake]

Well this has certainly turned into a rabbit hole( or should i say wormhole) every website states different facts.

Eisenia fetida
Eisenia andrei
Eisenia hortensis
Eisenia venet

All different types of worms but all referred to as brandlings/tiger worms/gilt-tail worms. Its all very confusing, its very similar to tarantulas in the fact only the latin name can differentiate between species as nicknames are often used for multiple types of tarantula.

It seems the most commonly available worm online other than dendrobaena and lobworm is Eisenia fetida but again, some sites call them red worms others call them brandlings

This is very fascinating


Heres another site, https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/199386 ... us-rubidus

As you see theres no yellow on the worm at all, and its not even a Eisenia varient