Thread: Bonnet Worms

I have a fishing buddy who grew up out in the woods in and around Gilchrist and Levy County. He tells me his grandfather used to slay bream by using what he calls bonnet worms. He said you can find them if you cut open the stalk of a bonnet. I have tried cutting open bonnet stalks on Orange Lake and I haven't found any such critters.

Anyone else ever heard of this bait?

Thanks.

Nope but certainly sounds interesting

Define "Bonnet Stalk"

Around here, usually in August, my Grandparents and I would go along country roads & look for "Horseweed" (actually Giant Ragweed) and look for holes in the stalks. We were looking for what my Grandparents called "horseweed worms" (actually Corn Borer worms). We used them to fish for Bluegill & other panfish species.

European Corn Borer


Giant Ragweed



Word of warning ... ticks, wasps, chiggers, etc. are commonly found in the patches of Giant Ragweed. Take necessary precautions.

TEA TREE OIL!

LARGE Australian Tea Tree Oil

I’ll pass. All them things in Pappys warning find me anyway, they don’t need any help. I’ll stick with my jigs, thank you.

I used them when I was a kid..and cut up pieces of freshwater muscles. For the worms You have to look for the bonnets with a worm hole in the top of stalk.. Grass shrimp works just as good and are much easier to get

Wasp larva works well also. Bream love them

The only problem was getting the wasp lava, sometimes it was very painful. As an 8 to 10 year old living what is now considered in the middle of no where and fishing small creeks. It was the best bait available and the cheapest. Actually brings back old memories because that was 60 years ago.

Certainly needed a long stick to knock the nest down. Also needed to get moving away from the area when it was falling to the ground

Hope that RAGWEED plant isn't kin to the ITCHWEED that my friend(former) failed to warn me about prior to my 1st SMALLMOUTH wading-event on the upper Potomac(Md.) just 40 years ago! While walking to the river in chest-high foliage, I obviously hit this STUFF!!. Dropped my u/l tackle/box, headin' for wet-relief on this mid-summer morning. I flew past by MARK SPITZ patiently waiting with goggles and rubber headgear @starting-block(Shoreline) still waiting on the the official's audible!! Keith yelledout from shorelines(50 yards awat) "Sorry Doug, forgot to tell you about the ITCHWEED!!"

As possibly you may imagine "Creative payback" was immediately on my agenda. Sorry Keith for what YOU got yourself into! = DOUGWEED!!