Charming The Worms, Part 2

On Friday we watched gulls charming the worms. Today we’ll watch people do it.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that earthworms come out on the sidewalks when it rains. They rise to the surface in damp soil when they hear the pattering of rain above them. Gulls and wood turtles take advantage of this by tapping on damp ground to lure worms to be eaten.

People use a variety of techniques, called worm charming, to collect worms for fish bait. The video above was taken at the annual World Worm Charming Championships in Willaston, UK.

Below, a man and wife gather worms for the fish-bait trade in Florida. With his tools he makes a noise called worm grunting while she gathers the worms.

(videos from YouTube and Wikimedia Commons)

One thought on “Charming The Worms, Part 2

Leave a Reply to Andrew Mumma Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *