Rag worm are a superb sea fishing bait. They stay alive on the hook for ages and can be presented in a few ways from boats and the shore depending if you are after movement or a scent trail for fish to follow.
Using Rag worm as Bait
- A single or a few small worm can be hooked through the head area leaving the tails to wiggle below. This creates a bait full of movement, ideal for Flounder fishing. Harbour rag or Maddies work well for this.
- Use a bunch of rag worm laced up over the hook onto the line. This is good for presenting bigger baits and casting longer ranges than from using the method above
- The use of rag as a cocktail bait can prove very successful indeed. Thread on a bunch of rag and tip it with another bait ie. Crab, Squid or fish bait.
So depending on the target species and combined with the sort of range you are looking to cast, or the tide strength you are fishing in if from a boat, Rag can be used in different was dependant on the circumstance, location, method and prey fish (don’t give fish with small mouths a huge bait!!)
Digging Rag Worm
Find a location where it is legal to dig. Ideal Rag worm beds tend to be more gritty, composed of coarse sand and gravel. Harbour Rag are found in softer conditions, more silt / sand mix. Get some local knowledge and go from there.
I use a wide pronged fork and generally trench (dig in a long line through as many surface holes as I can find). Take out a fork full of substrate, then another one further back, but joining the first hole. I then go back to the first hole area and go one fork deeper, keeping to this pattern. Effectively you are making a trench two forks deep. You need to check each fork full carefully for any rag and place them into a bucket as you find them.
You can dig individual holes. Start infornt and dig quickly taking small fork fulls at a time, back and past the hole. Rag will move quite quickly, so be sure to dig at a reasonable speed.
For storage keep them in some torn up news paper or vermiculite to keep them moist, but not dry. Stored in the fridge they should last a good week as long as you remove the dead and dying on a daily basis.
If you have any tips or questions regarding the digging of Rag worm please comment on this post.
image: Daniel
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April 6, 2025 at 16:12
im from kent and ragworm are an easy source of bait here, if you know where? they seem to like gulleys with silty mud and black underneath..i know a place u can dig them at a huge size of approx 20 inches plus!! M&A tackle in sheerness sell them but they are done by weight so very few for money but they do good mixed packs. very successful float bait for pollock,bass,wrasse etc..
March 19, 2025 at 20:47
I am still trying to find Ragworm at about 10 cm in length, at the moment no luck, if any one out there has any Ideas I would be pleased to hear them thanks pete.
September 15, 2025 at 20:35
Hello,Im 12 Yrs old ANd wanting to learn to fish, i found out that people use rag worm alot so i want to know where to get some,but where exactly?
and can you buy them from shops? please email me the price at [email protected] thank you.
August 19, 2025 at 08:12
Having lived in UK and USA and fished both I know these as Ragworm for UK and Sandworm in USA. Biggest Sandworms I came across where in USA and they were long and quite aggressive
I reckon the best way to present them is with a baiting needle and make sure nothing is left dangling. They kill for Striper, Porgy and in UK European Sea Bass. I have had Plaice and flounder along with Tope on these.
June 11, 2025 at 21:06
other than keeping rags in the fridge, would they keep longer if they were placed in a bucket containing mud and saltwater and kept at 25 degrees centigrade.
June 12, 2025 at 08:13
For some reason the fridge method works best for long term preservation. I guess you would need to simulate tides and provide food if you bucket them! The fridge slows them down, allowing them to be kept longer
May 28, 2025 at 08:48
We are a leading manufacturer / exporter of high quality live sea bait, freshwater bait and frozen bait in China.http://www.ooncc.com
April 26, 2025 at 12:14
i was digging for rag at low tide. but didnt mannage to find any. i was digging around the red clay under the sand. . how for down should you have to dig?
April 23, 2025 at 10:01
please try and refill holes dug as really soft areas are dangerous for people and animals especially horses they also look untidy and we anglers are the untidiest of them all .
October 10, 2025 at 10:03
great article, i have never heard of using rag worms. Hey I was wondering if you could post your article at my article site,
http://www.article-miracle.com I am looking for more fishing articles.
mark fleagle
October 5, 2025 at 10:47
I do not know if they live over the pond. I would assume that a very similar species will as they are a fairly typical marine worm.
Any of you know the answer to this??
October 2, 2025 at 03:50
I have not heard of these worms being used along the Texas coast. I wonder I they can be found here? It sound like a very good live bait.