What is a blood worm?

When you’re talking about fishing in saltwater and the term blood worm comes up, it could actually be referring to two very different concepts.  While there is actually a worm with that name that is often used for bait, the term is also used to describe a fishing technique that was  originally invented by American Fisherman Fred Arched to use while fishing for shark but it now being used with a few modifications to catch a variety of fish.  The technique is actually quite similar to trolling or drifting with live fish bait and one minor exception.  The exception is that you simply cut off the tail of the baitfish before placing it in the water.  You don’t want to cut too deep but the goal is to get the fish bleeding.  When you drop it in the water, the blood and erratic movement of the fish will almost immediately start a feeding frenzy.  A real blood worm is similar to a night crawler and ranges in size from 2 to 18 inches long.  This bait is often used when fishing for striped bass, winter flounder, kingfish, perch, porgys and weakfish.  Bloodworms do have teeth and will bite so you should be careful when handling them.