Helgramites for Catfish Bait

[Catmaster]

I'm not sure if anyone has herd of them but the helgamite is my third bait of choice. I usually catch them in the Neosho River under rocks below the KG&E dam. One weekend last spring, I cant remember how many lines we set (over 20) but we were using helgamites and leperd frogs on all of them. We checked and reset them 3 times and had caught 43 cats(Caught mostly on the Helgamites). If you have them in your area I strongly recomend using them.

[Sinker]

They live in fast moving clear water as I recall, right? That perty well lets us out here in the Osage basin as far as I know.

[TeamCatHazzard]

Cat master what is a helgamite? Have never heard of em. Have you ever used those yellow grasshoppers for line baits? I hear they work really well.

[Catfish_Commando]

Quick Information:




Helgramites are the larval stage of the Dobsonfly. They can grow up to 4 inches long. They have a soft body, long lacy wings, and long mandibles. Laying 2-3 thousand eggs on a rock or branch just above the water, the young larvae just drop into the water.

Helgramites are important food for bass and other fish. You see very few adult Dobsonflies because fish have eaten so many of the Helgramites :)

[Itch2Scratch]

They are also one of the best trout/Steelhead baits we used up north.:)

[Rockjumper]

I'll be darned! I use helgramites for bass and they work like candy. I never used them for catfish. MMMMMMMm, you can bet I will be trying them this june. Thanks for the post.:)

[Catmaster]

The only thing I am going to say to anyone who is going to try to catch helgamites is that you need to watch your hands. Not just for those anoying little pinchers helgamites have. But also the snakes. In our part of the river there are alot of Cottonmoths. It gets a little nerveracking to flip over a rock and see something that could kill you sliver out from underneeth it.

[Cattracker16]

When i lived in wash state we used them for catching trout alot of the time.. we had a rake rigged up with a rope on it. used to toss it in lake and reel in the grass and the helgramites would be in the grasses, just pluck them off and put them in a 5 gal bucket for later use.. they worked great for trout fishing used to limit out on them.. now i live in iowa so i have yet to see any helgramites.. i guess i have never thout of using them as catbait

[gargoil77]

Looking at the picture makes me not to even want to touch one. Thye look like something from a sci fi movie.

[jstall]

Before we had Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend we fished the Guadalupe River. We used Hellgrammites and Grass hoppers. We would stretch a seine across a gravel bar and rake the rocks ahead of the net. Yes we would be snakes in the net. We caught load of catfish on Hellgrammites.

[TIM HAGAN]

They work great if you can keep the perch and bass away from them. And I have had some over 6" and they pack a nice pinch too.

[Bobpaul]

Just a hard shell catipillar with some mean pinchers.

They are the bait of choice on Wattauga Lake, in Tn, for limb lining..

By turning over rocks within about 2' of a stream or river, you can find one, possibly two under the rocks. Much further away from the water's edge and you won't find any.

[pendog66]

i have never tried them but im sure smaller catfish will hit them

[TeamCatHazzard]

Those are some nasty lookin lil buggers. I bet they would be good for catchin eater channels or something. Id like to try it but dont know if we have em here since I have never heard of em.

[Bobpaul]

Like many bait and fish that are the same anywhere you go, but will have a different name, depending on where your at. The helgramite is known as a grampus in that area of Tn.

And yes they will catch small eaters, they'll also catch some in the 10# to 15# range. It was a grampus that caught the first flathead I ever saw in Wattauga. Nothing huge, about a 12# fish on a trotline.

[flathead_ky]

At the river I wade and fish, everything hits hellgramites. I have caught channels, smallmouth & Largemouth, Bluegill, Carp, etc. We usually will find a small set of rapids where its very shallow and while two of us holds the minnow sein. I usually go up river and lift rocks and they go right in the sein. Thats the best live bait I have used there.

[Abu65]

At the river I wade and fish, everything hits hellgramites. I have caught channels, smallmouth & Largemouth, Bluegill, Carp, etc. We usually will find a small set of rapids where its very shallow and while two of us holds the minnow sein. I usually go up river and lift rocks and they go right in the sein. Thats the best live bait I have used there.


I agree they are the multi-species bait of choice. JACK UGLIES is what we call em.

[primitivefrn]

Whats the best time of the year to find them, Would their be any now.