"Cinder Worm Hatch"
By Peter Schroeder
early May through July, a phenomenon occurs in the marine estuary environment.
The Cinder Worms "hatch," What are"Cinder Worms"?
I have spent many hours researching this subject and have not found
one reference to this species in the scientific literature. Not by
scientific name or common name. Yet there are numerous articles on
Cinder Worms in the fishing text.
My research has lead me to conclude that the term "Cinder Worms" refers
to a group of worms called the Polychaetes, or worms of many bristles.
With over 8000 species worldwide, they live in all climates and bottom
types. Of these, the most common worms to the east coast are the Clamworm,
Bloodworm, Sandworm, Lugworms and even the Tapeworm. They are by nature,
burrowing worms. Included in their scientific phylum of Annelida, are
earthworms and leaches.
A fun way to find out what worms are in your area is to dig them up for
yourself. Not to mention it can be a fun time with your kids. Start by
visiting a tackle shop local to the area you intend to fish. Ask where
the most likely place to dig worms might be. If they are unable to tell
you where, begin by selecting an area with a mud or sand bottom. Using
a shovel and rake, begin digging as the tide drops. Scoop out a clump
and lay it on the dry land. I recommend using the rake to break it up.
If you choose to do this by hand, be careful of glass or other objects
that could be hidden.
When you do find a worm, rinse it off and place it on a wet towel, or
in a bucket with seaweed. You do not need to put any water in the bucket,
moist towels or seaweed work best. Take a picture of it when it is fresh.
This will help you with tackle selection later. Then take your catch
home for identification.
Place your catch somewhere cool when you get home and fire up the computer
for identification purposes. Start by looking on any of the search engines
using the words "polychaetes," "Annelida," and "worms," This
will take you to the more scientific and educational sites. You could
use the words "Sandworm," Bloodworm," or "Clam-worm" to
find the more fishing oriented sites. While you are on the computer,
don't forget to download your pictures before you head to the tackle
store so you can more easily match your selections to the pictures.
Fishing the Point Pleasant New Jersey area for many years, I have encountered
quite a few Cinder Worm hatches starting in May when the water hits 60
degrees, until July when the water warms to 70 degrees. Most "hatches" occur
just prior to the full moon or the new moon when the tides are the highest.
They occur from Maine to Florida and everywhere in between. The common
denominator seems to be brackish water or salt ponds without a lot of
Cinder Worms are photophillic, or light loving. When they swarm, they
tend to ball up under lights of docks and streetlights. However, if there
are no lights, the moon will do just fine for them. It's just more fun
to fish near an artificial light source. When there is a good "hatch," you
can watch the stripers feed on the worms with wide mouths just cruising
Fishing the "hatch" starts by finding the worms. Most often
this is done unintentionally. Unprepared anglers can find the experience
frustrating, as they'll be fish popping all around but none willing to
take an offering. However, you can plan your spring and early summer
trips around the moon and tides to find the hatches. Plan on being in
a likely spot one hour before the slack tide. The best places to look
include areas with sandy or muddy bottoms and some structure like a dock
or a bridge. Most often this area will be relatively shallow, meaning
no more than four to five feet deep at low tide. This allows the sun
to penetrate the water and warm the mud or sand. If there is a channel
or deep-water area nearby, that's even better. My favorite spot is the
end of a dock with a fixed light. Marinas and bridge abutments work fine,
One of the important factors here is the abundance of constant light,
lights that go on and off spook more fish than they attract. The light
should come on at dusk and stay on until dawn. What you will be looking
for at first is the worms themselves. You will see them spiraling under
the lights. As they emerge and look for mates, you may start to hear
fish feeding on them, especially stripers. Weakfish tend to be a little
quieter when they feed. With both stripers and weakfish, you will probably
see wakes on the surface or flashes under the surface. If conditions
seem right to you, and there are no visual or auditory clues, make a
few casts. Sometimes you have to wait for the tide. Or you can move elsewhere.
If the tide is going out, try moving downstream first. This will bring
you closer to the lowest water where it is easiest to see the fish. You
may also want to try the backside of a bridge downstream of where you
are expecting to find the worms. If no bridges are nearby, try the channel
edges or points in the area. These can serve as both feeding areas and
staging areas. These fish may not be feeding on the worms that are coming
to the surface, but rather the ones sucked downstream by the current,
so you probably will not see them on the surface. Remember not to stay
in one place for too long, after all, they may not be hatching that night.
If that is the case, return to that area in a day or two. A hatch usually
lasts three to seven days.
Catching fish during a worm hatch is not hard if you give them what
they want! As the fly anglers say, "You gotta match the hatch." Most
of my fishing is done with 4-inch plastic ringworms in red, shad rigged
with a single hook with or without split shot, or 8-inch red shad culprit
worms on lead jig heads.
I have also caught fish on small swimmers and flies. If all else fails,
put a sandworm or bloodworm on a hook and float with a conventional reel
and free spool it with the current. Trust me, this trick works. If you
paint the top of the float with glow in the dark paint, you can see it
a lot better.
Whether from the boat or beach, it's important to find the "pinch
points" or "attack" positions of the feeding fish, although
sometimes these fish are just cruising the flats.
This mostly occurs during the climax of the "hatch." Stripers
and weakfish love to feast on these easy targets. I like to fish the
edges of the channels, the lights on the docks, and the backside of
bridges. If I am targeting bigger fish, there is no better place than
an inlet downstream of the hatch area. Big bass and weakfish do not
waste a lot of energy chasing bait, and will lay downstream waiting
for the current to bring dinner to them. This is where the jig head
with a red plastic worm bounced right on the bottom works well.
Presentation is key. The bait has to look like a Cinder Worm to catch
fish. You will need a light rod with 10- to 14-pound-test clear monofilament
line for casting small lightly weighted plastic worms and small plugs,
and a medium heavy rod with 20- to 30-pound test braided line for bouncing
One final trick is to put a dropper worm on the back of a small popper.
I like a white Rebel Wind Cheater because I can pop it very slow.
Tie a 24-inch piece of 30-pound test mono to the rear eye, and an octopus
2/0 hook to the other end of the line. Some people remove the hook or
replace it with a single hook and tie to the hook bend. Hook a small
ring worm right through the head in a fashion not to make the worm spin.
Cast it out with a lobbing motion to avoid tangling, and slowly pop it.
You will know it when a fish hits.
Remember, even under the right conditions, Cinder Worms don't always
show, so be prepared to switch your game plan. Most importantly, be prepared
this season when the worms do come out to play.