There are many ways to charm a worm. The recent International Festival of Wormcharming in Blackawton, South Devon, saw the three person teams using any method they wished – providing there was no digging or forking. Though the result of this year’s contest are still under collation (in other words, FishPool can’t find them) it is possible that the winners turned their hand to ‘Grunting’.
Worm grunting involves bashing a wooden stake or ‘stob’ into the ground before rubbing it hard with a piece of metal known as a ‘rooping iron’. The resulting ‘grunt’ sends vibrations through the soil which sends the worms skyward. Gary and Audrey Revell are professional bait collectors in the US who use this method to catch up to three thousand worms in a morning.
If you think the whole thing is bordering on the absurd, then you’re probably right…