Fishing Hellgramites As Live Bait

Fishing hellgramites ranks with worms, minnows and crawfish as a top live bait. There's no better bait for bass and trout in some streams where they are accustomed to it as part of their diet.

What's A Hellgramite?

A hellgramite is the larval young of the dobson fly, or horned corydalis, and it's variously known as the dobson, grampus, snipper or clipper. Its home is under rocks or other submerged objects in a stream, where it hangs on, even in strong currents, by a pair of small but powerful pincers at its posterior end. These, and the strong pincers at its head, make this larva - which looks much like a hard centipede - a bait to be handled with care as its names, snipper and clipper, indicate. Grasp it by its back, just behind the head.

How To Catch Hellgramites

Hellgramites are easily obtained. A landing net with a very small mesh is all that's needed. Hold the net against the bottom on the downstream side of a rock, and turn over the rock. The hellgramites will flow with the current into the net. Another good technique is to take along a three-foot square of cheesecloth, roll two four-foot sticks into opposite edges and use them as net handles - one person holding the net while the other overturns rocks.

When netting hellgramites, you will occasionally find a lead-colored wormlike creature in the net. This is known as the waterworm and it makes a great bait.

How do you know if a stream holds hellgramites?

It's easy to tell if a stream holds hellgramites. The female adult fly lays her eggs in big white splashes like whitewash marks on big rocks exposed above the surface (usually on the downstream side), or on bridges or other things overhanging the stream, where they can fall into the water. Look for these signs.

Hellgramite Fishing Tips

Hook a hellgramite through the collar or tail. Keep it off the bottom, where it will try to get under rocks and snag your fishing line. Cutting off the two small rear pincers helps prevent this.

Did you ever hear of turning a hellgramite inside out? It's done quite easily by cutting off the head and collar and pushing the tail through the body with the hook, the point of which is started at the tail. This creates a white grublike bait which is effective and widely used for trout in some sections of the country.