An Easy, Plentiful Source of Bait

First posted on 08-21-2008

Dad used to snip them out of his trees and dispose of them in the burn pile. He called them bag worms because of the unsightly webs the little critters spin in the forks of trees and bushes. More accurately, though, they are called tent caterpillars.

Anyone living in the Ozarks has probably seen tent caterpillars along country roads, in the neighbor’s backyard and most likely in their own backyards as well. They eat voraciously and can strip a tree branch bare satisfying their appetites.

Like anything that wriggles, tent caterpillars tend to turn off a lot of people. But these little guys are actually quite harmless. They don’t bite and they are not poisonous to people or animals. They do get in the way during the spring when they are on the move and in summer when they tend to bunch up in branches to satisfy their craving for leaves.

Tent caterpillars are the second phase of life for a small, nondescript little brown moth. In mid-summer, the female moth lays its eggs on twigs and branches. The eggs finally hatch out the following spring and the caterpillars soon busy themselves by spinning their silky webs as a bit of a protective device for their small colony. And they eat. During the caterpillar stage is when these moths-to-be do most of their food consumption.

Apparently, they take their food rather seriously, too, as observers have claimed the caterpillars’ munching can actually be heard on a quiet, summer day. Well, that and the sound of their droppings falling on leaves.

While most people try to eliminate tent caterpillars because of the bare branches they leave behind, pan fishermen may want to collect as many as possible before heading out to the lake or stream. These little wrigglers are said to be excellent bait for bluegills, sunfish and even crappie. The caterpillars are cheap, plentiful, easy to catch and easy to transport. And it’s very likely no one will mind if they go missing from trees.

Use a small hook, thread on a tent caterpillar and toss it in. Use all of them that you want. Every year there seems to be an endless supply.