Originally Posted by
fishbaskett
I have put up as many as 6,000 in 3 days, all from about 8 trees. I put up 2,300 over one weekend last year. I have not planted the "umbrella", there is a Northern and a Southern species, I prefer the Southern. We often get two cycles of worms per year June / Sept, with the Sept cycle being less than the June. There are other influences, drought or extremely wet springs, fire ants and Armadillos can get at the pupating larva in the ground thus reducing the moth yield for a given year. I have read and noticed some old large trees do not produce, the thought being that the leaves are not as palatable as smaller, younger tree leaves.
Put out some 15 noodles one night in April, catalpa worms on top (3 ft) hooks and 3 to 5 inch bluegills on bottom hooks (10 ft). Caught 3 Channel cat, 5, 14, and 31 lbs, 50 lbs on three hooks, all shallow hooks baited with catalpa worms. Lost one noodle for a while, friend found it up lake several days later with the bottom drop missing, very strong line tied to large barrel swivel with draw knot, so maybe one bite on bream, hope whoever got it had kids to feed. I have caught catfish up to 15 lbs on catalpa worms, the 31 is the largest so far on them. Even though I use them a lot on trotlines and tight lining I was pleasantly surprised with the noodles. We caught a couple hundred catfish tight lining with catalpa worms last year in Texas, current seemed to be the key. if there was current present we could catch limits, (25 per day and min 12 inches in Texas), about every time we went, which was often. Great fun and great for kids.