What's your go-to bait for panfish?

[davetclown]

there are a number of hornworm species...
I find these guys fastenating....
but ya have to know your horn worms species before taking them fishing, some are protected, the luna moth is protected in michigan, on the endangered list.
[center][url "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato_hornworm"][/url][url "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato_hornworm"][/url][/center] [center]Tomato hornworm larva[/center] [center][url "http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/field/tomato_hornworm_larva.htm"] tomato hornworm larva[/url] [/center] [center]single horn, I have seen them with horns front and back.[/center]


the tobaco horn worm or tomato horn worm turns in to a brown moth, I find them quite usefull when it comes to fishing, one of the biggest bass I ever caught was trolling a horn worm on a crawler harness...
[url "http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/field/hornworm_larva.htm"] tobacco hornworm larva[/url]
I think the horn is more to scare would be atackers, I have never been stung by one of its stingers, front or back... not for the lack of them trying... how ever my dad told me when I was vary young that they do bite... I will take his word for it, keep my hands away from their mouths.. [laugh]

I have touched the horns and they seem flimsy enough, but dont take my word for it...

Horn worms feed on nightshade plants wich include tomato, wild nightshade, potato and tobaco, pepper... I have yet to find one on a potato plant, but it is a night shade species...

[url "http://entomology.unl.edu/k12/caterpillars/hornworm/hornwormpage.html"]http://entomology.unl.edu/k12/caterpillars/hornworm/hornwormpage.html[/url]

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there is the luna pillar worm wich turns in to a larg yellowish green lunar moth. quite a site to see, in the pillar stage it is the same size and color as the horn worm with subtle differances..

the last lunar moth I saw was in Kentucky better than 40 years ago, how ever I was astounded to find a lunar moth pillar here in michigan 7 years ago, I had picked it up and was going to take it fishing, but when I took a close look I noted there were dis-similarities to the ones I pick off my tomato plants.. this horn worm was missing its horns..... [center][url "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actias_luna"][/url][/center]

after bringing the larve home I got to looking at it, tho I have never found one in the latter part of september and this one I found in a yard that I had been maintaining. I was compelled to take it back to the exact spot where I found it and released it back in to the yard.



an invading species called the gypsy moth pillar has proved unfavorable in michigan for fishing.. must have a nasty taist or something, I've tossed them in to a school of gills and they wont touch them...

the venus butterfly piller works well here, maybe it is something the fish are used to, they will nest in apple and hawthorn trees that over hang ponds and rivers.

the monarch butterfly pillar is protected nation wide and in several other countries, the larve feed exclusively on several milk weed plant species...

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a good incect feild guide book is a must have... I picked one up from boarders 10 years ago, it will tell you if the pillar is endangered or not in your area... and whats better is the feild book I have gives me info on most all incets including spiders...

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where store bought brown crickets are good bait, and cant bite hard enough to hurt, I prefer the wild black crickets... and grass hoppers .... secadas....

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another tomato horn worm is the ... [center][url "http://www.birds-n-garden.com/snowberry_clearwing_hummingbird_moths.html"][/url][/center]

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follow this link to veiw a large veriety of pillars...
its just to much fun identifying them all...

[url "http://ipm.tamu.edu/greenhouse/identification.html"]http://ipm.tamu.edu/greenhouse/identification.html[/url]
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