Outdoor Truths
What the hickory chicken is to spring, the catalpa worm is to summer. You just don’t eat em’. The catalpa worm is another special surprise that shows up in June or July. This worm is a delicacy for bluegill and catfish. To be more specific, the catalpa caterpillar is the larval stage of the catalpa sphinx moth. These moths exclusively infest catalpa trees. I’m sure there is a more scientific name for these caterpillars, but to a bluegill or catfish fisherman, they are super-bait. A catalpa tree is a tree that has big broad leaves and pods of beans that are about a foot long. (We used to call them cigar trees) This worm loves to devour their leaves until there’s nothing left. In my youth years, there was only one place to garner this bait – at the cemetery. I really don’t know how we came to find out about this place. It’s almost as if this knowledge was passed down by those who had made that same trip in their childhood. Regardless
For complete coverage, see the June 22nd edition of The Lexington Progress.
Subscribe Today!
