hi mate ,at certain times of the year (spawning time i think ) the mature ragworms are all out their burrows,maybe they got caught in a cold snap and it killed them ?
cheers rab

 

hi mate ,at certain times of the year (spawning time i think ) the mature ragworms are all out their burrows,maybe they got caught in a cold snap and it killed them ?
cheers rab

in our area and others. about this time of year. you will see ragworm balled up like hanks of wool during spawning. isnt there a theory that they die after they spawn? -- i can remember a time when one particular beach was littered with ragworm. it caused panic, till it was explained, that it was part of the natural process of spawning.

 

years ago i used to find ragworm out there burrows, spawning they were a lime green color, no good for bait did try them caught sod all. i did notice that not all the rag spawned at the same time. you were still able to dig the worms.. regards andy

 

I read somewhere that Rag all spawn on the same tide on the same moon phase every year, somewhere in April I believe. Personally I don't dig rag over the winter, don't rate rag as a good winter bait when compared with lug, mackie, razor, mussel, crab etc when cod fishing. I stop digging rag when the wrasse and pollack fishing dies off around october / november and leave the rag beds to recover until late april / may when the summer fishing picks up again. I think this approach is a bit more conservation minded especially with the pounding the beds local to me took over the summer with all the bus loads of digging tourists from down south!

 

about 15 yrs ago i was walking up the silversands at aberdour, and there were thousands of washed up rag on the rocks there, i cant remember what time of the year it was, ( i cant remember what i had for dinner yesterday) but there were thousands, and i thought to myself,"how long would it have took to dig that lot up?" they must have been washed up in a storm to be as high up the rocks as they were, i suppose!!
cheers, stewart.....

 

the kingrag up in wales die after spawning ,they spawn once in there life cycle they could be up to 20 years old

 

Ws once on a beach in ballykinler, many years ago, there was a very shalow bay full of Mullet, and hundreds of ragg swiming in circles, the fish werent touching them though.if i remember right it was a very hot day.
Cheers
Andy

 

I seen the same thing at Methil docks many many years ago.The worms were lying on the beach and sort of swimming in water they looked done for.

 

all the males turn a greeny colour, spawn and then die, glad us humans are not the same lol.

 

The spawning may have been induced by the full moon and the recent rise in temperature following the low temps.

 

all that sounds about right, interesting

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/blueplanet/factfiles/segmented_worms/ragworm_bg.shtml