Today I was reading in the local news paper, the Edmonton Journal, that invasive earthworms ( dendrobaena octaedra ) are attacking the boreal forest and by 2056 will have increased their habitat to 39% of the boreal forest.

As a boy, living next to Park Rill, I never dreamed that earthworms would ever be a threat, for they aided me in my trout catching endeavors.

I would take a shovel and go into the orchard and dig down no more than 10 inches into the damp earth to find the worms. They were usually plentiful. It took no more than two shovel fulls to find at least six worms for an afternoon of fishing. I put them into a can along with some dirt to keep them fresh, for fishing days were hot days.

There were only certain parts of Park Rill which had trout. The beaver dams kept the trout living areas separate from the carp and sucker living areas. You could tell immediately the difference because the bottom feeders section was void of plant life.
The trout on the other hand had vast swaths of watercress where they hid and fed along the edges especially where the water moved swiftly.

My fishing rod was a 7 foot long willow stick I cut out of the bush, the end was wrapped in nylon line and the hook was wedged into the bark for safety reasons.

When I got to the section of Park Rill where I knew the trout were I’d drop my baited hook into the water and wait for action. The wait was never long. My limit was three fish because I liked to eat them fresh so we each had one for that meal.

I always cleaned my catch to prepare them for Aunty Kay to fry. Once cooked the bones were easy to remove and the flesh was always tasty. I enjoyed contributing to the meal.

As for the worms, any I didn’t use were returned to the earth. For the boreal forest, fishermen returning the worms to the earth are part of the problem of the spreading of dendrobaena octaedra, for these critters are asexual. So for each bait return to earth for that species of worm, a
new colony is started.

ruralreportwithlairdsmith@gmail.com