This Enormous Missouri Bug has Huge Pincers, But Only Girls Bite

I was not familiar with this absolutely monstrous Missouri bug as an adult. I know that the younger versions are a favorite bait for fishermen. You have to be careful even with the young ones as they can inflict a very painful bite, but it's really on the girls you need to watch out for.

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The Missouri Department of Conservation has some great info about the Eastern Dobsonfly. If you fish a lot, you've probably seen the larvae version of this big bug which looks like this.

In the Missouri Ozarks, they're known as 'devil scratchers' and there's a good reason for that. If you're attempting to use them as bait, watch out for the pincers. The interesting thing is only the females seem to bite. The Missouri Department of Conservation offers this helpful advice about using these bugs as bait:

They should be grasped behind the head, lest they deliver a painful pinch.

The enormous size these Dobsonflies reach if the live long enough to become adults is awe-inspiring. They can be up to 5 inches long. You're not likely to see them this big for several reasons. First of all, their life expectancy as an adult is only 1 week. They are also normally only active as an adult at night. They like fresh-water places, so that's the best place to possibly see this massive bug if you so desire.

I was always a fan of regular old worms for bait when I went bass fishing with my dad. Call me crazy, but I choose not to use bait that could potentially attack me back.