As a kid, we used to use catalpa worms for bluegill bait. A trick my dad used, if you could stand the mess, was to turn them inside out over a wodden match stick. (Use dead ones for this part.) Then pull out the stick, put them on a hook, and toss them in. The scent from the worms spread much quicker. You only had to do that a few times to attract the fish, then use the rest of the worms whole.