Nightcrawlin'

[OneidaAngler]

sucks they were not out at my house last night......i got to buy........

They were out last night at my place when it rained. But that was about 2am so I didn't get any. There were still crawling around on the driveway this morning half dead. Wish I got up in the night to get after them.

[arcticicejigger]

saw them at work thursday nite but they were the smaller ones! the big boys prolly be close behind them!

[barkspud]

I use a half barrel and cut a piece of sod to fit the top and then store it in a cool place under my shop. I like peat moss and I add veggie peelings from vegetables and coffee ground and such. I don't put things in them that will get nasty. The eat it and makes for some great soil builder when the crawlers are done with it. Castings are great for the garden and come the end of the season I dump them in my garden. The probes work great I have a friend that uses them and he has no problems keeping them. It just takes a few minutes for them to start coming out of the ground

[trapper2000]

i sneak  up on night  crawlers at  walmart  ....pretty easy to get a  couple  doz

[alfed]

I put the red head lamp on, put the gel knee pads on and craw around in the front yard for a while. A old timer taught me when I was a kid about taking care of worms. Sounds a bit crazy but its been proven over and over that it far better than commercial bedding. I keep my worms in a small cooler that will fit in the frig.(need understanding wife) Before I go picking I cut up small pieces of newspaper and about half fill the cooler. once that part is done I start adding spent coffee grinds, normally 4-5 baskets. so think in advance. You may have to dampen the newspaper a little but not wet. then add your worms. My buddy and I call it marinating in the recipe mix. As the old Timer told me....it purges the mud and dirt out of the worm and adds a attractive flavor to it. Don't know if its factual or not but it d**n sure makes a difference and works. I cant tell you how many times we will fishing in a pack of guys and killing the fish and nobody was coming close. Normally the question comes up "what are you guys using magic worms or something?" reply is normally sorta.. and explain..still doubting I will normally hand the guy a few worms and let him see for himself. The next question is normally one of two....want to sell some of those worms? or what kind of coffee do you use. lol It sounds like a lot of BS but you will be amazed in the difference. Example was last night, my buddy and I filled our buckets with bullheads last night. the guys 20 yards away maybe caught 10 between the two of them. great for bullheads and walleyes.

[big_guy_13021]

I use the same recipe alfed ill b catching other guys justlooking at me

[frozengator]

A piece of wax paper over the flashlight works great if your light is too strong.

[stratos122]

i  just use red tissue paper put it over my flash light then i keep them in a old cooler works good for me. I got around 400 already in there.That will be enough to last me a while

[Braz315]

A lot of worms out right now, it's crazy how fast they squirm back into their holes.  Got a bunch in my front yard in About 30 mins work.

[Old Timer]

I have one large worm box and a couple good sized coolers.. The fresh picked crawlers go into a cooler with chopped leaves (maple) and newspaper.. I leave them there a couple days, sort them out and toss the bruised ones.  The are usually alive but you can spot them.. One dead worm is really bad for the live ones..   I use a mixture of chopped leaves, shredded newspaper, a little sand and chunks of cardboard in the big box.. The crawlers love to get into the corrugations of the cardboard...  I feed them cornmeal,  about once a week. alternate ends of box where I put the feed...   I don`t like the coffee grounds as I think they make the worms dark colored. I use the refrigerator ( 50 degrees) some but like the buried 1/2 plastic barrel the best. You need a shaded area, bury it to within 2 inches of top. Cover with plywood.  Very rarely have to add water..   Whatever works..

[RIVERRAT2]

i  just use red tissue paper put it over my flash light then i keep them in a old cooler works good for me. I got around 400 already in there.That will be enough to last me a while

that is the way i go also
 
RAT

[Old Timer]

Anyone remember that light green moss like stuff the bait shops ( Sanyers and Moses at the beach) packed worms in many years ago.. That worked great, I saw a big area of it in the woods last year..

[OneidaAngler]

I picked 200 last night in 45 minutes. Today my back is really paying for it.    But 200 crawlers is like $50.

[griff]

I did it the easy way last night, I took a walk around the neighborhood last night and picked about 300 hundred off the road.

[JMZ]

What type of grass is best for picking nightcrawlers? When I was a kid, we found them under hedges in loose dirt. In the summer, they would mate and we would get a bunch. I think some people drench their grass to get them out. I saw a video on utube about using electric prongs. It works, but be careful if you try it or you'll get shocked. I wonder if a small 12 volt battery  hooked up to two screwdrivers would work?