MyFishFinder Forum
MFF US Northeast => New York => Topic started by: bbfrogger on Mar 24, 2019, 11:00 AM
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They were out either Wed or Thursday evening at my house when I checked, but I didn't have my worm boxes ready yet so I passed- now 5" of snow later I wish I had picked, but this week should take care of the snow and we should be ready to get them !! :-)
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Not in my yard.. :P
(https://i.postimg.cc/bZ8K5f3j/20190324-124807.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/bZ8K5f3j)
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i dont have a flake of snow in my lawn ,so wet cant even walk in it without sinking, im sure theyll be out here esp in my garden
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Ive got the old coon hunting headlamp charged up and im ready to go. I got a new farm field to try. Its tilled up so nice the worms should pull right out. Some heavy mud boots for sure. Use to catch them for fun. Now i catch them cause i have to. Cant afford to pay the price in the store anymore.
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'Dacker - yikes - thats not good !! I'm the same way Skinny - I usually pick about 500-600 early and it lasts me a good part of the summer. Saves a good chunk of money. I'm sure I can afford to buy them but when it comes to stuff like that it burns my butt to pay for something that I can get for free in my yard with a little effort. ;D
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Last year was the first year in a long time I didnt pick my own..AND I shouldve! I used almost 2 flats of crawlers and that's over $100 JUST for bait... lol
I'll be picking as soon as I see those tell tale holes in the yard suggestion are out
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Yea I'll be out this week last year me and wife used ALOT of crawlers on harnesses, I didn't pic my self
We were buying 4-5 containers of 18 several times a week for Erie
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No it isn't prime time yet at my house either - I like to pick them as early in the season as I can, before the grass gets too high and makes it hard to see them, and before I have to stay up till 11 pm to go out and get them. And yes I know, I am getting old. hahaha
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Whats the best color light for you guys?
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I just use my white headlamp it has 5 brightness settings usually use it on lowest setting
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Sooo.... I've experimented some in past years with different lighting... I've come to use my headlamp that has a red bulb in it.. it takes a little while to get used to seeing the crawlers as they dont stick out as well..HOWEVER.. they dont scare off with the red light which makes it a little easier
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Me to John, my head lamp has white, green and red.. Red works best for me... ;)
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How do you store the worms for the season?
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I store mine in a plastic bin. The top bin has small holes in the bottom to allow for drainage. It sits inside another that catches any liquid. They stay on the floor in the basement and last most of the summer with a little feeding. I mix compost with last fall's partially composted leaves for bedding. Check it regularly and remove any dead or bad looking worms. Add compost as needed. They reduce it to really good worm compost in short order. I routinely use that compost to fertilize my house plants.
I harvest most of mine at the park where I walk in the early morning. After a nice rain the road and parking lot are full of them. No lights for me. But when I did use a light, red was the most effective.
Rg
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How do you store the worms for the season?
I have some decent sized styrofoam containers - from Omaha steaks - I put about a 2 inch layer of compost in the bottom them pack the rest with as many old damp/wet leaves from last year that will fit, and put a few layers of wet newspaper on top. I limit the containers to about 250-300 worms each and fed them coffee grounds and filters during the year. A few times a year I have to add more leaves. I cut about a 2-3" hole in the top of the cover and put a fine mesh screen over the top of the hole to allow the whole mess to breath, and so the worms can't get out - I found if I don't do that it stays too wet and gets moldy and I lose the worms at times. Of course keeping them cool is key - I keep them in our cellar or under our camp which is cool just about all year even in hot weather. I have a ton of small worms in the boxes by the end of the season - they breed like crazy in that environment. Possibly because of the coffee (caffeine), I have the liveliest worms I've even seen - even the vibrations from pulling the box across the floor freaks them out - don't even have to search for them in the box - they come boiling to the top - hahaha. ** Modified *** I just read rgfixits post - sounds like he and I have a similar system.....
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I bought a CHEAP smaller cooler.. I use buss bedding.. I fill cooler up with bedding.. and wet it as directions suggest... I usually use corn meal and coffee campgrounds to feed them.. I keep that cooler right in my fridge in the house
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Be sure to use only distilled water or rain water.
Tap water has chlorine or chloramine in it.
Not good for your crawlers.
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Be sure to use only distilled water or rain water.
Tap water has chlorine or chloramine in it.
Not good for your crawlers.
I got well water... no chlorine or treatment!!!!!!!!!!!
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I got well water... no chlorine or treatment!!!!!!!!!!!
Me to.... ;)
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Be sure to use only distilled water or rain water.
Tap water has chlorine or chloramine in it.
Not good for your crawlers.
I've heard that before, especially regarding keeping minnows but I've never had an issue keeping either, and I change my minnow water every day. Must be I've either been lucky, or the levels are so low in our system that it doesn't affect them.
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I purchased them from the Amish children,$1.00 dz.
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https://www.canadiannightcrawlers.com/?v=7516fd43adaa (https://www.canadiannightcrawlers.com/?v=7516fd43adaa)
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A few weeks back I picked up a bunch I took my dog out and noticed they were all over the place I have enough for a while..coffee grounds is the best
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Usually mid march first rain I would clean up but ground is still cold here no real signs of them yet
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https://www.canadiannightcrawlers.com/?v=7516fd43adaa (https://www.canadiannightcrawlers.com/?v=7516fd43adaa)
That's a great price! Thxs.
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Never had a problem using tap water.. bs I think.
Rg
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That's a great price! Thxs.
NP
I’ve used this company for past 5 yrs.
Last year the crawlers from them weren’t as hardy looking as normal but still good.
I had heard that other suppliers had trouble with quality crawlers last year too.
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I bought a flat and returned it.. they were garbage.... I just ended up buying as I went and towards mid summer those crawlers seems to be smaller too
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Once it rains, I have virtually an unlimited supply show up in the parking lot here. But they aren't very good, kinda wimpy and easy to break off when casting compared to store bought ones. Maybe there is something I could feed them. Walmart has them cheap enough.
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golf course or city park rainy night fill your containers
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golf course or city park rainy night fill your containers
Just dont get caught unless you have permission... when I was a kid we would visit the local golf course and pile up some huge crawlers.. we got chased a few times but never got pinched
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state park here they never say a word...stay off the greens
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Just dont get caught unless you have permission... when I was a kid we would visit the local golf course and pile up some huge crawlers.. we got chased a few times but never got pinched
Must have been some mean people - I lived across from a golf course growing up and used to sneak on to play - they said as long as we did it when no one else was playing like late in the day, and didn't play when the course was super wet so we did any damage, they were fine with it. Must have felt like if they can get the kids hooked on golf they will have future customers.
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I saw yesterday some holes being drilled in my yard.. I'm thinking tomorrow night might be my first crawler outing.. Saturday night looks to be a little too cold maybe
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They are calling for a good soaking rain this weekend here. That should wake things up. My 5yo grandson is wanting to go pick with Papa. Should be fun.
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We got chased off a golf course in Batavia years ago by a group of guys that worked for a company that leased rights to pick on the course
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We got chased off a golf course in Batavia years ago by a group of guys that worked for a company that leased rights to pick on the course
Yet another reason why I think I was born 100 years to late. LOL
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i'm going to pick mine at wal mart
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Just dont get caught unless you have permission
Great outlook. :cookoo:
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Some golf courses dont mind if you arent causing damage. During the closed months ive seen all types of dog walkers, hikers, bird watchers, even dog sleds cruising the courses around here. I fish one really nice course that i dont look like i belong at. I asked many years ago to fish and they said absolutely. Just that if it was busy i had to stay at the club house ponds and cant walk the course. Its been 20+ years and i fish it every year atleast once. I dont ice fish it only cause you can clearly see it from the road and i know i would get lots of company. I wouldnt want that so i just stop in once in a while and make a few casts. Catch some nice bass that eat everything and i usually got a cold beer and a burger from the snack bar and its a great time. Dont be afraid to ask. I just like pulling them from tilled fields. Playing tug of war with a worm i can hardly see makes me angry.
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Thats why I try to pick a bunch of them early in the year - when the grass starts growing it makes them really hard to see. Got about 75 last night - nice night to pick - the rest of my body wanted to stay out but my back voted NO !! LOL Going to give it a go tonight too. There are some nice fish in those golf course ponds - where I live they have a kids fishing derby every year in 1 of them for a day. The pond is less than an acre and they pull out some really nice fish.
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Great outlook. :cookoo:
hahahaha - yeah, maybe he meant don't pick unless you have permission ??
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Sometimes its fun asking just for the reactions. Best ever bait score for me i was working in a really rich neighborhood after a heavy rain and the house down the road had literally millions of crane fly larva. When i seen a car pull up out front i hurried over there and the lady got out and was afraid to even walk she just stood there in her high heels looking at all the "giant maggots". Lol she looked horrified as i walked up soaked and covered in mud asking if i could take some of them. I came back 3 min later and she was standing there next to her car and i used a push broom and dust pan to sweep a path to the house. I loaded 2 buckets to the top with oak leaf grubs and was on my way. Never seen that many before.
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Good score. There were quite a few times when I would pick worms in the parking lot of the insurance company I worked at on the way into work - the lot was filthy with them after a hard rain at night. There would be 20-30 people (mostly women) looking out the windows that would ask me what I was doing when I walked in - dress clothes and shoes and a can full of worms. hahahaha. After a while everybody knew I was the weird guy - they didn't understand, and I didn't get many handshakes - but they knew - hahahaha.
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My youngest boy and I got out and did some collateral damage on the crawler population here in my yard tonight.. I bet in a half hour we picked 25 doz or so... we started to get soaked by the rain so we will try again tomorrow night for more
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Got about 8 dozen crawlers last night in the rain and fog.... ;D
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Nice !! I went out again last night between downpours too - I've been picking about 75-85 per time - got a little over 300 so far this year. Last night was the best by far - got them in about 20 minutes - a decent amount were just crawling free. At times I was pinning 2 at a time. I'll pick another 150 or so and that should keep me for the summer unless I troll more than usual. This year I found that if I double up a piece of wax paper and put it over the end of my flashlight with a rubber band I can still see the crawlers, but they don't react to the light at all, even if its right next to them. 1 layer of wax paper wasn't enough - they were still jumpy, and 4 made it too hard to see the worms, but 2 was perfect ! Still learning stuff after all these years. ;D
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Picked up a half gallon bag feud this morning on my walk at the park. I love when they're all over the parking lot.
Rg
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My little guy (9 years old) asked if we were picking again tonight.. i told him I wasnt going to.. he aksed if he could go out by himself.. told him for sure he could!!!! So hes gonna pick tonight by himself
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:thumbup_smilie:
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Picked up a half gallon bag feud this morning on my walk at the park. I love when they're all over the parking lot.
Rg
Nice Bob. They were all over the Golf Course Greens today also. Forgot my worm box though.
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tonight is a good picking night
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tonight is a good picking night
I thought it was going to be at my house too but the previous night was better for some reason - it was nice and warm too, but really windy, maybe that was why. Only picked 3 dozen or so. About 60 % of the worms I got were all locked up mating though - first ones I saw doing that this year. Almost felt guilty interrupting them. ALMOST. LOL
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I thought it was going to be at my house too but the previous night was better for some reason - it was nice and warm too, but really windy, maybe that was why. Only picked 3 dozen or so. About 60 % of the worms I got were all locked up mating though - first ones I saw doing that this year. Almost felt guilty interrupting them. ALMOST. LOL
Same here frogger.. the boy only got 2 doz last night and there was less out.. it definitely was a cooler night and I'm sure that had an effect in them