The Crawlers Are Out!!

[howey1176]

 Went out last night and checked to see if they were out. Shined the light on the ground and that's all I saw. Thousands. Picked a couple hundred in an hour. Felt good to crawl around in the mud with a flashlight again.

[fishguts]

still 2 foot of frost here!

[zuke852000]

I too picked crawlers last night... EVERYWHERE... and they were just sittin on top of the ground... no pulling needed!

[techyfisher]

A question if you find lots of crawlers and catch a lot of them, then go fishing and have a lot of them left, what is the best way to keep them fresh until the next outing? I have tried the farms and all but have not been able to keep them for more than a couple of weeks. Any suggestions are very welcomed.

[Cider]

A question if you find lots of crawlers and catch a lot of them, then go fishing and have a lot of them left, what is the best way to keep them fresh until the next outing?

Try this...

http://www.myfishfinder.com/fishing_forum/index.php?topic=961.0

[ajwiez2]

A question if you find lots of crawlers and catch a lot of them, then go fishing and have a lot of them left, what is the best way to keep them fresh until the next outing? I have tried the farms and all but have not been able to keep them for more than a couple of weeks. Any suggestions are very welcomed.

get yourself an old cooler or a big wood box and go out and rake up the leaves in your lawn put the leaves in the box or cooler and put the crawlers in there they will eat the leaves and you can put strips of newspapers in after some time goes by  also keep the leaves and paper moist not soaked just MOIST . Put the box some place cool like your cellar and they will keep all summer . OH cover the box or cooler with a screen to keep them in and this will allow air to circulate.

[BuckShotJon]

The worms are out....the rain is warm....the temp is warm....tells me this weekend the bullhead migth start running well, smelt to maybe.

Jon

[techyfisher]

Thanks for the link cider lots of good info there, also thanks to ajwiez2. I think i'll try something out in the yard.

[reelcharacter]

Still waiting for enough rain to get them out around here. There may still be a fair amount of frost in the ground also. Hoping for some worms this weekend. On a really rainy night the worms will be found crawling all over our Church's parking lot. Getting them off the pavement is a little fun, but no pulling needed. Pick some Crawlers for one bucket and smaller Trout or Panfish worms for the other.

-Reelcharacter

[rgfixit]

I keep my crawlers bedded with very damp newspaper in a small cooler in the fridge. They keep for weeks. I use ice packs when I take them fishing.
RG

[perchslayer25]

You guys werent kidding when you said the crawlers were out....i keep mine alive all year witha worm box i bilt...it is about 3 foot long and about 2 ft wide....with a screen on the bottom and a lid on the top....i dig a hole just deep enough in the ground then put the box inside the hole..the box is about 2 foot high..and filled it with leaves...once ina while you crush an onion and put it in there...cause the Bullhead like the onion smell...i keep them alive all summer....i also put the box in a cool place...under several pinetrees...give it a shot..it works for me.

[reelcharacter]

Out both last night and now! (Steady rain here in Jamesville at the moment) They should be out crawlin all over the place with this (Friday Night) rain.

-Reelcharacter

[Uglystick16]

Just picked about 200 off my driveway should be set for a while

[reelcharacter]

Finally got a few hundred Night Crawlers myself Thursday night. Also got a bunch of the Trout or Garden Worms as well. All it took was a couple of hours and the right parking lots at the local community college. Saves using a flashlight and having to "pull". 

I have a couple styrafoam boxes with tight fitting lids, previously used to transport frozen fish for a resturant.  Have not decided if I should cut a couple of holes and place screen for ventilation in the tops yet. Made up a moist mix of cut cardboard, newspaper and fine wood chip mulch. Will add some sand, peatmoss, a little soil and composted leaves in a day or so. May even count them to see how many I will be starting out the year with.

I hope these will keep for the year in my basement, only time and attending to them now and then will tell.

-Reelcharacter

[bigdave1018]

just remember 1 half worm will spoil the whole bunch so only whole worms please or you can learn the hard smelly worm putty way. yucky!!!!!!!!!!!!! i use to use 1 of those old style bathtubs with just soil and newpapers. i fed them coffee grounds and leaves. the old tub stayed cool in the summer to.