Collecting Night Crawlers

[clayton86]

My son on his way into school today asked why there were worms all over the side walk so I told him and he asked if we can pick some up and go fishing. Well he was in school it got my wheels turning that I want to start a little worm farm for him or teach him how to go about catching some big juicy night crawlers. Iv done the shock thing with mild success when I was younger with my friends dads help. Iv just gone out at night with a dim flash light and picked them up that always worked best. Iv also which my mother absolutly loved lol was I used to have a pallet I stapled and covered in carpet and would soak with the hose an left it in te yard all summer an would just lift it collect my bait and go fishing.

How do you guys catch your night crawlers? I did have to switch to gulp cuz my son used to release the bought worms back into the dirt when fishing but he's a bit older now and if I catch them I didn't just pay $4 for him to let them go soon as we got to the lake.

[kylek]

I have a lot of landscaping bricks around my yard that i just turn over and pick up the worms that were hiding underneath them.  We usually can get enough to have a short but fun day at grandpa's pond.

[lmbfisherman]

Three ways I do it.

 

1.  I did the after watering grass during the day and at nightfall would go out with my headlamp with the red light and used my lightning fast reflexes to catch them big nightcrawlers. 

 

2.  Another way I use to do to get worms is to place a pile of freshly cut grass and let it sit and at a certain level of maturity find nice worms digging around.  You just keep piling grass all year long. 

 

3. Lastly, and disgusting lol...I have a special spot where I deposit my dogs droppings in a dug up hole and would fill it up.  A couple weeks of it usually gives me some good amounts of worms. 

[PondHunter]

I prefer to use a white light since it makes them much easier to see, but you cant shine it directly on them. Just use the outer edge of the light beam. 1 other tip that really helps is to keep some sawdust handy, wet your fingers and get them coated with the sawdust. It makes the worms easy to grip. If you have one and it's making it's way back into the hole, just use a slow steady pull and it will come out. Pull too hard and it will surely break.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

Take a object that has a little weight and move it to a damper area of land. I have my damp spot by the fishing hole. Dig about 12" down. Then take mom and dads old newspaper wet and shred it,used coffee grounds,filter and tea bags and deposit it into the hole. Leave it for a couple of days and when you come back you will have a bucket full. Worms eat coffee filters and drink coffee. ITS AWESOME AND WORKS!

Jay

[Sam]

I go to Wal-Mart.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Haven't done it since I was little but my dad used to have what he called a 'lightning rod'.  It may have been home-made.  The thing looked pretty sketchy now that I think back.  It was a steel rod with a wooden handle wrapped in black electrical tape and an old beat up extension cord.  Plug it in, rod goes into the ground, and the worms squirm up to the surface. 

[Brian6428]

Haven't done it since I was little but my dad used to have what he called a 'lightning rod'.  It may have been home-made.  The thing looked pretty sketchy now that I think back.  It was a steel rod with a wooden handle wrapped in black electrical tape and an old beat up extension cord.  Plug it in, rod goes into the ground, and the worms squirm up to the surface. 

LOL  . Sounds like a great childhood memory, though.

[Darren.]

I go to Wal-Mart.

 

x2, or my local 7-11 (yep, they carry live bait around these parts), or bait shop.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Fill a garbage bag with leaves or soil, place it on some dirt and leave it sit in the same place for a couple of weeks. Pick it up and collect them in broad daylight (along with some slugs if you so choose.)

 

It might also be a good idea to cull some from store bought bait to get started with your farm, although that might take the fun out of it. I know that's how the walleye guys breed the really fat ones.