Nightcrawlers

[Lord Castlereagh]

When fishing nightcrawlers, what is the technique? Slowly drag the bottom like a wacky rig?

 

Thanks

[Glaucus]

You're slow dragging a wacky rig on the bottom?

[Lord Castlereagh]

1 minute ago, Glaucus said:

You're slow dragging a wacky rig on the bottom?

Well, I let it hit bottom and then pop it off the bottom, let it drop, pop it, etc.

[optimator]

For bass? No way man. That's a great way to have a hook swallowed. I only use nightcrawlers for fish I intend to kill. 

[Lord Castlereagh]

12 minutes ago, optimator said:

For bass? No way man. That's a great way to have a hook swallowed. I only use nightcrawlers for fish I intend to kill. 

I eat a LOT of the bass that I catch. So, what is the best way to use nightcrawlers to catch bass.

 

Thanks, all...

[optimator]

Just now, Lord Castlereagh said:

I eat a LOT of the bass that I catch. So, what is the best way to use nightcrawlers to catch bass.

 

Thanks, all...

I couldn't tell you then. I do my best not to kill them. 

[soflabasser]

Nothing wrong with using a nightcrawler if its legal in your state, you have a freshwater fishing license, and plan on eating a bass. With that said a split shot a couple inches away from the hook is a good rig for live nightcrawlers. You can leave it on the bottom and wait or slowly reel it in and catch bass.The bass will not always bite a nightcrawler "instantly" like some think and you might have to fish it for a while before you catch a quality sized bass( there would be no need for lures if nightcrawlers where a 100% guarantee to catch a quality bass on every single fishing trip).

[WRB]

Fly lined big Canadian crawler with no weight tail hooked or hooked ounce in front of the egg sack band with size 1 octopus style circle hook. 

Cast and watch the V in the line slowly sinks cuts the water, that is your strike indicator, it will stop or jump before the line starts to move off...starting reeling. Bass strike a live nightcrawler instantly, no reason to drag it along the bottom, let sit for a few seconds and recast.

Tom

[burrows]

You can hook it like a drop shot suspended.

[papajoe222]

About the only way I've ever fished crawlers for bass is on a split-shot rig anywhere from 12in.-18in. above the hook.

If you're gut hooking fish it's because you're not concentrating. It can happen with nightcrawlers, Senkos, tubes and plastic worms too.

[Darren.]

I've used nightcrawlers like @papajoe222, as well as

wacky rigged (doesn't exactly work well), and on the 

drop shot as @Burros mentioned.

 

Have to agree that vigilance is critical. I like to use 

bright yellow braid + leader at all times and it really

helps line watching.

 

@Fish Chris has caught unbelievable numbers of bass

over 10 pounds on live crawlers. I can't find the thread

where he discusses it...and I wish he were back on the 

forums!!

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

I used them a lot when I was a kid and had a great place to catch my own crawlers after big rains. Weightless on 4lb test and a light action rod with a small hook passed once through the tail is hard for a bass, or any fish really, to pass up. Watch for your line to twitch and set the hook by reeling into the pressure and lifting. 

[Lord Castlereagh]

17 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Nothing wrong with using a nightcrawler if its legal in your state, you have a freshwater fishing license, and plan on eating a bass. With that said a split shot a couple inches away from the hook is a good rig for live nightcrawlers. You can leave it on the bottom and wait or slowly reel it in and catch bass.The bass will not always bite a nightcrawler "instantly" like some think and you might have to fish it for a while before you catch a quality sized bass( there would be no need for lures if nightcrawlers where a 100% guarantee to catch a quality bass on every single fishing trip).

Are there states where it is NOT legal? And why? Very curious about that.

 

Thanks

17 hours ago, WRB said:

 

 

 

 

17 hours ago, WRB said:

Fly lined big Canadian crawler with no weight tail hooked or hooked ounce in front of the egg sack band with size 1 octopus style circle hook. 

Cast and watch the V in the line slowly sinks cuts the water, that is your strike indicator, it will stop or jump before the line starts to move off...starting reeling. Bass strike a live nightcrawler instantly, no reason to drag it along the bottom, let sit for a few seconds and recast.

Tom

Hi, Tom:

 

LOVE your replies to all my stuff, and you seem to be QUITE knowledgeable, but... I can't make out all that you wrote above.

You're saying I should "fly line" it? What is that? I'll google it here in a minute, and I probably should have googled it before responding, but oh well.

I should hook it through the tail and use no weight, OR I can hook once? Ounce? in front of the band.

[WRB]

13 hours ago, Darren. said:

I've used nightcrawlers like @papajoe222, as well as

wacky rigged (doesn't exactly work well), and on the 

drop shot as @Burros mentioned.

 

Have to agree that vigilance is critical. I like to use 

bright yellow braid + leader at all times and it really

helps line watching.

 

@Fish Chris has caught unbelievable numbers of bass

over 10 pounds on live crawlers. I can't find the thread

where he discusses it...and I wish he were back on the 

forums!!

 

 

Chris fishes live big Canadian nightcrawlers like discribed, tail hooked with 4 lb line.

Tom

 

10 minutes ago, Lord Castlereagh said:

Are there states where it is NOT legal? And why? Very curious about that.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Hi, Tom:

 

LOVE your replies to all my stuff, and you seem to be QUITE knowledgeable, but... I can't make out all that you wrote above.

You're saying I should "fly line" it? What is that? I'll google it here in a minute, and I probably should have googled it before responding, but oh well.

I should hook it through the tail and use no weight, OR I can hook once? Ounce? in front of the band.

Fly lined is a term we use for no added weight, line with hook only. Hook 1 time like a soft plastic worm, except in the tail end instead of the nose end, they tend to wiggle more, or 1 time like a wacky rig near the egg sack band.

Tom

PS, some places restrict the use of any live bait and only barbless hook.

[Lord Castlereagh]

14 minutes ago, WRB said:

Chris fishes live big Canadian nightcrawlers like discribed, tail hooked with 4 lb line.

Tom

 

Fly lined is a term we use for no added weight, line with hook only. Hook 1 time like a soft plastic worm, except in the tail end instead of the nose end, they tend to wiggle more, or 1 time like a wacky rig near the egg sack band.

Tom

PS, some places restrict the use of any live bait and only barbless hook.

Okay, dumb question 101... If I tail hook the worm and toss him out, won't he fly off the hook? I guess he won't or you would have told me that, but it seems to me he'd go flying.

 

Thanks

[WRB]

Use a slower motion lob cast with about 3' of line from the tip of the spinning rod using line no heavier than 8 lb test and you can cast over 20 yards easily.

Canadian nightcrawlers are fairly tough worms and about 5" to 8" long and 1/4" diameter, these aren't earth worms, and kept in a cool place like a cooler. Most tackle shops carry medium and large size live Canadian nightcrawlers, they are not native in the west.

Tom

[Gundog]

I have fished with crawlers quite a bit when I was a kid. Cheap and easy to get. I always used a egg sinker with a swivel in front of it and then the line to the hook. That way the fish doesn't feel the weight when it picks it up. Works great for all species especially trout. 

[Hyrule Bass]

the one thing not mentioned about Fish Chris' method here is that he is usually sight fishing and casting his crawlers close to fish he can see. and he will try to get away with as small a split shot as possible if needed at all.

 

and honestly, i usually hook the crawler twice through instead of just once. if youre not really fast to set the hook, the bass will inhale it right off the hook, and the hook will never make it in the basses mouth sometimes. i've witnessed this more than once in shallow clear water with bass...

[J Francho]

21 hours ago, optimator said:

That's a great way to have a hook swallowed.

 

I think this is less true, if you're using the same sensitive stick we use for detecting the slightest tap.  If you are just gonna toss them out there on an Ugly Stik, lay your rod on the ground, crack a beer and wait for the line to take off, then sure, you're going to have some deeply swallowed hooks.  But fished the way we do with modern finesse gear, I don't think it's the problem we've made out to be.  I include myself in that group, btw.  I've thought about this, but haven't put it into practice. Live bait is expensive and messy.

 

To answer the original question, I used nose hook a crawler, leech, or soft shell crab using a #1 or #2 bait hook on a split shot or drop shot rig.  We didn't call the rigs that back then.  They were either fishing "on the bottom" or "off the bottom" respectively.  The split shot was for around 10' or less, drop shot for deeper.

[Lord Castlereagh]

3 hours ago, WRB said:

Why this worry that using crawlers means a deeply imbedded hook?  What is it about crawlers that makes this happen?

 

[snake95]

Yes fly lined as WRB says or split shot are the preferred methods when I take kids with crawlers.  

 

 

[Lord Castlereagh]

3 minutes ago, snake95 said:

Yes fly lined as WRB says or split shot are the preferred methods when I take kids with crawlers.  

 

 

Describe the split shot method if you get a minute.

 

Thanks

[Choporoz]

https://www.google.com/search?q=split+shot+method+bass+fishing&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1

[optimator]

1 hour ago, J Francho said:

 

I think this is less true, if you're using the same sensitive stick we use for detecting the slightest tap.  If you are just gonna toss them out there on an Ugly Stik, lay your rod on the ground, crack a beer and wait for the line to take off, then sure, you're going to have some deeply swallowed hooks.  But fished the way we do with modern finesse gear, I don't think it's the problem we've made out to be.  I include myself in that group, btw.  I've thought about this, but haven't put it into practice. Live bait is expensive and messy.

 

 

I get what your saying. I can feel a fish fart within a few feet of my rod.  But not everyone is like us, and a lot of guys are slob fisherman like you described. I won't eat bass, so I do everything I can not to kill them. A stringer of trout looks good to me. A stringer of bass just ticks me off. Just my .02 

[frosty]

23 minutes ago, optimator said:

I get what your saying. I can feel a fish fart within a few feet of my rod.  But not everyone is like us, and a lot of guys are slob fisherman like you described. I won't eat bass, so I do everything I can not to kill them. A stringer of trout looks good to me. A stringer of bass just ticks me off. Just my .02 

Harvesting a few bass is better for the population than strictly catch and release.