Crawlers

[Skunkmaster-k]

Keeping worms alive isn’t too tough, unless I forget them in the car for a few days. Sweet mercy, they’re rancid. 

[Choporoz]

1 hour ago, Mobasser said:

In many ways, it seems like tactics used by walleye anglers apply to bait fishing for bass.

I grew up in fishing for walleye in Wisconsin,  Minnesota and Ontario.  You are correct, but I seldom separate them in my head.  No reason I couldn't catch bass with a Little Cleo, Lazy Ike, Daredevle, bottom bounce rigged minnow, etc....but I don't try

[the reel ess]

39 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

My issue with live bait is keeping it alive and like others have said being pestered by everything that swims. Also I appreciate the challenge that lures bring. That said there is no doubt that live bait takes a skill set, is extremely effective and I wouldn't look down on somebody for using it.

There is no shame in fishing the way nature intended it. We don't feel shame when we fish for other species with live bait. I would probably use a finesse, octopus or some kind of circle hook to avoid gut hooking.

[Fishingmickey]

     I learned as a kid fishing the forest preserve lakes in the suburbs of Chicago about night crawlers. I caught some of what were huge for me at that time Bass on them. I had a Shakesphere spinning rod and reel spooled up with 8lb Stren. I would use a #6 Eagle Claw snelled hook with a split shot about 4-5 inches above the pre-tied snelled hook which was like 6-7" long. Cast it out, let it sink, reel up the slack. Lift the rod tip about a foot or two and let it sink again.  My favorite lures then was a Abu Reflex in-line spinner and the original floating Rapala minnow.

     I'd hunt night crawlers in the back yard at night with a flashlight and a rag rubber banded over the lens to dim it. Some of you will know the type. It took 2 D cells with the magnet on the side. Wear out your jaw from holding it in your mouth.  50 - 100 night crawler nights weren't uncommon.  Ahhh, those were the days.

Fishingmickey

[DitchPanda]

3 hours ago, the reel ess said:

There is no shame in fishing the way nature intended it. We don't feel shame when we fish for other species with live bait. I would probably use a finesse, octopus or some kind of circle hook to avoid gut hooking.

Exactly.

[schplurg]

6 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I love using night crawlers and other live bait for bass. Yes it takes skill as some have posted above. The only negative is the jack wads that have to shun the tactics as well as the fishermen that use them. There’s lot of them out there, even a few on this forum

 

I'm thinking of trying live bait on a local lake. I see fish on my graph, a lot of them, and people keep saying it's tough here. I'd like to at least know what kind of fish I'm seeing so I may try worms soon. I don't really care what I catch as long as I catch something soon.

 

And I don't care what anyone else thinks about it, especially jackwads  I also wear a camera on my head and use two Lady President reels that I got at 66% off brand new. Think what you want about me, I don't care. I'm busy fishin' while they're hatin'

[WRB]

We have don’t big night crawlers in California. You can buy Canadian crawlers and keep then cool. We have earthworms about 1/8” dia and 3” to 5” long.

Tom

[J._Bricker]

20 minutes ago, WRB said:

We don’t big night crawlers in California. You can buy Canadian and keep then cool. We have earthworms about 1/8” dia and 3” to 5” long.

Tom

Maybe not in SoCal Tom, but there are nightcrawlers up here in the northern part of Cali. Of coarse you can find also find them easily in those handy white styrofoam tub. Great for bass or trout, especially inflated

[ATA]

Sorry first I needed to upload pictures, Thats my worm project and I have them about 3 years now and I only harvesting and never buy any worms.

the two white one is my adults that producing eggs and I move the eggs time to time to nursery (blue big bucket).

as you can se also some will always remain and they grow with their parents(like the one I show with my finger).

so let me intrudoce you to European night crawlers, This tough scoundrels staying alive and they are fighters. First no need to keep them 45 to 65 , they can live in heat up to 90. So as long as you have them indoor in summer, they will be very fine.

About fishing with them, They really work at least twice better than Canadian night crawlers.

About the fishing bass with them, If I have kids or someone want to catch bass by any means necessary , Ill have light spinning rod with 6 to 8lb test line and number 2 or 4 worm hook and mojo rig this and cast it from dam side of reservoir so they can catch fish(sallies most of the time).

If you are interested in this worms as me question and ill show you how to do it, They are smaller than Canadian, but they get fat same as them, and perfect size for fishing. 

[Bluebasser86]

This topic is not what I expected it to be about. I was thinking topwater crawlers ?

 

I use to freeline whole nightcrawlers when I was a kid. Pitch a lively one next to a dock or piece of cover. Never knew if it was going to be a 4" bluegill or 4lb largemouth that would attack it but I knew that I wouldn't make many flips without seeing that telltale "jump", and then my line racing off. I graduated to live craws once I realized I could target bass by doing the same thing with them. I caught my first bass over 5lbs on a live craw next to a dock. 

[Bankbeater]

Years ago we used to go fishing with a doctor.  He would use an old hypodermic needle to inflate the nightcrawlers.  These days I wouldn't think of having one of those in my tackle bag.