Keeping Crawlers

[Jarnotski]

Curious to hear how people keep thier crawlers during the summer? I like to buy a flat early and pull from it all year. I've tried a variety of different beddings, feeding them coffee grounds, and pulling dead worms when notice. I don't seem to have as good of success as I would think I should. So far it seems the dirt bedding has worked best for me.

[Ed Carlson]

For long-term storage, place your stash of crawlers into a big Styrofoam cooler, such as a Frabill Habitat V, filled with Super-Gro bedding. A refrigerator with temperature control set at 45 to 55 degrees is the optimal climate.

Over the years bait dealers have tried every conceivable type of bedding-leaves, moss, manure, topsoil, newspaper, etc. Most use the Frabill Super Gro now, and it's my preference for sure. Frabill's Super-Gro is specially formulated blend of ingredients, odorless and chemical free, that make average crawlers super. This bedding is clean and easy to use and contains a built-in food source. Ongoing feeding is another key to growing sumo crawlers. You can also add food as needed per instructions.

Habitat Preparation Tips: Before adding crawlers to your bedding dampen it slightly with non-chlorinated water. The bedding should be moist but not wet. Gather mounds of bedding into your hands, and squeeze until it's drip free. With excess water removed from all bedding, return it to the Habitat cooler to about half-full. Let the bedding chill until temperature drops to approximately 50-degrees. Finally, add your crawlers to the Habitat cooler. It holds up to twelve dozen +/- a couple dozen.

Check your baits every few days. Immediately remove any dead or weak ones that rise to the surface. Once the habitat is populated and well established handle the crawlers and bedding as little as possible.

Temp and moisture control is key. Too cold they stunt or wither, too dry they dehydrate and die. Fallow the ball in the hand test and your good.

* A quick test method I use to check the overall health of a flat of Crawlers is a firm couple of slaps on each side of the Habitat container. You should see the bedding rise as the crawlers respond...it swells and falls again slowly. See that, they are very healthy and happy.

[Juneau4]

The best and cheapest method I have found is damp corrugated cardboard in a 5 quart ice cream bucket with holes punched in the lid. Fill the bucket about 2/3 full of cut up cardboard get damp (rain water) put crawlers in up to 10 dozen and put in refridgerator. I've kept them this way from the first of May until Oct. and only changed the cardboard a couple of times. Some times I put in a little used coffee grounds. Yes they will reproduce in this. Just don't get the cardboard to wet as crawlers will produce a lot of moisture on their own.

[dan z]

keeping them cool in the fridge in a bait puck is all I have ever done. I don't have them very long so no need for drastic measures...

[JohnMickish]

I purchased a small dorm fridge last year and put it in the garage just for crawlers and leeches. I keep my crawlers in Frabil fat-n-sassy bedding. They will last for all summer if you change the bedding when you are supposed to.

[RebelSS]

I have been keeping crawlers since the 70's in a styrofoam cooler sunk in the ground, with a vented top covered with a raised board to keep out rain. I've used nothing but real sphagnum moss, obtained from my florist buddy, dampened and mixed with a small amount of soil/mulch. The worms feed off the moss, and they actually become pretty "tough and springy"..not limp like some. I learned this many years ago from an old timer who raised crawlers. They reproduce fast enough in this that I rarely ever have to add any. I'll occassionaly add some vegetable matter/coffee grounds for food. Can't be wrong after 30 some odd years of it....

[Northlander]

I keep them in a big styrofoam cooler that I got Omaha steaks in. I poke holes in the top with a drill bit. I keep them on my basement cement floor where its always cool. I feed them the store bought worm food and pick out any dead ones. Works great.

[reinhard1]

that is also what i do. never had a problem. good luck.

[jmg]

Lot of good information presented. My question is on how to best keep the crawlers you take with you for the day on the water? Too many times I have picked up bait on the way to go fishing, only to find them packed in the messiest junk, which always seems to end up on the nice, carpeted floor of a fishing partner's boat and seems difficult, if not impossible to clean up. I have read some articles by "pros" who recommend taking the day's supply in a bucket filled with water and nothing else. They claim the crawlers will plump up real nice, stay lively and don't make a mess. Is this true, since I seem to have had some drown out this way? Any thoughts? Sure would keep the boats a lot cleaner, but with the price of crawlers, if you have to buy them, you don't want to experiment too much.

Thanks for any ideas. Happy Easter.

[goblueM]

ice water works great for keeping crawlers the day of

[JohnMickish]

I use a frabill flip container and fat-n-sassy bedding for the days use. If the crawlers I buy come in dirt, I take them out of the dirt, wash them off and put them in the good bedding. If them come in a paper bedding I just transfer them without washing them. Oh, I really hate worm dirt in my boat.

[SkunkedAgain]

I use a plastic glad container that I my deli meat comes in. I poke holes in the top, throw in some dirt from the yard, throw in some crawlers from the yard, and they last a month or two in my beer fridge in the basement.

[RumRiverRat]

To the first page since people are looking for this thread.