night crawlers

[dairyman]

they're out----I got about 5 dozen last night

[RiverFish]

Yeah,

They have been out here as well, I won't use them for another couple weeks, but I picked about 15 dozen on 3-23-12. They were out thick.

First father/son pick together.

[Esox_Magnum]

Not only crawlers out here but the baitshops already have leeches, crazy spring so far....

[c0untryf1sh3r]

What do you guys store your crawlers in as far as media? Would jujst black dirt work as long as its moist? I've seen worm bedding in stores but havent talked to anyone who uses it to see if its worth a darn. I could have picked up about 6 dozen in the mile walk from work the other night. Also, do any of you mix in any sort of "food" to plump them up and keep them from dying off?

[Juneau4]

Get a ice cream bucket and cut up card board box in chunks to fill container about 3/4 full. Put some rain water on it. Let the card board sit in the water and squeeze out all excess water untill slightly damp. Put up to 12 doz. crawlers in bucket, put lid on pail with some holes punched in top and refridgerate. I've kept them that way all summer they eat the cardboard and actully reproduce in it.

Coragated card board or torn up egg cartons work too. If you think you should feed them put a couple table spoons of used coffee grounds in.

[Dbumb]

Where do you find worms and night crawlers

[dairyman]

I put a vegetable garden in every year, I pick them off the tilled ground during the nite time hours. Put a red plastic shield over your flashlight and you should be able to pick pretty much any one of em

[Stick in Mud]

The last two nights have been pretty thin pickins for me...I hope we get some good rain one of these days.

[masoct3]

They have the crawlers selling @ Dick's and fleet farm.

[harvey lee]

What do you guys store your crawlers in as far as media? Would jujst black dirt work as long as its moist? I've seen worm bedding in stores but havent talked to anyone who uses it to see if its worth a darn. I could have picked up about 6 dozen in the mile walk from work the other night. Also, do any of you mix in any sort of "food" to plump them up and keep them from dying off?

I but the worm bedding for my crawlers. I put 10-14 dozens in a ice cream pail and punch air holes in the lid. I keep them in a fridge in the shed and the fridge temp at approx 45-48 degrees. I can keep them for wuite some time this way.

As far as dieing, I cannot remember having any die off in the pails and I have kept them up to 6-8 weeks. I usually run out before they have a chance to get any older than that in the fridge.

I do add some water to the bedding when it seems to be drying out a bit. Very easy to keep them going.

[paceman]

I haven't seen any crawlers up here yet. Perhaps the next rain will bring them up. I usually just drive around town at first light and pick them off the street.

[c0untryf1sh3r]

Thanks for the info guys, didnt mean to hijack the thread.

[amateurfishing]

ive used worm bedding my whole life, just add water & squeeze excess out, feed with used coffee grounds, store in empty ice cream bucket in garage fridge

[pushbutton]

For the last few weeks, Jr. and I have hitting up a local park the morning after a decent rain. The best spots are the blown leaf piles that have collected on the curbs. Instead of trying to get back over the curb, the "lazy" ones just duck in for cover there. We put about 5 to 6 dozen in plastic bags filled with composted leaves in a cold fridge and they last at least till the leech bite. As RiverFish mentioned great activity to do with the youngsters. They have a blast and it costs about 20 cents per 60 versus 20 cents per worm!

[Stick in Mud]

Nice hunting, pushbutton....I still remember going out "wormin'" with my dad when I was a kid. Hopefully Jr. has such fond memories!

[LMITOUT]

What do you guys store your crawlers in as far as media? Would jujst black dirt work as long as its moist? I've seen worm bedding in stores but havent talked to anyone who uses it to see if its worth a darn. I could have picked up about 6 dozen in the mile walk from work the other night. Also, do any of you mix in any sort of "food" to plump them up and keep them from dying off?

I started using the Frabill Fat N Sassy worm bedding last year and had great results. You don't need to mix water with this style of bedding, unlike other bedding products on the market.

For food I got a great tip on here to use crushed Corn Flakes (similar to what is used for fish/chicken breading) and it seemed to work. This winter I remembered that I still had my crawlers in the garage fridge and when I went to throw them out the crawlers were still alive and kicking. I just sprinkled a light dusting across the top of the bedding every 3-4 weeks or so throughout the summer.