Nightcrawler Hunting

[Vitreus]

Never been crawler hunting, any tips? Do I need a specific kind of dirt to store them in?

[KJMinion]

As kids, we would often go out to the golf courses right after sunset when the sprinklers have just turned off and we would pick up hundreds of crawlers. A dim flashlight worked well to located them. If you shine them directly, they crawl back into the ground. (If you go to a golf course, you may want to ask the golf course owners for permission because otherwise it is probably considered trespassing). I would think any area with short grass would work well for finding nightcrawlers, I think the key is to do it when it is dark and shortly after it has been watered.

[RiverFish]

Go out after dark after any heavier rain. I use a headlamp and get on my hands and knees. I store my crawlers in 2 bait boxes in a dorm room fridge. I use worm bedding as directed. My crawlers can stay healthy for about 6-8 weeks with out much maintenance.

Good Luck.

[Jim Almquist]

I like to use worm bedding along with a couple layers of damp newspaper. They will eat the newspaper over time. I also will feed them corn meal which is sprinkled over the top of the bedding. Make sure to remove any dead or weak ones.

[Vitreus]

Got it, I'll pick up some worm bedding. Thanks.

[RiverFish]

I like to use worm bedding along with a couple layers of damp newspaper. They will eat the newspaper over time. I also will feed them corn meal which is sprinkled over the top of the bedding. Make sure to remove any dead or weak ones.

I throw the crawlers on top of the bedding and in the morning I will remove the crawlers that have not buried themselves if they are dead or look sick/weak.

[harvey lee]

I keep mine in worm bedding wirth worm food. I try to keep them in a temp from 50-55% and I can keep them for months at a time.

[LMITOUT]

Just got dumped on again...might be a good night for pickin.

[tacklejunkie]

It sounds like a great way to save on bait.

[Ice Wolf]

When picking crawlers use a red led light. Crawlers feel the heat from the light and will shoot down the hole. Don't pull to hard on them. try to get the ones that are almost all the way out of the hole. Crawler bedding. Fat and sassy with crawler food. Keep them cool and moist. Not to dry and not to wet but moist. Check daily for sick ones and remove them. One dead crawler can kill the whole batch. when walleye's have lockjaw there is no better cure then a FAT LIVLEY CRAWLER! I.M.O

[siemers]

I went last night and caught a bunch of crawlers. I caught alot in the field behind my place. I have a question for someone though, do you need to give them food? or is the bedding good enough?

[LMITOUT]

I started using crushed Corn Flakes and it seems to work.

[Paul]

I have crawlers by the thousands in my yard. All, I need to do is drop a hose in the yard for a few minutes, walk outside and use a flashlight with a RED lense on it. Red seems to not scare away the crawlers. I keep them for a month or so, and turn the left overs loose in my yard again. I like to put them back in the same place each time so when I go back to get more they are hopefully concentrated in single area. I have heard of guys using a car battery and two copper ground rods stuck in the ground, then hook the jumper cables to the copper rods. if the ground is moist, it should drive all the crawlers to the surface.

[TroutYammer]

My brother and I caught 16-dozen last thursday night in his rototilled garden. If you have a garden get out the rototiller and work the ground up a week before you want to pick crawlers. Then when they try to escape just grab a whole hand full of dirt and you get almost 95% of the crawlers that you can see!!! Easy and works great. Plus you don't break off any tails or rip them in half!

[tacklejunkie]

Went crawler hunting after last nights rain, or during the rain, actually, and got quite a few.

Any advise on storing them if the wife says no to putting them in the fridge?

[reinhard1]

we kept them in the basement when i lived in Duluth. it was real cool down there. now i keep them in the fridge here. as long as they are unseen and secure it should not be a problem but i can understand your wife's concern. in our house i rule the kitchen because i do all the cooking so i understand her feelings but i dont mind in my fridge. you can also put your container in a cooler in the garage and add a couple of frozen liter bottles of water after the pop get's used up and rotate them from the freezer to keep the crawlers cool. good luck.

[B-man715]

If the misses won't let you keep em in the house, I bet a cooler with a frozen milk jug would work. You could rotate jugs from the freezer every few days. Just don't forget about them Or they be stankin ;(

When I was a kid we would soak the front yard with a garden hose. After a half hour we would grab all of the crawlers we would need. Always did it in broad day light too.

This was in West St. Paul.

[OnAFly]

I would hide them in the back of the fridge

We would just put them in moist dirt and they did fine.

[delmuts]

I guess i'm lucky in that my wife has no problems with me keeping crawlers in the frig.( course she's the one that uses them most of the time )

My problem is catching them! I've gotten slow and out of practice in my old age! Should of caught 10 doz.or so the other night. Best i could do was 3 doz.

[bogwalker]

Another thing that becomes more difficult with age.