Want Free Bait for Fishing? Hunt for Worms!
Let's talk about earthworms! There's the red worm and then there is the nightcrawler, which are both species of an earthworm. Nightcrawlers, or maybe you've heard them be referred to as a dew worm, are the best bait when it comes to fishing. Their name already gives it away, but nightcrawlers can be found on the surface of the soil at night, especially after a good rain.
Growing up my parents, brother, and I would grab our head lights, bucket full of dirt, and walk barefoot out in the grass searching for them after a heavy storm. Why the heck would we do this? Free bait!!!! Instead of going to the gas station or your local outdoors shop and spending $5 each time for a little container of worms, go out to your front yard and grab a handful.
Grabbing them is trickier than it seems. They are quick and super sensitive to vibration and light. I like to walk barefoot or wear light shoes during this little journey so I don't make too much noise (vibration) when I walk. If you put your flash light on the worm too long it'll go back in it's hole, and they are faster than they seem. Another important tip is to never pull the worm too hard, because it will break in half and that just sucks.
Now once you have a bucket full of worms and dirt, store them in a cool location. Find a nice cool slab of concrete or cool floor and place the bucket there. Or find an old can, put your worms and dirt in it, and then place in it your refrigerator. It takes me one summer night to collect a bucket full and I am all set for at least a couple of months. Honestly, it's actually a lot of fun.
Here's an example of what I am talking about...
I posted this video, and other people do this a little differently which is actually very interesting to me. Here's a few tips/tricks that others try to catch their bait
- Mix dish soap and water and pour it onto the grass
- Put oak leaves in the bucket, it makes them last longer
- Shred newspaper soaked in rain water for bedding
- Red light to catch them