Our Outdoors: Paydirt

In the era of three-dollar gasoline, fishing trips can get expensive. The price of everything seems to go up while the quality goes down. Jumbo leeches begin to look more like mediums and a dozen redtails require a second mortgage. If you're looking for an inexpensive and entertaining way to get bait at this time of the year, save your pennies and your efforts for a rainy day.

Though recent downpours have hindered a few fishing trips, they have been helpful in bringing nightcrawlers to the surface each evening. A popular bait with fishermen of all experience levels and disciplines, crawlers are as effective on walleye as they are on bluegill. Best of all, collection of these worms, running up to 12 inches in length, is as enjoyable for adults as it is for young anglers.

After Dark
Unless there has been heavy precipitation, nightcrawlers won't appear on the lawn or the sidewalk edges until evening has given way to night. Possessing light-detecting cells, crawlers are sensitive to the slightest illumination, and that's where the fun - and sometimes frustration - of nightcrawler collection is found. Wait until it is nearly pitch dark after a day of good rain to begin the hunt. This may be as late as 11:00 p.m. in the middle of summer.

With a bucket, a flashlight, and senses ready, head out into the backyard, garden, or other area of known nightcrawler habitat. If your light has adjustable settings, put it on the lowest output or cover the lens with a red filter, such as tinted plastic wrap. This way, the amount of light is reduced to the point where you can still see, but the crawlers are not spooked back into their burrows. Using the edge of the light to detect the worms on the surface is most effective.

Hot Spots
A key area to search for nightcrawlers is where grass and bare dirt meet. Here crawlers will rise up in search of air, pushed out of the ground by over-saturation that makes it hard for them to breathe through their skin. Many of these areas are under shrubs and trees which may be drier than the lawn or areas open to rain. Focus first on the edges of these high-percentage spots, then move in toward the trunk. Many times, crawlers will come up on the grass edge and sprawl over the drier dirt.

When grabbing a nightcrawler, try to aim for any part of the main body that is exposed. Avoid grabbing the orange “heart” area or the deep brown head of the worm. The body will be a light gray or brown with some iridescence. With thumb, fore and middle finger snatch the worm up with a grasp firm enough to hold the worm. Don't squeeze too hard, as your grip may injure the worm and lead to an early death. If the crawler resists your efforts (which it most certainly will) apply gentle pressure and wiggle it in a circular motion so that its grip on the tunnel entrance loosens. Try not to break the worm, as that will diminish its health and value as bait.

Collect crawlers in a small bucket during the hunt and transfer them to a larger container filled with worm bedding or soil back indoors. Lightly-soaked shredded newspaper makes a great bedding in place of commercial products and is not as messy as soil. Add in a few leaves or blades of cut grass for the worms to feed on and check the bedding quality at least every week. Store the main container in a cool, dry place and transfer crawlers into a small reusable plastic container for each fishing trip.

Nightcrawlers make excellent bait when fish target insects, leeches and other non-fish prey. Though few fish see a nightcrawler in the wild on a regular basis, they have a tough time turning them down behind a spinner or under a bobber. Having a supply ready after a good night of hunting is a great way to beat sticker shock and stick it to whatever species you are chasing...in our outdoors.

Editor's Note:  Nick Simonson, is an avid fisherman, hunter and writer from Valley City, ND. As many of you know he has been an outdoor journalist for five years, writing his column "Our Outdoors" for his hometown newspaper, the Valley City Times-Record and offering the same writing to viewers of the Total Outdoor Network as a Field Staffer for Fishing Buddy Outdoors.