# Do worms work for bait?



## marito (May 29, 2003)

HI there! I dont know where I read about worms used for bait. Do worms (night crawlers I think) work on saltwater? The live ones not the plastic worms. Also does any body know how to make a farm of worms? Or where to find worms in the first place. jejej


----------



## TRIGGERFISH (May 21, 2001)

Mario- try www.cabelas.com they have worm for raisen in their catalog,their out of Nebraska.Some times earth worm do work in salt water for small spot,minnows,crabs but never used for anything bigger it's a waste of money.


----------



## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

Mario, 
Nightcrawlers sometimes work ok for some of the smaller species here in Maryland. The worms we tend to use are called bloodworms. I don't know if they are available for purchase in Mexico, but I'm sure they (or something similar like clamworms or sandworms) would be available in California or Texas.

By the way, to catch nightcrawlers, make a mixture of water and hot mustard in a squirt bottle. Go out at night with a flashlight (cover the light with red or green seran wrap) and find the holes in the dirt/grass. Squirt the mixture in the hole. The mustard burns the skin of the worm and they come up for air. Grab worm with hand.

Que aggares un pes!


----------



## wizardude (May 19, 2002)

Not sure how good this is for the environment, but a friend showed me this years ago, to my total amazement. It was August, hot, dry, hadn't rained in weeks. He wanted to do some Bluegill fishin in the lake behind the house. We went through the compost pile, that was normally good for a good batch of worms, and came up almost empty handed. He asked if I had any bleach??? Being the BS artist he was, I just went along, figuring I was going to be on the receiving end of another of his elaborate jokes. He grabbed the garden hose, handed me a coffee can containing ground compost, and proceeded to "drizzle" bleach on the lawn in about a 10x10 area. He then took the hose and thoroughly soaked the area where the bleach was. Within 30 seconds, dozens of worms were coming out of the lawn  We picked them up, went fishing, and after a few hours, returned the remaining worms to the compost pile, which appeared to have no ill effects in the process. And the fish didn't seem to mind either


----------



## rockfish (May 7, 2003)

Mario-

Although most species of fish that would hit a bloodworm would probably hit a nightcrawler (in theory)- the problem is that standard "Canadian-type" freshwater worms sort of dissolve in salt water. They might hold up for a while in brackish <sp> water, but I'd stick with bloods for most salt water fishing. I know, it's a shame because they're alot cheaper.

-Rockfish


----------



## TomL (Mar 20, 2001)

Yes, using some sort of chemicals will bring the worms out of the soil. People that have pools all know this.

Someday when I remember I am going to soak some nightcrawlers in bunker oil and see if that makes them more attractive to saltwater species.


----------



## catchinabuzz (Jul 29, 2002)

last year i was out with my son fishing and he was using nightcrawler to catch little seabass. when wham he layed into a 22" grey trout maybe luck but i wouldnt count out the worm!!

buzz


----------



## tw (May 1, 2003)

Mario,
My mother-in-law swears by earth worms for salt water fishing. And as far as raising them, If you've got relatively furtile ground in the shade. Build a 6 foot by 6 foot "sand box" mix in stuff like cooked oatmeal and used coffee grounds, "my dad swore by these two".
You can also mix in table scraps as you get em. No Meat products, keep covered and damp.You'll soon find you've got an ever ready supply.
Ltr, TW


----------



## Duke of Fluke (May 22, 2002)

I know a lot of guys that use crawlers for weakies with good success. Some tip it with a inch long piece of bloodworm, but most say it is not necessary. I have done well on winter flounder with earthworms.


----------



## Wilbur (May 19, 2003)

I've caught lots of flounder using inflated crawlers on 1/8 oz pink crappie jigs 12" behind a slip sinker and swivel. Cabelas sells worm blowers or you can use a hypodermic needle,if you use a needle be careful, the man almost locked my buddy up. He showed me the method after a walleye trip to Minn. It also works good in fresh water for bluegills and shellcrackers in the hot part of the summer and the cold part of the winter.


----------



## marito (May 29, 2003)

Thank you for your tips. The blood worms are the ones whit a wine color or kinda pinkand red. I realy dont know what night crawlers look like. I tought they wore(eran lo mismo) the same.


----------



## Thrifty Angler (May 5, 2002)

*wizardude*

That thing with the bleach sure does work. While preparing the water coolers for use before Izzy's arrival, we added bleach to them because they had been sitting up in the shed for a while. 

When I dumped out one of them, this is the result from a 4x4 area. I didn't bother to pick up the smaller ones. We returned them to a shady spot in hopes they'd survive the hurricane.

You might not want to be eating when you view this pic. 




*Looks like the image is too large for transfer. I have to reduce the size I guess. Well, back to trying. I'll post when I've figured out how to shrink it.*


----------



## Thrifty Angler (May 5, 2002)

Sorry about the blurry image. They just wouldn't hold still for the shot.


----------



## Kajun (Jul 13, 2003)

yummy worm cereal..wheres da milk?


----------



## Thrifty Angler (May 5, 2002)

*Actually*

that was my cat's milk bowl in the picture. He sure got a surprise when I put it down in front of him.


----------



## wizardude (May 19, 2002)

*Re: wizardude*



Thrifty Angler said:


> *That thing with the bleach sure does work. When I dumped out one of them, this is the result from a 4x4 area. I didn't bother to pick up the smaller ones. We returned them to a shady spot in hopes they'd survive the hurricane.
> 
> *




Looks like a good start for a worm farm


----------



## Smoothbore54 (Jun 8, 2003)

*We always caught our nightcrawlers in the chicken yard.* 

Weakfish and Winter Flounder will eat a nightcrawler in a heartbeat.

A nightcrawler on a white bucktail, is an old time Delaware Bay technique.

I also use them when pier or boat fishing for Spot, and other panfish.

They don't hold up well in the surf.

They're easiest to catch on a wet night, after, or during a soaking rain.


----------



## jackson (Jun 13, 2002)

*finding worms*

If you ever find yourself with nothing to do on a rainy night, wait until a few hours after sunset and go out with a flashlight (put an off color plastic grocery bag over the light to make it not so bright), and scan the ground, especially under trees, in gardens, etc. You're sure to see many crawlers fully or partially out of their holes. Follow their body towards the tail and grab them quickly as near to the hole as possible.

It's actually very fun. On a good night, my younger brother and I could bring in 5-7 dozen crawlers in a couple hours. Have fun.

Jackson


----------



## frog (Sep 16, 2002)

I've seen earthworms used for spot fishing and a few spots were caught on them. Bloodworms seemed to catch a lot more fish than earthworms. YMMV.

The price of bloodworms has made them cost prohibitive for me. I can usually catch as many as I want with shrimp.

I have heard of people using chicken for bait successfully

 Frog


----------

