Top_Heavy's World

The question was simple, to the point and as inquisitive as youth can be. We searched for a flashlight that had a working bulb, 3 children under 6 years old can be hard on a guys flashlight supply. The first 4 had broken bulbs, of course I had to change batteries, do the whole routine to be sure it was the bulbs, but alas, they have all been thrown, dropped, abused in ways only 4 year old boys can create! We settled on a small head lamp, grabbed an old ice cream bucket and we headed for the front yard. Tonight was a really poor night for a dad trying to get bait, but for a youngster on his first worm hunt... this was the greatest thing ever! The dew was heavy and the grass a little long due to the constant rains, but we slowly worked our way across the front yard. We worked along the edge of the garden, the edge of the bean field, along the pond and through the freshly tilled food plots... nothing, not a single worm to be found.
Dad, there's one! Finally, we had a large night crawler, fully out of the ground, in front of us. Anthony got ahold of the wiggly critter several times before he was able to land it and gently put it in the bucket. We were able to find only one more big fat nightcrawler before the chill in the air became too much.
I took off my tee shirt and put it on my son, it nearly was touching the ground... I was so proud, here was my little man, my first son, with a bucket, a head light and his first worms... I hope this is the start of a full life of bait gathering, new experiences and special times with dad.

Nightcrawler gathering was something I did for years as a youngster, I caught and sold them in 100 dozen lots to a few local bait shops. I was able to catch a full order in one evening on a good night, that brought $50 to $70 per order. That was a lot of $ to a kid too young to drive. My mom or dad would take me to the bait shops, we would count the crawlers and I would get a hand full of cash... I miss being a kid!
In my part of Iowa we have lots of nightcrawlers,those finger thick kind that stretch from 8 to 10" long. They are easy to catch when they come to the surface to reproduce or when the ground gets very wet after a few dry days. A medium light is best, bright lights are quickly felt by the worms and they shoot back into the soil out of reach. I never wear shoes when stalking worms, they are very sensitive and bare feet are much quieter. I try to grasp the body as close to where it leaves the soil as possible and I gently pull to avoid hurting the worms. Pull too hard and the worm will stretch and become less lively, more easily die from heat and overall just not as good for bait. Keep the worms cool and moist but not wet. I have used grass, leaves, paper strips and crumpled news papers as bedding but the commercial stuff is by far the best. Keep the bedding in the refrigerator and the worms can last several weeks or even a month. I always put a teaspoon or 2 of coffee grounds on the surface as food, must have worked, as the grounds were gone daily and my worms were very lively. I think you can purchase worm food now in the same area the bedding is sold.
Give it a try, it is fun, provides bait for your fishing trips, and best of all, provides hours of enjoyment with your kids! Next time your little on asks "How do you catch nightcrawlers daddy?" grab a flashlight and go be a kid again!