How to Catch Nightcrawlers With Electricity

Catching nightcrawlers for a day of fishing can be challenging if you go by traditional means of digging and sifting. You can expedite the process by using electricity to draw the nightcrawlers out of the ground. Remember: when using electricity you need to use extreme caution.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Extension cord
• Wire coat hanger
• Wire cutters

1. Untangle the coat hanger so that it forms a relatively straight line.

2. Cut the hanger so you have a 15-inch length of hanger.

3. Stick the hanger into the ground, leaving only one to two inches exposed.

4. Look at the extension cord and make sure it is NOT plugged in. Determine the hot and neutral slots. The smaller slot is the hot side, where electricity is sent through. The longer slot is the neutral side. Do NOT plug this in yet.

5. Place the wire in the small, hot slot by pushing the plug over the wire.

6. Plug the extension cord in for half an hour.

7. Unplug the cord.

8. Collect the nightcrawlers.

Tips & Warnings

• You may need to leave the cord plugged in longer to get the desired number of nightcrawlers.

• Always keep the cord unplugged when inserting the wire. Once you have the number of crawlers you want, unplug the cord before collecting them to prevent accidental shocks.

References

• Catching Nightcrawlers Using Electricity