How to Shock Nightcrawlers Out of the Ground
If you like to fish, you are probably in need of night crawlers. According to sport-fishing website Arizona Lake Fishing, "night crawlers are the tried-and-true fish bait that you can't go fishing without." If you are tired of having to go to the store to buy bait, there is a good possibility that you have a personal bait store in your very own yard; to retrieve it, all you have to do is shock the night crawlers out of the ground.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Find a patch of healthy soil. According to an article on ecology.com, the USDA asserts that an acre of good farm soil in North America can be expected to have a population of 50,000 earthworms on average; in soils rich with organic matter there may be many more. If your first effort is unsuccessful, keep trying: there are bound to be some night crawlers in a healthy patch of soil.
-
2
Look for watery conditions. According to Arizona Lake Fishing, night crawlers are likely to surface if you water your lawn or if weather conditions have been rainy.
-
-
3
Search at night. Arizona Lake Fishing states that looking for night crawlers is best done when the sun is down; as you might guess from the name, they are found most easily at night.
-
4
Bring a flashlight. You will need a source of light when you are hunting during night hours; it is best to use a red light because night crawlers are unable to see red light and will therefore not be startled.
-
5
Create a shocking tool. Tie one end of your wire to the top of your metal rod; tie the other end of the wire to the six-volt battery.
-
6
Shock the night crawlers. Place the bottom of your metal rod into the ground: this will send a mild surge of electricity into the soil to shock night crawlers out. Wait for them to surface and then pull them from the ground.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Be gentle when pulling the night crawlers from the ground: tug gently until they are completely dislodged.
As a warning, Arizona Lake Fishing explains that "this technique does have problems and has been known to damage the worm's nervous system which eventually kills the worm."
