How to Catch Nightcrawlers Fast
Almost all types of freshwater fish will be tempted by a large, wriggling nightcrawler. While you can purchase nightcrawlers in bait stores, you can save money and just catch your own. With some preparation, you can catch worms quickly using old-time methods known as worm charming. These traditional methods use subterranean vibrations to drive nightcrawlers and other worms to the surface The record number of worms caught by this method was over 500 worms in 30 minutes at a competition in England. In a good spot you can catch nightcrawlers in a short amount of time.
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Instructions
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Fiddling Method
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1
Find an area of ground that is damp and soft. Choose a shady spot with a ground covering of fallen leaves. Look for dirt mounds that resemble ant hills, indicating where worms have burrowed up through the soil.
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Hammer a 3-foot stake 6 to 8 inches into the ground. Use any type of wood that is about 3 inches in diameter.
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3
Run the saw smoothly back and forth across the top of the stake to create vibrations. Keep the movement and pressure as steady as possible. The worms, mistaking the sound for a burrowing mole, will come to surface.
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4
Pick worms up gently but quickly. Pick nightcrawlers up from the end closest to the burrow so they have less chance of escape.
Pitchfork Method
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5
Stab a metal pitchfork into soft damp ground. Use an ordinary four-pronged garden pitchfork.
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Pull back on the pitchfork handle to create tension and then release. Stand far enough back so you don't get hit in the face if the handle snaps back quickly.
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Repeat the tension and release with the pitchfork, keeping as steady a rhythm as possible. You may need to step on the top of the pitchfork occasionally to drive it back into the soil.
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8
Pick up the nightcrawlers as they emerge. A partner who can grab worms while you continue creating vibrations will help you catch worms faster.
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Tips & Warnings
Worms will be easier to hunt if you go after them on a rainy day or by wetting the ground with a sprinkler.
For a modern variation of worm charming, remove or disengage the cutting chain of a chain saw. Start the saw and hold it on the ground stake or stick the tip into the ground to create vibrations.
For another approach, lay an old rug on the ground and keep it wet with a hose for about two weeks, then look under the rug for worms.
Do not collect worms from areas where chemical pesticides were recently applied. Your worms will probably not survive until your fishing time, and handling them could exposed you to pesticide residue.
References
Resources
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