How to Make Electrical Devices to Catch Nightcrawlers

Nightcrawlers are a preferred bait due to their size, and their attractiveness to many species of fish.

Nightcrawlers are a type of earthworm commonly used as fishing bait. Although they can often be purchased from bait shops, they can also be collected from the earth for free, and for many this is a part of the fishing experience. Traditionally, nightcrawlers are caught by wetting the soil and waiting for the worms to come to the surface. This process can be accelerated by using a car battery to pass current through the soil, driving the nightcrawlers to the surface where they can be collected.

Things You'll Need

• Car battery
• Two electrically conductive rods
• Rubber gloves
• Jumper cables
• Bucket
• Hose or watering can

Instructions

1. Find a patch of moist soil. If the ground is too dry, the water will not penetrate the top layers and reach the nightcrawlers.

2. Wait until night time, then spray the area with water using a hose, or soak the ground using a watering can or bucket if a hose is not available.

3. Push the conductive rods into the ground. These can be made of any conductive metal, such as iron, copper or steel. The rods should be placed approximately four feet apart.

4. Put on the rubber gloves to insulate your hands, and connect one jumper cable to one of the metal rods, and the other end to the positive connection on the car battery. Connect the other jumper cable to the other metal rod and the negative connection on the car battery. The positive and negative leads can be connected either way around.

5. Wait approximately 30 minutes for the nightcrawlers to come to the surface. Wearing the rubber gloves, disconnect the jumper cables from the car battery.

6. Collect the nightcrawlers that have emerged by gripping firmly and pulling from the ground. They can be stored in a bucket with a few wet paper towels in the bottom to keep the worms from drying out.

Tips & Warnings

• Nightcrawlers need to be kept moist after being collected, and should be stored at cool temperatures below 64 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Electricity can be dangerous, so do not use voltages higher than those available from a car battery.

References

• Smelly Brain: How To Catch Nightcrawlers
• Royal Botanical Gardens: Comparing Methods Of Collecting Worms

Resources

• Garden Seeker: Earthworms, Worms In Lawn And Garden