How to Fish With a Nightcrawler Syringe
The three primary live baits that anglers use to catch walleyes are leeches, minnows and nightcrawlers. The latter are especially effective during the summer months, when walleyes are in deep water. But often, the fish are not right on the bottom, so anglers use a syringe or other device to blow air into nightcrawlers, which causes them to float above the bottom. Most anglers who use blown-up nightcrawlers do so as part of a live-bait rig.
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Instructions
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Cut a 30- to 40-inch piece of fluorocarbon or monofilament fishing line, which will be the leader of your live-bait rig.
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Slide a 1/4- to 1/2-oz. sliding sinker onto the main fishing line. The sinker must weigh enough to hold the rig on the bottom. Tie a barrel swivel to the main line and one end of the leader with a Palomar knot. Tie a size 1 or 2 hook to the end of the leader line.
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Insert the hook into one end of the nightcrawler.
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Pull the syringe's plunger as if you were removing it from the syringe. Stop pulling when the plunger reaches the top of the syringe.
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Insert the needle into the unhooked end of the nightcrawler. Depress the plunger to add air to the night crawler. Push the plunger about halfway down and then remove the needle from the night crawler.
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Drift or troll the night crawler rig along drop-offs, weed edges, and the edges of humps and reefs. Move slowly enough that your rig maintains contact with the bottom.
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Feel for a bite, which may be a "tap-tap-tap" or just feel like extra weight. Open the bail of the reel to let line off the spool, allowing the fish to get the nightcrawler in its mouth without feeling resistance. Wait for 10 seconds and then close the bail, drop the rod tip toward the fish, and set the hook with a sweep of the rod.
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