- To catch night crawlers, all you need is a tin can and a flashlight. Wait until a night after (or during) a rain--the heavier the rain, the better. Dress appropriately and take a flashlight and a can out onto the lawn. Hold the can and light in the same hand to keep one hand free, and shine the light along the ground. Night crawlers are easy to see; most will be more than halfway out of the ground. Grasp the worm firmly and gently pull until it tires and comes out of its hole. Be careful not to keep the light on them for any length of time, or they will retreat into their holes. Remember where you find the largest concentration of night crawlers; return to these places as soon as five minutes after the first visit, as the worms will come back out in short order.
- Keep night crawlers in a child's wading pool, placed in a cool spot out of the sun, and filled with peat moss, moist leaves and/or potting soil. Worms will keep just as well in your refrigerator. Take a large plastic coffee grounds container and put a handful of moss in it and keep as many as five dozen night crawlers. Make sure everyone in the family knows what is in this container and check it periodically, removing any dead crawlers and replacing the moss. Night crawlers will stay alive for as many as six weeks in your refrigerator if carefully checked. When fishing in the hot summer sun, never leave night crawlers in a place where they can overheat; they will perish right away. The best strategy to keep them alive and lively is to bring along a small ice chest filled with ice and keep the worms in containers on ice.
- Utilize a bobber set 2 feet up on the line from a number four snelled hook when using night crawlers to target fish such as bluegills, bullheads and crappies. Cast this rig out and watch for any movement of the bobber, being prepared to set the hook when you do. The best way to fish a night crawler in a river or stream is to use no floats, rigging the line with a number four snelled hook and two heavy split shots set 1 1/2 feet up the line from the hook. Thread the hook through the worm so that it is secured and cast out. When fishing a river or stream, always cast downstream to avoid the current's effect on the rig, which can make it snag on rocks or the bottom. Set the pole down against a forked stick driven into the ground and watch the rod tip for movement. Once the fish bites, the rod's tip will move back and forth, signaling you to pick up the pole and set the hook. Carp, bass, perch, bluegill, eels, trout, catfish and suckers will all take a night crawler presented this way.
