Anywhere is Trumps baitshop out here,lol.That's why I raise my own,I'm a millionaire,Ha.
"Garden Hackler"lol
Thats one good thing about living in northeast ohio. Have picked my own crawlers for all my life. Nightcrawlers ( canadians ) do not exist too much south of Columbus Ohio. Last two nights it poured here and I was able to get 600 or so to restock my bait fridge. That should last me until freeze up in the winter.
The Canadian worm must be kept in temperatures between 36 and 42 degrees. They must be fed and their bedding kept moist but not soaked. I check my flats every other day for dead ones and remove them. If the dead ones remain they will kill off your entire supply. I personally prefer the juvenile nightcrawler for bait. Nick named them "
baby nights ". Most walleye fishermen up here prefer the " snakes " which are nightcrawlers 6 inches or longer. Ones I prefer are about as long as your little finger and about 3/16 " thick. An aberdeen #6 hook placed lightly in the head and a small split shot has caught me more fish and a wider range of species than the average guy would think.
All though people will argue with this you cannot raise the Canadian nightcralwers like you can the Africans and the redworms. Primarily they are picked up on golf courses , sod farms and other similar places in Canada. I believe about 95 % of the nightcrawlers used in U.S. come from Canada. For some odd reason people of Greek nationality dominated the worm picking labor force. At present people of southeast asian are now starting to become the most dominant population of labor.
Some interesting but not important facts about Canadian nightcrawlers:
1. Once they leave their original hole they only have death to look forward to.
2. It can take as long as 15 years for a nightcrawler to get to over 6 inches in length
3. Under ideal conditions they can live as long as 25 to 30 years
4. Almost everything in nature eats nightcrawlers. One golf course we used to pick we had to keep our eyes on our flats. The raccoons loved chomping on them.
5. They have futures in the stock market just like pork bellies.
6. When I was in business I seen a flat of nightcrawlers vary between 15 dollars as a low and 85 as a high. Droughts in northern U.S. and Canada would cause the price to soar. A flat of worms is normally considered to be 38 to 40 dozen. A flat is a sytrofoam container 13" X 13 " X 4" deep.
7. Best book to read about Nightcrawlers : The Nightcrawler Manual
8. Worst way to fish your worm. Thread him on the hook.
9. Best way hooked lightly thru the head allowing him to move in such a manner that is alluring to the fish. Second best way is to use a 2 or 3 hook harness.
10. Soaking night crawlers in cold ,oxygenated water overnight cause them to swell up and become extremely lively. If I remember right they are 94 % water.
OK I AM FINALLY OUT OF WIND.
I'll take three flats,lol.I grew up in Pennsylvania and as a kid used to go out every night in the summer and catch and sell nightcrawlers to a guy that used to buy furs in the winter time.I would get $0.01 a piece,lol.
"Garden Hackler"lol
HAYS47 - Hey, that was an informative post. I did not know that much about crawlers, Thank you:D