SHELLCRACKERS AND WORMS

I know red worms are the preferred bait for them. Any one ever buy them off the internet.? They seem cheaper than bait shops. I found 500 for $22. That seems to be a good price. Just wondering if you can keep them for a couple months. Thanks

I don't see why not. Just give them a decent home and throw some banana peels in there from time to time. Maybe look online at how people keep them in compost piles.

I use pieces of nightcrawler, just big enough to cover the #4 hook (plain hook or jig hook). I have kept nightcrawlers in my fridge for a couple of weeks, just in the "dirt" they come packaged in from baitshop/Walmart. But, they don't do very well after a couple of weeks. They start getting puny and eventually die. They would probably do better in a larger container, with real dirt & dead leaves ... & something to eat ... and in a "cool" place, rather than a "cold" place.

Strange as it may seem .... I tend to catch Shellcrackers on the dark brown/thick end of the worm & Bluegill (most of the time) on the "pale tan" end of the worm. :dono (maybe the Shellcracker think it's a snail ??)

The manufactured worm bedding and bait canteens work pretty good. Other than that a good loose soil in a bucket..keep it slightly damp...place a thin cloth that's damp over it to slow evaporation. I always keep mine in the basement. Some food scraps like potato peels and think we even used coffee grounds some. Mix some leaf and grass mulch in too. Keep long time.

I find red worms in the woods around here. You roll over a log or other whatever and rake back the leaves. Not a lot of digging involved. Just have to catch them before they go down or dig a little. A potato fork is the thing to dig worms with. They go deep sometimes and you can't get them just under the leaves. Also have something I call leaf worms around here,little bigger real slimey. Nightcrawlers just in certain ground you have to find the prime digging spots. My yard is full of them. Rainy night sometimes you can pick up a can full with a flashlight. Shockers work but I never messed with them.

Out here we use the European night crawler. Very heat tolerant and they grow BIG.

Using shoe box size totes with either coco fiber or peat moss (have to use lime to raise Ph) with lots of shredded newspaper. Feeding them Purina worm chow and pureed green kitchen scraps & coffee grounds (fine ground egg shells are good too). Keep the medium moist - when you squeeze a handful - couple of drops of water should come out.

Waiting for some African crawlers right now.

I know these aren't huge by the southern standard, but for Ohio they're keepers. Especially in April. Caught on a black 1/16 oz jig head and a black and white gulp minnow. Attachment 297627

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two months ago I purchased a container of red worms at Walmart, the box said they need not be refridgerated. Odd thing they were sitting on top a small refrigerator containing other red worms,their containers suggested refridgeration.....:dono. I purchased the " non refridgerated red worms,brought them home and put them in a 1 pint container of my own mix of dirt ( farm dirt / rabbit poop mix) .My fishing has been on hold due to flooding and life,the worms have been sitting on a shelf in my man cave since I bought them,other than a sprinkle of water one time,they are still squirming like the day I bought them.
My humble opinion is, I will never buy night crawlers again,they have a very short life span,and get mushy after spending the day on the kayak.I will however purchase red worms again,them little buggers sure are sturdy,and lively.They don't seem to be bothered by the heat,( I'd keep them shaded though ) plus their just the right size fo panfish.

Yaker - some shredded newspaper (no shiny stuff) & some coffee grounds (grit for digestion) would be a good addition for the worms.

Usually baitstores are selling someone else's product and don't really care how they're handled. A little bit of TLC and they would be selling GREAT bait. The worms are almost dehydrated, moist enough to stay alive, and unfed. Refrigeration makes it bad to worse..

bprice, those are a couple good specimens any where. Nice fish