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My favorite way to catch gills and crackers is a split shot rig with a pinch of night crawler. After a day of fishing me and my boat looks like a dirt farmer digging black dirt. Is there any substitute you all use for the dirt instead of what they come in the box from the store? I keep mine in the box and drop them in a small cooler with freezer packs and they last a long time like that! Been catching some nice redear this year. Thanks for any help! Buddy
Shredded newspaper ... damp (get it wet, then squeeze out as much water as you can & fluff them up)
Damp leaves .... from a compost pile or that area of the yard that collected them in a pile that you never got around to raking up :Doh:
Worm Bedding or peat moss (slightly damp) would also work, if neither of the other two are available (or to your liking).
I thread on the worms while holding them over a bucket.Not a total solution but helps considerably.
Two sheets of newspaper. Soak them both in non chlorinated water. Wring one out, crumple it and put it in the bottom of a 16 oz worm tub. Rinse a dozen crawlers in ice water, dump them on the first sheet, and crumple the second sheet and pack it on top of the crawlers. Snap the lid on and refrigerate overnight. Crawlers on steroids.
Ditto to treehopper. Your dry ice in the cooler with the paper is the way to go.
I use worm bedding and a 6 can hard coleman cooler. I mix up enough bedding to fill the cooler 75% full. I freeze 16oz water bottles and just toss one in the cooler to keep them cold on hot days. When I buy worms I dump them in the parking lot and pick out the worms and put them in the cooler. Can't stand the dirt!
Carefully take worms out of the box one by one and put aside (in something preferably).
Dump dirt over the boat into the water and rinse out the box to get it clean.
Put the worms back in the box.
Put ice cubes (probably from your cooler) on top of the worms and put the lid back on.
Works best in the warmer months and keeps them lively. :)
I give my worms swimming lessons..I take a few in my hand and rinse them in the lake to get rid of dirt and then put 2/3 in a empty container...
Not sure I'll ever touch a crawler again for gills. I've always sworn by crickets, but there are times they can be hard to find. After using wax worms, crawlers would be a last resort for me.
I hate the dirt, the smell, and trying to get that smell off of my hands.
That black nasy dirt they come packed in is old worm bedding, mostly composted peat the worms digested. I put plain peat moss in a gallon bag and add enough water to get it damp. Chill it in a frig ahead of time to repack your worms in. I lot of times I buy a few boxes of crawlers at walmart on the way home and put them in the new cold peat the night before fishing. No black mess !! The clean peat smells good and is easy to clean up with no stains.
You can't stand the aroma of worm, but the aroma of bluegill is okay? They both stink to high Heaven to me.
Me? The stink, stain, and dirt from crawlers takes days to get rid of. I've never noticed any aroma from a fish stick with me after a shower. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by funbun
I use sawdust
Coconut coir is also good and gives the worms something to eat as well.
Where would one go to get a bag o' coconut coir?
You should be able to find it a a gardening or hydroponics store. I haven't seen it at home depot, menards or lowes though.
Or you just order it on Amazon.
It comes in compressed bricks. You add water and it expands quite a bit and breaks up into a sand like texture.
It will hold a lot of water. Much more than you need. If it has too much water it will act like wet sand.
I got a cream cheese container and put a few in it with less dirt. Don't have to risk taking the whole box in this heat plus it's easier to store in my fanny pack with a small Coleman gel cold pack
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I sometimes put them in a small cooler of ice water the night before I go fishing. Now that creates nightcrawlers on steroids ! No, they won't drown, but they will be huge.
Coffee Ground's mixed with top soil mixed in keeps smell down.We have a 4x8 sheet of plywood over our worm bed,Feed every few days with potato peeling's.
Just cut some up before you go, and put the pieces in cornmeal... they will stay good the whole day without ice.Quote:
Originally Posted by ifish
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