If you are a gardener and a fisherman you have got the best of both worlds. Simply because gardeners need crawlers for compost and ventilating the garden and fisherman need them for bait. When you raise your own crawlers you always have a good supply of first-rate bait.

When we were kids my brother and I would water down the lawn or garden the day before a fishing trip. That night we would be out there with coffee cans tied to our legs and a flashlight in our other hand that wasn't used to pinch the crawlers.

That's right, pinch the crawlers, but very tenderly, with a slight pull, and then with a little hesitation let the crawler relax and then pull him from his hole, drop him or her in the can and walk on very softly not to put the night crawlers back down in the ground.

After a couple of coffee cans were full we would head to the compost and spread some on top. The next morning we would check and see if there were any crawlers on top, we would throw out the bad ones that couldn't crawl down in the compost. Those ones would only spoil the rest.

Dad would always add grass clippings and leaves or maybe cuttings left from the garden. This made a good combo for the crawlers.

With this setup we always had plenty of bait and knew where to look.

If you're not a gardener, maybe your neighbor has a green thumb. Work a partnership on the compost. Who knows maybe you'll get to take them fishing.

Good Luck!

Jon Book