I use nightcrawlers for my catfish bait. I grow some of the biggest nightcrawlers in my flower beds, so any time that I'm working in my flower beds or if I'm planning to go fishing soon, I use my little garden tool to rake the wood chips over to the side and use my little spade to dig down into the soil searching for fresh ones. I collect any and all that I find and store them in coffee cans. I wet down newspaper to layer over the top of the soil and keep it damp, then store them in the closet in our basement. (I used to store them in our garage until my curious cat discovered what I was keeping in the cans.) I'm from the old school, and I believe every child should get the chance to experience the simple joys of life that mother nature provides. I started my 3 grandsons from the very beginning, which was digging for nightcrawlers. That was quite a challenge, and it was a struggle not to laugh while the 3 boys were trying to decide who was going to pick up the first worm. Like I said, I grow big ones, so they do look a lot like a snake, and they move fast too! Ha! I had purchased each of the 3 of the boys a short rod and reel, (a Sponge Bob, a Superman, and a misc. one) and one tackle box to share. I took them to a private pond that had a dock to fish off of, and showed them how to bait their hooks with their worm. They weren't too fond of the wiggling creatures, but they got the job done. We were finally ready to cast out. Since they weren't able to cast out very far at first, the only fish they caught were small perch. You would've thought the youngest one had caught a big shark the first time he caught a fish. He forgot all about reeling it in until I reminded him. They were all quite excited when they caught their first big catfish, as they like to put up such a fight. These have been some of the best and most memorable times of both my life and theirs. They still talk about these times and how much fun they've had spending time with me, which warms this old gma's heart so much! We still go fishing together, but not as often since they are all teenagers now. I still use the Sponge Bob pole now and then, and I've caught some big catfish while using it. Lol! I still collect nightcrawlers, and on a good year I'll save them in 5 gallon plastic buckets. I do hate worm juice though, so I usually wear plastic gloves. Lol! I hope someone enjoyed my story. Thank you for allowing me to share it. ~Missouri GMA
I use nightcrawlers for my catfish bait. I grow some of the biggest nightcrawlers in my flower beds, so any time that I'm working in my flower beds or if I'm planning to go fishing soon, I use my little garden tool to rake the wood chips over to the side and use my little spade to dig down into the soil searching for fresh ones. I collect any and all that I find and store them in coffee cans. I wet down newspaper to layer over the top of the soil and keep it damp, then store them in the closet in our basement. (I used to store them in our garage until my curious cat discovered what I was keeping in the cans.) I'm from the old school, and I believe every child should get the chance to experience the simple joys of life that mother nature provides. I started my 3 grandsons from the very beginning, which was digging for nightcrawlers. That was quite a challenge, and it was a struggle not to laugh while the 3 boys were trying to decide who was going to pick up the first worm. Like I said, I grow big ones, so they do look a lot like a snake, and they move fast too! Ha! I had purchased each of the 3 of the boys a short rod and reel, (a Sponge Bob, a Superman, and a misc. one) and one tackle box to share. I took them to a private pond that had a dock to fish off of, and showed them how to bait their hooks with their worm. They weren't too fond of the wiggling creatures, but they got the job done. We were finally ready to cast out. Since they weren't able to cast out very far at first, the only fish they caught were small perch. You would've thought the youngest one had caught a big shark the first time he caught a fish. He forgot all about reeling it in until I reminded him. They were all quite excited when they caught their first big catfish, as they like to put up such a fight. These have been some of the best and most memorable times of both my life and theirs. They still talk about these times and how much fun they've had spending time with me, which warms this old gma's heart so much! We still go fishing together, but not as often since they are all teenagers now. I still use the Sponge Bob pole now and then, and I've caught some big catfish while using it. Lol! I still collect nightcrawlers, and on a good year I'll save them in 5 gallon plastic buckets. I do hate worm juice though, so I usually wear plastic gloves. Lol! I hope someone enjoyed my story. Thank you for allowing me to share it. ~Missouri GMA