Mykester Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 Where should I focus my search on, as in beside trees where the soil is softer, or what (I don't have a backyard).
misfish Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 Where should I focus my search on, as in beside trees where the soil is softer, or what (I don't have a backyard). Baseball fields,soccer pitches.
Mykester Posted April 9, 2010 Author Report Posted April 9, 2010 soccer pitches. This will work. Do they just randomly come out at random places of the field, or would they congregate around the poles, trees, etc?
TC1OZ Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 At my work after a long rain they all seem to head for the parking lot!
irishfield Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 Some will look at you strange doing it.. but you can "grunt" them to the surface as well. Google it... Or the old electro trick..
DRIFTER_016 Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 I used to hit up the baseball fields and the easiest pickin' was walking the base paths. After some rain it's even better.
misfish Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 This will work. Do they just randomly come out at random places of the field, or would they congregate around the poles, trees, etc? They will be everywhere. If you have a golf course contact,that would be the best place.Thats where alot of these wholesalers get thiers.
DRIFTER_016 Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 They will be everywhere. If you have a golf course contact,that would be the best place.Thats where alot of these wholesalers get thiers. But don't just walk onto a golf course and start picking because you will likely be attacked by headlamp wearing wormpicking ninjas!!!! Don't ask me how I know!!!!
Cudz Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 Use a small flashlight, not too bright. I use my cellphone. Find a grass area. THe worms actually don't often come all the way out of the ground but they come out about 3/4 of the way so you sometimes have to pull them out. They are fast and strong believe it or not. Here is what i do. Find a crawler, find the dark end vs the light end (colour wise). The lighter end is the back end so that is the direction they will try to go when you grab them. The closer you grab to the back end the more likely you will be able to successfully pull out a crawler. Once you grab it quickly, pull gently until the whole worm comes out of the hole. I get about 25-30 10" to 12" worms every night I choose to hunt for them using this method.
Mykester Posted April 9, 2010 Author Report Posted April 9, 2010 Thanks. Also, will they still come out? It's 3 C right now, it will probably be a bit lower at night.
The JAY Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 I see them every night when I take the puppy out for a pee. (His, not mine) I usually sit on the porch and watch the leaves or grass moving. You can see them 15' away. A rain make it even more prolific. I just don't know what to put them in to keep them for more than a day or two...
misfish Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 I just don't know what to put them in to keep them for more than a day or two... If you can get a styrofoam box 16x24 8 inch deep(any fish market has them)Just dig a hole about 12-18 inches into the ground and the width the size of the box.Fill the box with peat and dirt.Add worms (strips of news print soaked with water is a must aswell).Now put the box in the hole you dug and cover.They will last for weeks.Just replenich the mixture every week or so.
Rizzo Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 what cudz said...they are surprisingly strong and can be quite frustrating if you don't grab them as close to the light end as possible. When I first tried it in my yard last year the dang worms were close to 10 inches long! I couldn't believe part of them was still buried when they manged to pull out of my fingers and get away. Now I "pin" the light end to the ground and then get a real good grip on the rest of the worm that is still exposed.
Muskieman Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 EH! I've tried "grunting" with a 2x4 and a 2x6 with some success... Electrifying the grass with a battery and coathangers works as well but seems to decrease the worms life.. Given your circumstance with no lawn to pick... I'd go to the nearest cemetery after a rain or the neighbors flower garden... look around house foundations..or ball fields... you can keep hundreds of them in the shade in a cooler with damp newspaper, sod and coffee grounds... they'll last forever. Also when you attempt to grab the worm .. aim for the hole rather than the worm, try not to shine your light directly on the worm. It won't get spooked.. tread lightly and you'll have success. GOOD LUCK! RFS
Jewelbee Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 My driveway would have been the sweet spot this morning..lol
Kinger Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 I like to think of myself as a heron wading through the shallows for unsuspecting minnows and frogs. Silence and quickness are key. The best tip i've seen is in this thread so far is to not use a flashlight that is too bright, they are sensitive to intense light.
Mykester Posted April 10, 2010 Author Report Posted April 10, 2010 Man either the worms weren't out or I just suck at this.
Dara Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 If you can see your breath, its too cold for them. Also if its actually raining...the drops hurt them and they won't come out very far
The JAY Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 Probably a little chilly tonight. It's best after an evening shower. As a kid, I used to water the lawn after dinner, then go picking after sundown. Never failed.
Mykester Posted April 10, 2010 Author Report Posted April 10, 2010 Well it started snowing while I was out so I'm guessing it was a bit chilly. I'll just wait til the next shower, or go look by the river.
kickingfrog Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 (edited) I use a head lamp to keep both hands free. Some people will use 2 coffee cans tied to their legs so that both hands are free as well. I remember reading any article about crawler picking in a fishing magazine that mentioned using a sheet of red cellophane over your light so that the worms would not "scare" as easy. I never tried it though. Careful with the "electro shock" the same article mentioned some sap who killed himself doing it. Edited April 10, 2010 by kickingfrog
Big Cliff Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 use sawdust on your hands, you will find that after picking a couple of worms your hands will be wet and the worms slip through your fingers, I just take a small can of sawdust and dip mu fingers in it as I am picking worms, you will find it really helps. As for keeping them. Go to CTC or somewhere and get a bag of compost, I keep a box of worms in the fridge and they will last for several weeks. I use a styrofoam worm flat about 16" X 16" X 4" deep and you can keep 4-500 worms in there no problem (I disconected the light kill switch on the fridge so the light stays on all the time) and you don't even have to put a cover on the box. The other alternative is go and buy some from a wholesaler $30.00 for 500 last time I checked. Sure beats getting a sore back!
brother lund Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 I will have to give the saw dust a try
fish-miester Posted April 10, 2010 Report Posted April 10, 2010 reading this just makes me wanna go worm pickin
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