Nightcrawlers V/S Walleye

[Lee Borgersen]

                     Nightcrawlers versus Walleyes


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Walleyes love live bait. Live bait is unequalled as a natural offering to entice walleyes that would snub an artificial bait. You might ask what live bait has over any other offerings? Well, live bait offers the combination of natural appearance, color, feel and taste. Properly presented, live bait must appeal to these walleye senses.

The nightcrawler is one of the most versatile and popular live baits, it's also on of the most deadly baits for summer walleyes. However, a walleye-attracting nightcrawler must be in prime condition and good sized not just any old worm. Here are a few night crawler facts that will help you put fish on the stringer.

Nightcrawlers do not hold up to panfish punishment like leeches do. Nightcrawlers have long been a favorite bait of mine. I go through hundreds in a typical summer. They catch all kinds of fish in a wide variety of situations. I especially like them for walleye fishing in June through early September.

The ideal nightcrawler is at least 4 inches long, fat and so lively that it tries to jump out of your hand. Throw away crawlers that have been nipped by panfish, and replace them with fresh ones. If you do this, your catch will increase by 25%.

You can usually avoid panfish nipping at your bait by switching from crawlers to leeches, but there are times when walleyes preference for nightcrawlers will be plainly evident. In this case, there will be no choice.

I always sort my crawlers before I put them in bedding. Sorting is crucial to keeping crawlers. If you come across any that have been broken or damaged, throw them out. A rotten apple spoiling a barrel applies to worms too. If there are questionable ones I put them in a separate container and use them first.

The next important factor in keeping crawlers is to put them in quality bedding. It doesn't matter how great a crawler you start out with, if it is not in good bedding it will not keep well. I have tried many different types of bedding over the years and have found that Magic Worm Bedding is as good as it comes.

Magic bedding comes in both organic and cellulose base. I like the cellulose because I don't have to be as concerned about feeding them as I do with organic bedding. Both are easy to use and personal preference comes into play here. No matter which one you choose you will want to supplement your bedding with Magic Worm Food.

Furthermore, leeches and crawlers ride differently on rigs. Crawlers can be air-injected with a worm blower. This is something that is very difficult if not impossible with leeches. Given the same snell length and same speed of movement, a leech will ride considerably lower than a nightcrawler. An air injected nightcrawler will ride much, much higher than a leech on an equal length snell. By the way, air can be used to fatten up a skinny crawler.

When putting nightcrawlers on rigs, never thread the crawler onto the hook or hook it anywhere in the middle. Instead, simply hook the crawler once through the head, allowing it to trail enticingly through the water. This type of natural, lively presentation will catch walleyes when other methods fail.

Another item of concern is proper ventilation in the container. Milk cartons and ice cream pails do not allow adequate ventilation. Again, I use Magic products, specifically a worm ranch. By keeping your Worm Ranch in an old refrigerator at about 45 degrees you will have healthy, fat bait all season long.

Nightcrawlers should be left in bedding and kept refrigerated, if possible, when they are not being used. Place moist pieces of plain newspaper over the top of your crawlers to keep them fresh. When fishing, keep crawlers out of the sun in a cool, dark place.

If nightcrawlers had a fighting chance I think that they could easily beat up on some pretty nice walleyes, but unfortunately I am glad they can't otherwise it would be difficult to catch those summer walleyes.