Harvesting Bait

[John Sheehan]

Not that I'd like to have crickets invade my home when it gets cold,but I'd like to consider developing my yard here in Ringwood New Jersey into a bait producing worthy piece of property.Tips on Worm and Grub production would be welcomed.Anyone here doing this to a organized degree?

I do think grubs love sweet Maple trees and there are maples to a high degree here. Just a passing idea.

[Charles Singleton]

I recommend a mulch pile. Just make sure it doesn't get TOO hot. Do a search on vermiculture and follow their recommendations.

[John Sheehan]

Thanks Chris ...I'll get back to you

[John Sheehan]

sorry charles..tryin to multi task here and failin..

[Jeremy R. Mayo]

I think everybody in my neighborhood has a wormbed in the back yard. I just dumped a load of mulch mixed with some topsoil and leaves in the backyard by the fence under a shade tree. I throw all our coffee grounds table scraps and fish guts in it. shovel it around to mix it in. One thing that I did find wa awsume Was our two year old loves bannans, Once I started puttin the peels in there the ants went away. Ive got HUGE WORMS! Ive litteraly scared people with them thinking that they were small snakes. Just remember they like it moist so add water acordingly.

Juicy worms catch fish

[John Sheehan]

Thanks Jeremy! I want huge worms to fish with too!...I'll keep in touch!

[John Cachel]

Interesting! I plan to create my own leaf worm farm! Lot cheaper than buy 3 dozens in baitshop!
Where can I get 2000 to 4000 giant leaf worms? Not redworms! I checked in google.com and found several that sell leaf worms but which one is good ?
I like 4 inch long leaf worms ( known as trout or dilly worm) for big bluegills! I don't like to cut a nightcrawler into two or three pieces! I perfer to use a whole worm as natural to fool big and smart 'gills! I think you can keep it in the basement in dark and cool corner!
Red worm is too small and I put 3 or 4 on a hook! Nightcrawler is nice! Leaf worm is just right and more wiggle movement and smell stronger than nightcrawler.
Love small and medium size leech in the summer! Lot of bass, walleye and catfish on leech while fish for blg bluegills! Al Lindner from an In Fisherman magazine caught some of the biggest bluegills he ever had come from the deep water rock humps on LEECH to fish for walleye! Plan to buy lot of leeches this summer!

[Larry Mihalik (Adirondack Pond)]

John, Some good Info on Pond Boss about raising worms.
http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Numb...">

[John Sheehan]

Thanks Larry ...Perhaps I'll give this a try starting in the Spring...I'm gonna search google for Grubs now.

[John Sheehan]

Thanks to Larry Mihalik for the first link and I added three others.Not sure how hard I'll persue this but it's got me thinkin' more and more mainly to save money. I'll still support my local baits shops by buying fishin' stuff though.

http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Numb...

http://www.wormman.com/pd_wax_worms.cfm

http://www.wormman.com/pd-butterworms.cfm

http://www.sialis.org/raisingmealworms.htm

[Jeremy R. Mayo]

Can we add how to harvest crickets and shinners in this..... Is it worth It? I go through at least 500 crickets a week if not more in the spring. Between me and my uncle we use close to 800 minnows for white perch fishing a weekend. I wanna start raising all baits. Anybody got some suggestions on these baits to?

[John Sheehan]

Add anything you want I'm not the police..Ha! 800 minnows in a weekend? What are you out of your mind? Yeah Jeremy thanks for runnin' with this!

[Jeremy R. Mayo]

Well 2 boats 4 people 100 a boat in the morning 100 a boat in the evening. Sat and sunday. Its gets pretty expensive (bout 80 bucks a weekend for 4 of us just in bait) but I ask the wife "would you rather me spend it on fishing and have food in the fridge and a good time at the camp or would you rather me be in a bar on sat and recouperating on sunday? We blow through the crickets during the week on after work trips. Yep when the time changes and the sun sets late im fishing 4 to 5 days a week. With all that time on the water Ive learned to do more catchin than fishing. WOOOOHOOOOO CRAPIE SEASON IS ON IN JUST A FEW WEEKS AND BLUEGILL ARE JUST 1 FULL MOON AWAY!