It happens every year in April in Wisconsin—the year’s first significant rain fall. Once that warm water falls from the heavens, millions of night crawlers emerge from the earth and on to the streets and sidewalks. Fishermen understand, this is the time to potentially pick up a season’s worth of bait.
Crawlers come out when the ground becomes saturated with water or at night, hence the name night crawlers. Many times these worms can reach sizes in excess of a foot. When not picking up the worms by rainfall — the best way is to find an evening with light mist or dew, and pick the crawlers in open soil areas (like a garden). Remember that night crawlers are sensitive to sound and light, so be sure to act accordingly while hunting worms.
Bedding is critical to your long term success or failure for the survival of the worms. The bedding should have some moisture in it, but should not be soaking wet. Remember the reason you captured these little guys this spring was because the ground was saturated and they had to leave their homes to find dryer land. 
There are many trains of thought as how to make the bedding. Many individuals will use newspaper and some garden soil to make their mixture. Other methods include manure, peat moss and other substances. I prefer to use some of the store bought bedding like Magic Worm or Frabil Fat and Sassy bedding. I have found that the experts can make the bedding to optimal levels of certain substances, which can prolong the life of the worms. This eliminates any guess work from a homemade blend. If you are making your own concoction, be sure to let it set up for a couple of days prior to adding your stock of night crawlers.
Once your bedding is prepared, introduce your crawlers to their new home. Make sure the bedding is not compacted, so they can easily burrow into the bedding. The fluffier the consistency of the bedding, the better for the soon to be bait to thrive. Continue to monitor the worm box for a couple of days after initially placing the crawlers into the bedding and pick out any injured or unhealthy worms. Many “experts” suggest keeping night crawlers and smaller (red, leaf etc) worms in separate homes.
The bedding should be changed every 1-2 months. To feed your crawlers, a store bought worm food can be used. If you prefer, add just about anything which comes from live plants. It is advisable that the plant parts be placed into the bedding and covered for optimal success. Do not use meat products. Ideally, add enough food which the worms can process in about three days. Too much food can cause your eco-system to die off, so be very careful not to over feed.
As your bedding ages, it will have a tendency to dry out. Be sure to add water as needed. Night crawlers do not need as much moisture in the soil as most people think. A good way to add water to the bedding is to do it with a spray bottle. Just spray the top of the bedding and mix it into the box. Be sure not to use tap water. Preferably, collected rain water or distilled water is ideal.
Temperature is a key component to the survival of the crawlers. In the early spring, not much is needed other than a cool basement or garage floor. As the outside temperatures reach in to the 50’s and 60’s it is time to find a cooler home. Dorm sized refrigerators are a perfect solution. These can be found at Wal-mart or any discount retailer for about $100. My suggestion is to put some beer or soda in the fridge with the night crawlers…..Ok where is he going with this? When you grab the beer or soda, if it is a little warmer than preferable, then you have your crawlers in the ideal temperature. If your beverage is cold then it is too cold for your crawlers.
Night crawler care can be very simple, and can save you hundreds of dollars over a fishing season. With a dozen night crawlers pushing into the three dollar range at the local bait shop, a few hours of picking up worms in the spring can result in hundreds of fish in the boat by the end of the year, with very little cost to the angler
