Earthworms are known to every angler as an excellent bait. Moreover, these creatures are irreplaceable helpers in gardening and horticulture, and also actively participate in the formation of compost, since they are able to quickly process organic residues and turn them into fertile soil. The way of life of worms is influenced various factors so you need to know when and where to catch the worms. If you learn more about their habits, it will not be difficult for you to collect the right amount of worms for your garden or compost heap. Unlike the worms bought at the angler's store, earthworms will not cost you a dime. In addition, "hunting for worms" can be turned into an exciting activity for children, especially if you arrange a mini-farm for the caught worms, where these creatures can live and reproduce.

Steps

Digging up the worms

Get everything you need ready. You will need a shovel or small garden shovel and a container filled with moist soil and leaves.

• It is best to collect earthworms when you have already dug up the soil for planting, or when you are digging holes to build a fence or under a foundation. If you dig deeper into the soil below the surface layer, you may be able to find not only common earthworms, but also other species, such as crawlers (very large worms with a flattened tail end).
• Wear clothes you don't mind. To find earthworms, you have to dig the ground, so you will get dirty for sure. Therefore, wear old clothes, knee pads, and rubber boots or old shoes.

1. Dig. Choose a suitable spot in your yard (if you live in a private house), in your garden, or in the forest and start digging. You need to dig a small hole, sift through the extracted soil and select all the earthworms from it. It is best to look for earthworms near a river or other body of water.

   • You can search for earthworms in forest parks and in areas where flower beds will later be planted. However, you should not dig holes in the ground if the area is someone's private property, for example, on golf courses or farmland. Of course, you shouldn't dig the soil looking for worms in parks and squares.
   • Try to work as quietly as possible so that the vibration of the soil does not frighten off the earthworms.
   • Do not forget to look under rocks, logs, tree trunks and other objects lying on the ground.

2. If the worms have a firm grip on the soil, dig in the ground around them. The body of the worm is covered with short bristles that help it move through the soil. Because of this, it is not always easy to pull the worms out of the burrows. Dig in the ground around the worm that is trying to burrow back into the ground. Be careful not to cut the worm. By loosening the soil, you can easily pull the worm out of the ground and place it in a storage container.

   Continue digging until you have collected the required number of worms. After selecting all the worms from the excavated earth, bury a hole, step back a meter and a half and dig the next hole. Keep collecting worms, and when you're done, return the soil to its original location.

   "Hunt" for worms at night

   1. Place a large piece of damp cardboard on your lawn. This must be done a day before you start collecting worms. Raw cardboard will attract earthworms.

      Prepare the necessary tools. In the daytime, earthworms burrow deep into the soil, and at night they crawl out to the surface, where they feed on organic debris. This way, you don't have to dig up the soil at night to collect the worms. During the night "hunt" you can do without special tools, but you will need:

      • a flashlight with dim or red light (worms have no vision, but they can sense light and will run away if your flashlight is too bright);
      • a shovel or small gardening shovel to pick up sod or dig in the ground around the worms.

   2. Prepare a container for worms. For this purpose, you can take a plastic, metal or glass container or a box made of thick cardboard. Fill the container three quarters with damp soil and lay a layer of damp, fallen leaves on top. The leaves will help the soil stay moist and serve as food for the trapped worms.

      • A plastic container for butter or ice cream, a glass jar, a metal can for coffee, or even an old bucket are suitable for your purposes. Make sure the container is empty and clean before storing worms in it.
      • The worms need oxygen, so remember to punch holes in the lid. They must be large enough to allow air to pass through, but not too large, otherwise the worms will squeeze through the holes and crawl out.

   3. Wait for the sun to set. When it gets dark, go hunting. Worms can be found in the garden, vegetable garden or in the yard of the house. If you want, go hunting for earthworms in the forest or in the field, you can even try your luck on the golf course, if there is one nearby. Drive carefully, slowly and quietly. The worms do not have hearing organs, but they are able to sense the vibrations of the soil.

      Use the flashlight to find the worms. Collect the found worms and put them in the prepared container. You need to act very quickly, because if the worms sense someone is walking, they will hide back into their burrows.

   4. Pick up the cardboard that you put on the lawn beforehand. You can also flip stones, move logs or tree trunks lying on the ground, and lift a layer of fallen leaves. Worms are attracted to wet soil under objects on the ground, so try turning them over.

      • If you are unable to locate the worms on the surface, use a shovel to remove the fallen leaves or topsoil. You may find earthworms underneath.

Until recently, all domestic fishermen caught worms for fishing exclusively in this way. They went to their places of concentration and dug. The situation has changed, which was influenced by the fishing market, which included this bait in a form already packaged in jars. Fishermen, especially representatives of the last generations and people living in big cities, “forgot” about the traditional extraction of the worm and realized that it was easier to buy it. In this article we will tell you where to go, where to dig up worms for fishing, what species are, where they live, what to take with you, and also present some tips for storing baits.

Preparation for mining

The worm has appeared in fishing since antiquity. At that time, man did not yet know about the presence of such a number of species. It is believed that he initially experienced rain creeps. People have found that their elongated body fits perfectly on the hook.

Most are not only peaceful, but also predatory fish bites on this bait with a special hunt. Gradual acquaintance of a person with Vermes (stress on the first letter "E", this is the Latin name for a natural type - Worms) has led not only to the expansion of knowledge of biology, but also to a variety of choice of bait.

During the mating period (in all species in different ways), you can stumble upon a tangle of individuals!

Later, people realized that these animals live in water, and in the ground, and in manure, and in sand, and even inside flooded wooden structures. They are found under fallen leaves after rain, near the rhizomes of trees and shrubs. First, you need to decide on the place of production. We will tell you where and what worms live in the next section, but for now we will analyze the standard ammunition of the miner.

You will need a tool. If the soil is very soft, then you can get by with a piece of a plank or a flat piece of iron, a stick that lies at hand, and even do it with your hands. It is more difficult when they sit deep and you cannot easily dig out the soil. You will need a shovel. Its size depends on the degree of complexity of the work.

IMPORTANT! The most popular aids are small folding paddles. They are sold in tourist shops, in the departments for gardeners and gardeners. It is highly desirable that the bayonet of the shovel stays securely on the handle, does not bend or break.

Slightly larger in size - an army "sapper". Such a shovel, by the way, is very reliable, even more practical than modern factory goods. In difficult situations, we take an ordinary two-handed bayonet shovel.

Consider the size of the hook when digging. If, for example, you are going to catch small fish, then healthy individuals are useless to you. Experienced anglers take half of the large worms, just in case, and the other - smaller.

The collected worms should be placed in a container. This can be a mayonnaise bucket, a coffee can or a pressurized container for preserving food. Whatever it is, you definitely need a tight lid so that it doesn't crawl out, and holes for breathing (Vermes also need oxygen).

If you, roughly speaking, go fishing right now, then we put only worms in the jar. For longer storage, it is necessary to put their native soil there (in which they dug), it should take about half of the container.

The container for prey, the tool and hands must be clean - this is already for fish whims. Any strange smell will scare away the inhabitants of the reservoir.

Digging process

Fortunately, almost all people know how to dig, but there is a nuance in the mining itself. Here are some tips:

• try not to do any sudden movements during the process, this will reduce the number of worms cut with a shovel. We also take "Marriage" with us - it will be used as an additive in groundbait;
• do not forget to break the lumps - they can also sit in them. We try to do this with blunt parts of the shovel so as not to chop;
• it is better to close the container more often so that they do not crawl out while digging. Although worms crawl, they are quite dexterous creatures;
• if you saw the end of a worm in a part of the soil, then it is not necessary to pull it out (the body will break), but to dig it out;
• the biggest mistake newbies make is pouring water into a container. This is absolutely impossible to do, it is enough to slightly moisten the soil as it dries with non-chlorinated water (preferably from a reservoir). The worms will either die or become watery from the excess fluid. For example, leeches are another question;
• do not put worms in one container with maggots. The former are eaten with great speed.

IMPORTANT! It is necessary to feed. Breadcrumbs or small bread crumbs work well. During a long fishing trip, the worms will eat all the particles nutrients in the ground - you need additional food. Also, the fishermen pour them a little broth from the soup.

Species and habitats

First, let's break the myths about the representatives of the Vermes clan. The main myth: there are dung, earthen, red, gray, white, muddy, and there are also earthworms. Not right. All of the above (in fact, there are more of them) are the conditional names of species that are combined into one family - Lumbricidae. So called - earthworms. They are included in the Ringed Type, the higher order low-bristle (oligochaete) - these are the representatives used for fishing.

1 - tetrahedral, 2 - fetid, 3 - allopophore, 4 - reddish, and 5 - creeping.

Almost every species lives in a specific environment, and it can fit the preferences of individual fish. We will give the names conditional.

Dung

To find this representative, you should go to places that resemble a village or village. We need to find the dung heaps that the local population creates by cleaning out the cowsheds. Here you will find two types of worms living in such heaps:

• fetid rain;
• red dung;
• california red.

The California worm was specially bred taking into account desired result... It multiplies very quickly, so you can even stumble upon such clusters.

The second myth: fetid, which means it smells bad - the fish will not bite. Misjudgment because fish are afraid of unnatural, hostile odors. And such ringed representatives have been familiar to them for a long time. A strong smell, on the contrary, has a good effect on attracting the inhabitants of reservoirs, therefore, rural fishermen almost always catch precisely on a fetid worm.

Californian is the result of artificial crossing. These animals were specially bred in the USA for agriculture, so that they withstand all conditions and do the main work - they loosened, enriched the soil on plantations, fields, in greenhouses. Since then, it lives almost everywhere, this worm is also widespread in our country. You may have seen worms in the manure, in which the front is reddish, and the back is paler.

These three species live in the ground, but they wait for people to dump the manure, and only after that they fill the pile. The red dung is completely colored in the corresponding color. The same species are found in the usual environment, but manure is their main delicacy.

Crawl

The most common worm in any area with trees, earth, grass and bushes. It was the crawl that gave rise to the spread of the earthworm myth. The name speaks for itself - it crawls out in the rain. They can also be found by digging shallow near the roots of bushes and trees, or by ripping off sod. By the way, crawls can reach 30 or even 40 centimeters!

Mud dweller

Very impressive specimens live on overgrown swamps, oxbows, ponds and lakes. They can reach 50 meters in length and are comparable in width to the index finger. Such large worms are rare. Basically - a little less. These individuals live on overgrown reeds, cattails, reeds or arrow-leaved banks filled with a large amount of mud. There they feed on larvae. You will need to come up somehow in order not to fail. For example, build a bungalow and start digging. Their bodies are strong, fleshy, but the activity of this species is lower. They sit shallow, sometimes found on the surface. It is good to use such a worm on catfish as bait. It will fit a large hook. It can also be chopped into groundbait. Enough will be 5-6 pieces per kilogram of the mixture.

It is believed that ordinary worms live in the mud, which have evolutionarily increased in size due to excellent living conditions.

This individual should not be confused with the red dung species. You've probably encountered a reddish worm digging through the top layers of humus. It gives off a reddish-brown tint, sometimes there is a purple tint on the back. Another distinctive feature is the mother-of-pearl surface. Strong body, high activity, so be careful - it can escape quickly.

The photo clearly shows the pearlescent-bluish tint in the light

Allopophora

Such worms are actively attacked by roach. In form, it does not differ from many representatives of the allopophore; its main distinguishing feature is added to the correct name: "Yellowish-green". Individuals are found everywhere, especially for rotting foliage, gardens, vegetable gardens and steep banks. You don't have to dig deep if we are talking about highly moistened soil. In less humid soils, it sits too deeply - it will take a long time to work.

Tetrahedral

Not the whole body, of course, but only the middle and back of it. There the tetrahedrality is quite noticeable, hence the Latin name - Eiseniella tetraedra. It is small in length - from 3 to 5 centimeters. It should be dug only on wet soils, and this worm is also often found on wet banks of water bodies. It can also be found under damp moss.

By the second name, most likely, you will recognize this representative - Dendraben. A very tenacious and active individual. It has something of a reddish appearance and a fetid (ring on segments) dung beetle. The body is fleshy. That is why he has earned special popularity among fishermen. This is also an artificial hybrid developed in Europe for agriculture. You can dig it out of humus; in the wild, Belgian creepers have already spread widely. The condition is moisture and saturation of the soil with nutrients.

Dendrabena is resistant even to many of the chemicals in the earth. This does not mean at all that such a bait is suitable for fishing

Other representatives

We have listed the most common worms found in our zones. There are, of course, many other species, for example, the sandy polychaete representative. It lives mainly in the corresponding soils along the shores of the seas or river deltas. It is practically not necessary to dig these worms - the fishermen search for them by the characteristic hillocks. Many of the annelids are difficult to catch either because they are too thin or because they are difficult to catch. The most popular among fishermen are precisely dung species. The leech is also a ringed worm used to catch catfish, for example. It is not necessary to dig them out of the mud: throw a piece of meat (preferably with blood) right at the shore, they will attack it in a few minutes.

It is worth storing them while maintaining food, humidity and temperature. They keep better in cool soil. By temperature - a refrigerator tuned to low power, a cellar or basement. In the heat, the worms die out - these are already unsuitable for fishing. You can also not go to dig constantly, but once visit the habitat, take a bucket, there is soil and about 40 individuals. They will live, multiply - there is no longer any need to buy or walk.

Where you can find worms for fishing - every angler knows. These are places where moisture accumulates - in the shade behind the shed, under logs and boards. In general, where the soil does not dry out for a long time after rain.

Here you can easily collect worms without even digging deep into the ground.

Also, excellent fishing worms can be found in the compost pit. Here they are thick, bold, bright red. Not a single crucian will swim by.

And what to do if there is not a single drop of rain. Is the whole earth dry like a desert? Let's talk about one trick that will help out in such a situation.

Two sticks

You need to find any two sticks. Have one of them sharpen the end on one side.

This pointed stick must be stuck into the ground where worms are most commonly found. Do not stick too deeply. It is quite enough 10 - 12 centimeters.

With the second stick, you need to make sawing movements so that the vibration is transmitted under the soil. After a while, worms will creep out in large numbers. You just have to collect them in a jar.

Why it happens?

The vibration under the ground reminds worms of the approach of a dangerous beast for them - a mole, and therefore they are in a hurry to crawl out in order to preserve themselves.

Well, outside, another danger awaits them, about which they did not even suspect - this is a person whose plans are fishing.

If you are a beginner entrepreneur, then at first you can not buy earthworms, but just dig up. It is not difficult to do this, and if you are a fisherman, then you probably already have experience in this matter and how to get worms, you know, but we will offer you a few more good ways emanating from its habitat.

But for organizing a farm, you may need more individuals than for fishing, so we will give you some tips on where to find worms that will also be useful if you are just going fishing.

Habitat

So that the search is not in vain, you need to have an idea what the favorite habitat of worms is, then its extraction will be much easier.

To begin with, during the daytime, worms are in the soil and constantly make moves in it. If the ground is soft, then the worm drills it in front. At the same time, he first presses in front of the body, so that it becomes thin, and tries to push it forward between the lumps of soil. Then the front becomes thicker, pushing the soil apart, and the worm drags the rest of its body.

If the soil is very dense, then the worm acts in a different way, namely, it eats up its passage. In this case, the earth passes through his intestines. Earthen lumps can be found on the surface of the earth - they are left by the worm at night. They very often come out of the soil to the surface when it rains heavily (that's why it is called an earthworm). In the summer season, the worms try to stay in the upper layers of the soil, and in the winter they pull out holes, the depth of which can reach two meters.

Where to look first

Under large objects

It is good if such a place is constantly shaded and a little humid, in which case there will certainly be a successful hunt for worms.

For example, in our country, tires are often buried in the ground, as if they were deliberately made not as tires for cars, but for fences. They are found in many courtyards. If you see a tire lying in the garden, do not hesitate for a long time in a shaded place, dig, you will definitely find it there. Also, if you see ordinary large stones, bricks, fragments of concrete slabs or a lot of branches, logs, then there is a high probability that worms live there. This is their favorite habitat. Bring a metal crowbar with you, otherwise you run the risk of ripping off your back.

Manure

In a dung heap, the extraction of worms is always successful, there they were and will always be. This is probably due to their taste preferences, it is not known exactly, but this is so, there are a lot of worms in the dung heap.

Cesspool

You, of course, have noticed places where puddles do not dry for a long time, usually they are in shaded places and often serve to drain water. An important condition we can say that the hole should not be near the road, it is unlikely to find a worm there. You need to dig not only directly in the groove itself, but also near it.

Near the sewer

The situation is the same as with manure. Creatures have peculiar taste preferences and they adore, which is disgusting for us. Apart from this, there is constantly damp extraction of worms in such places is very simple and always effective.

Video "Mining with current"

This video shows how worms climb from the ground after this place is energized.

Places where there are no worms

• sand;
• dry cracked soil;
• land with many stones.

A few rules for where to find worms

You have probably seen often when worms crawl on the ground almost under your feet. They are called "creepers" and they appear after heavy rains for a long time. At this time, experienced anglers collect them and immediately go fishing, as worms called "creepers" are extremely good at attracting large fish. Much better than a regular worm.

An excellent option is self-breeding of worms. The method is not only convenient and versatile, but also environmentally friendly. But it can be practiced only in private farmsteads or in the country. The easiest way is to dig a hole in a shaded area and throw food waste into it, i.e. anything that hasn't been eaten, peelings, rotten potatoes, etc.

We believe that these tips will help you and the extraction of the worm will be more fruitful and simple.

For worm hunting in the area to be more successful, you need to be a little more observant and for some it may seem strange, but it is worth seeing how the birds behave. And then the problem of where to get the worms will not be so difficult. Pay attention to where the rooks gather, there are undoubtedly worms in such places.

But if there is no time for such research, then apply in practice general knowledge about the habitat of these creatures. This is not difficult. All worms adore damp, darkened places, they can simply be found by stirring a layer of last year's foliage, in various wet pits and ditches, near streams and temporary river beds. Decayed wood, nettles - are equally attracted to the worm. It is very convenient to use the most ordinary pitchfork, and not a shovel, when searching for and pulling out worms from the soil or manure. You can collect worms in the garden even when you plant something on your land plot or weed it. This is the easiest prey for worms.

It is very easy to create cozy conditions for worms in a specially designated and, first of all, convenient area for you. You just need to spread some rags on the compost or manure heap and moisten it from time to time. With a high degree of probability, after a couple of days, worms will begin to gather under the rags, which will only have to be collected.

Worms harvested in autumn can be stored for a long time, for example, for winter fishing. In the autumn and winter, they must be kept in a cellar or other place in a large container. For example, in a barrel made of wood, which needs to be filled about half. This will be enough to store a fairly decent amount of the worm. It has been noticed that manure and scapula are well preserved in winter, which in such simple conditions can begin to reproduce. Earthen is more demanding and, under the wrong conditions, simply dies. In soft soil, you need to add rotted and rotten foliage, the remnants of vegetation. It is better and easier to feed the worm with leftover food that mixes with the earth and foliage.

How to get worms in winter and its habitat at this time.

Since modern fishing has undergone many changes in terms of fishing methods and tackle. The market offers a huge range of artificial and live baits, but the classic bait is the earthworm. Since childhood, fishermen know what a crawl is, but this is only a superficial understanding. The European earthworm belongs to the annelid invertebrate species and to the suborder of small-bristled worms.

Body length varies from 2 cm to several meters (in some species). The growth of local representatives reaches about 15 cm. It got its name due to the peculiarity of crawling out of holes to the surface during rain. In fishing, it is used as bait for peaceful species, although predators also do not disdain them: perch, pike perch, catfish.

Earthworms can be found on all continents except Antarctica. A favorite place to live is oily soil with a high percentage of moisture. In sandy and clayey soils, this species is rare, it is more impressed by black soil.

In dry weather, it is problematic to find representatives of small bristles. They go deep underground or hide in the roots of vegetation, under the shade of trees, where the direct rays of the sun do not hit the ground. In the heat, you can make a plentiful spill of soil, thereby imitating rain - a crawl will surely appear on the surface, but in the late afternoon.

If the average air temperature does not exceed 20-25 ° C, the worms can be dug with a shovel. You should start your search in grassy vegetation, since its roots retain moisture well.

Everyone decides for himself where to dig up worms for fishing, however the best way capturing will be a night hunt with a flashlight. Crawling is caught after rain in the dark. This requires a little light and manual dexterity.

Crawlers are tenacious worms, but before collecting them, you should prepare a storage area. The bait is placed in a loose container with foliage and a little soil. Keep it in a cool place, for example, in the lower compartments of the refrigerator. Subject to these rules, the worm does not lose its viability for a month.

Methods for planting worms

Fishing crawls are taken in storage containers. There are several methods for dressing on a hook:

• In pieces. In this way, the bait gives off a greater flavor that attracts the fish.
• For the middle. With this method of nozzle, the worm does not lose its mobility and visually attracts underwater inhabitants. This method is good for low biting activity.
• Rings. Outwardly, the nozzle looks like a tidbit of meat. Wherein live bait does not have the ability to slide off the hook, carefully masking it.

Each mounting method is used in certain conditions. With a passive bite, it is better to hook the worm so that it moves on the hook. The “meaty” aroma is enough for an active fish. Fishing crawls are an animal attachment that often outperforms plant counterparts.

A tandem of vegetable and animal bait is also used, or, as it is popularly called, “a sandwich”. Live bait complements other baits well.

For example, a worm with corn perfectly attracts carp, grass carp and large bream, and adding it to barley will effectively affect the biting of crucian carp and roach.

Growing earthworms in the country

In addition to fishing purposes, they are beneficial and summer cottage, are able to produce natural and high-quality fertilizer - vermicompost. It is better to start this event in the fall, since all species that can harm a young worm by this time fall into suspended animation.

For breeding will need a large container or dense film, which is lined in a meter-long hole and serves as a barrier against creeping. The breeding site is chosen not in an open area, but outside the garden - in the garden, under the branches of trees. The container should be covered with a 30-cm layer of fallen leaves and the "settlers" should be launched. The next layer is humus, twigs and food organic waste: tops, vegetable peels, and so on. As the top, ordinary black soil is used, which should be tamped a little. In a day, the "farm" is moistened with settled water at room temperature.