Worms are the first thing anyone thinks of when they hear about live fishing bait. Smaller worms, such as red worms, are commonly used to catch smaller fish, while larger worms are used as bait for catfish, sea bass, and grayeye. Many anglers buy worms from a retailer the night before or the morning they go fishing, but for those who go fishing more frequently, it could become a challenging expense. You can raise the worms yourself for fishing, which, in addition to saving you money, will improve the quality of the soil in your garden. The steps below will guide you in doing this.
Steps
Step 1. Build a raised bed for the worms
Building a raised bed for your worms to grow allows you to contain and isolate the soil in which they will live. Your flowerbed can be of different materials, shapes and sizes.
-
You can build a flower bed in any size you like. Good measures are:
- 90 to 180 cm in length
- From 60 to 120 cm deep
- From 30 to 60 cm in height
- You can build the flower bed both in the garden and indoors, depending on the climate of your area. The bed should be built at a ground level spot where it can stay in the shade while avoiding freezing over the winter. There is no need to build a bottom for the bed, unless you make it small enough to make it portable; the worms will certainly not try to escape, as long as you feed them regularly. You could, however, build a small canopy to deflect the rain, as long as you still provide the soil with the necessary water. If you live in an area where there are anteaters and armadillos, consider installing a fine mesh over the bed to protect your precious worms.
- Choosing wood as a material is a good idea; it is a natural material. You can use planks measuring 2.5x30cm for the side walls. Since you can simply replace any rotted planks in the future, you can also avoid using the various types of pressed lumber.
- You can also use cinder blocks to build your flower bed, as long as you are sure you won't be moving it in the future.
- A fine mesh net folded in place would also be fine; however, in this case you will have to cover the sides with a cloth, perhaps jute, to prevent the worms from escaping, while allowing the oxygen to pass.
- If you are not planning to build a real flower bed, a large Styrofoam container may be fine too.
Step 2. Fill the bed with peat
There should be enough of it to protect the worms from the sun so that, thanks also to the shade, they do not dehydrate. Filling the bed halfway should suffice.
Step 3. Water the peat
Soak the peat with a garden hose the first time, then water it regularly to keep it moist at all times. Ideally, the soil should be as moist as a wet sponge.
Don't put in so much water that you see puddles after you're done. Too much water would drown the worms
Step 4. Fill the bed with worms
Choose a species suitable for the climate in your area. You can buy them at a fishing store or from a major distributor. Buy about two dozen for every 30 square centimeters of flower bed.
Step 5. Keep the bed temperature just above 0 degrees
If the ground were too cold, the worms would try to get out; if it were too hot they would die. The ideal temperature is between 5 and 10 degrees centigrade.
Step 6. Make sure there is enough oxygen
The peat or whatever you use must remain soft enough to allow air to penetrate. If you used a non-breathable material to build the raised bed, you will need to drill holes to ensure adequate air circulation.
Temperature also affects oxygen levels. The warmer the ground or the water, the less oxygen they can hold
Step 7. Feed the worms regularly
Although worms extract nutrients from the soil they live in, you will need to supplement these nutrients by mixing compost into the soil, which consists of: coffee grounds, grass clippings, manure, corn or oatmeal, or wet leaves. Use about 500g of material for every 500g of worms in your bed. (Some fishermen who breed worms recommend putting the food in the ground before even adding the worms to it.)
Too much food will generate heat, causing the worms to become dehydrated. In addition, if it remains moist, leftover food can attract fungi, ants, mites and beetles and, consequently, various predators that feed on worms, such as anteaters and armadillos
Step 8. Replace half of the soil every 6 months
Using a rake, "plow" the soil in order to move all the worms to one side. Remove the earth where there are no worms and use it to fertilize your garden. Top up the worm bed with new peat.
Advice
- When catching worms to go fishing, only take the ones you think you need immediately. You can keep them in special containers with a breathable surface or use an empty ice cream pack filled with peat, with holes for oxygen to pass through.
- If you find yourself having more worms than you can handle, you can sell the extra ones to a fishing shop or donate them to a group of young people who might sell them to raise money.
- Although worms should never be exposed to direct sunlight, if you notice that they are trying to escape from the surface of the ground, aim an artificial light over them to discourage them from doing so.
