Worms. Possibly the worlds best live bait, and they are available to you, Free! Yes, that's right, and with a little hard work and tender loving care, you will never have to buy worms again.

Worms. Possibly the worlds best live bait, and they are available to you, Free! Yes, that's right, and with a little hard work and tender loving care, you will never have to buy worms again. Many worms can be bought now from vending machines, which are nice to have when you need them, but have you seen the price ; $2-3 dollars a dozen, that's expensive. Why pay inflated prices when you can raise them and have a healthy, unlimited supply all summer long.

Worm farming in Ontario is a multi million dollar underground industry that provides North America with a good percentage of the worms used. Canadian night crawlers are famous for their size and hardiness and are one of the most sought after worms for fishing.

Here are a few tips to get you started on your own little worm farm, which will save you serious amounts of money, and give you the satisfaction of knowing they are your own worms.

Get your beds ready before you start picking. Wash the wooden box with soap and water, then a very mild bleach water to kill any algae, mold or bacteria. Rinse several times with water, the bleach smell should be faint or gone. Add your pre-moistened bedding, making sure that it is thoroughly wet, but not soaked. The bedding may be bought at most stores that carry fishing equipment.

The boxes I use are about 1 1/2' x 1 1/2' x 12." Keep a thermometer in the fridge so that you can regulate the temperature, as it will fluctuate a little. I keep the temperature in my fridge just above freezing. This keeps the worms very healthy and helps keep bacteria from spreading rapidly. Try to keep the top of the bedding from freezing. Wet newspaper or foam insulation will help in preventing this, and also the bedding will not dry out as fast.

The next thing you will need is a flashlight with near to dead batteries, or a military angle-head, using the defused lens that is provided. Bright lights will make them disappear before you have a chance at grabbing them. If a flashlight with near to dead batteries cannot be found (Ya right!) You can tie a piece of cloth over the end. This should give you just enough light to see them glistening in the grass, but not frighten them. Determine which end is the head, and grab away.

I like to pick my worms as early in the season as possible. Early March or April depending on weather conditions i.e. snow or frost. I pick my worms during, or just after a rain. If I am pressed for time, I will spend hours in a downpour picking worms. The heavy rainfall floods their holes, and they must evacuate or they will drown. This is when they are the easiest to pick, stretched out crawling across the grass or a parking lot. Touch them, and they curl up making them easy to pick.

If you have to "pull" worms, be very careful, and do not rip any. Ones that are damaged should not be kept. Quickly grab hold of the worm, just put pressure on them, don't tug. The constant pressure will make the worm loose the grip it has on the wall of the hole. Do not grab at ones that are just partially out, you will only rip them. They should be at least out far enough that you can see their egg sac, the orange-ish ring.