[delbert bumbleshoot]

As I was out in the middle of the night at the side of the road in my gore-tex rain suit in a torrential downpour with a flashlight and a five gallon bucket 1/3 full of a writhing mass of 10" Garter snake like worms. The Overland Park Police pulled up and wanted to know what the heck I was doing. After they ran my license I assured them I lived right across the street and I'm not a prowler or peeping tom. The cop says with a smile if you're out in the pouring rain in the middle of the night with a flashlight picking up nightcrawlers....... You might be a *******. I think he's right. But I picked up about 500 of the biggest,baddest nightcrawlers. It is that time of year....after a big storm walk the gutters that still are wet. I can pick up almost infinite numbers within 75 feet of my house. My worm farm is now overflowing.Get in the right place where a tributary dumps in a bigger lake or a creek runs into a smaller one and you can kill the big channel cats after a really hard rain. I caught 40 in 4 hours one day last year with 6 over 10lbs the biggest 24lbs and 36inches all in a 25' wide creek not more than 3' deep .....course the worms I was baiting with were free so the fact that I was using about 4 or 5 whole nightcrawlers on a 4/0 j hook with a bobber 18" deep didn't cost an arm and a leg.If I had to buy them at $2.00/dozen I couldn't afford to do that. Eric

 

[GaryF]

"if you're out in the pouring rain in the middle of the night with a flashlight picking up nightcrawlers....... You might be a *******."

Lol. I picked up a few from the yard this morning. I've got good 2nd hand knowledge that worms work pretty good for flatheads in those same creek inflows. I knew a fellow who would catch a couple of nice ones, up to over 50lbs, out of Lake Jacomo almost every year doing that.

 

[Ahquabi_Master]

I was looking out of my window last night while the crawlers were sliming around in the rain. I didn't notice any as big as the ones you mentioned though - maybe Kansas has bigger crawlers than Iowa. Anyway when I do see some bigger ones I'm gonna stock up myself.

 

[SkipEye]

I saw a whole batch of gigantic Missouri nightcrawlers that Cuz paid a local boy to collect for him. I don't know where or when to find them myself but they were HUGE! I am talking GIANT here. Nothing like those store bought worms!

 

[bluejay]

Got a few myself last night. Driveway about 40' wide and 75' long on one side. After a rain or during I can find them there all the time. Throw the smaller ones back in the grass.
Jacomo is a good local lake to fish at the inlets during and after a rain. Channels will wear you out..

 

[catfisherman_eky3]

Thank you for the info glad to hear you was able to get you some night crawlers, thats one good think about rain it dampens the ground and you can go out and stock up on night crawlers.

 

[delbert bumbleshoot]

My son went out with me while it was still light and all we found was little ones out front. We did get about a dozen good ones under the chum buckets behind the boat shed. When I went back out after midnight they were all over the place. Look for areas with spotty grass cover it's much easier to pull 'em out. I caught 2 6lb wipers and a 12lb channel last year up the creek at shawnee misison last year. Anything that swims will eat a big gob of worms especially where the waters running in. Eric

 

[PHLIPS4BIGKATS]

Went out last night and my front still loaded with them. Tonight I'm going to collect enough to last me quit a while.:big_smile:

 

[PHLIPS4BIGKATS]

Skipeye, The best time is from now till end of May then you have to work a little harder.

 

[Bullfoot]

Between three of us we picked up over 1000 worms in two nights.. they are out in a big way.. we used them to pull in a 5 lb flattie today on the river.

 

[PHLIPS4BIGKATS]

Its the one time that I don't mind working on my hands and knees. My wife says that when I'm done my clothes look like a little kid had went out to play in the mud, so they end up on the porch.

 

[millertimemarine]

is it possible to find them tonight even though its in the low 40's?

 

[River Outlaw]

i was out in my buddy's yard and heard em out tonight

 

[PHLIPS4BIGKATS]

10 4 . I'm goin out in about 20min after the family is all tucked in. Then the picken is on.:big_smile:

Jake the air temp is colder then the ground temp so they stay warm enough to come out and mate.

 

[River Outlaw]

ya know, it dont matter what the conditions are, you can always shock em out :smile2:

 

[PHLIPS4BIGKATS]

If I had an old phone crank I would use it in a minute.

 

[River Outlaw]

we're gonna make some shock rods using an extention cord so we can just plug in to an outside socket and "talk" em into givin up :smile2:

 

[PHLIPS4BIGKATS]

I tried that last year and it kept tripping the breaker so I thought that was the sign stop while I was ahead.

 

[River Outlaw]

i guess i was goin after too much power. terry is tellin me i can just a big 9 volt battery, wires, and some rods.

 

[PHLIPS4BIGKATS]

What about a 12 volt batt?