If you’re just starting fishing, or taking kids along for your trip, I would highly encourage you to fish with nightcrawlers or other worms. Live bait, such as worms, are the best chance you have of catching a fish. While fish will certainly eat “fake” or artificial worms, there’s no substitute for the real thing. If you’re a beginner, or taking someone along who is, fishing with live worms will help you get that early bite you need to build some confidence.
Nightcrawlers and other worms are great bait because literally every species of fish will eat them. Worms will catch everything swimming in your lake. Plenty of pumpkinseed, bluegill, perch, crappie, rock bass, bullheads, catfish, bowfin, largemouth and smallmouth bass are caught every day in America on a nightcrawler. Even species you wouldn’t expect to enjoy worms, like northern pike, chain pickerel, or even trout, have no qualms about chomping down on an earthworm if they get the chance. The only issue is whether or not they’ll get that chance before something smaller darts in and steals the morsel.
Let’s dive into why fish are attracted to worms, what kinds of fish will eat them, which types of worms you should use, and if there are any alternatives to live bait that also works well.
Why are Fish Attracted to Worms?
Fish are attracted to worms because they are a legitimate meal. A nightcrawler s a wriggling, fat and juicy live target that smells and tastes great (to a fish. I’ve never tried them). Just go find a school of panfish sometime and toss one into the center. They’ll do their best piranha impression in an instant. Even the fish that have been caught and released a dozen times already in their life will still go for it. The perceived reward outweighs the risk.
What Kind of Fish Eat Nightcrawlers?
As mentioned earlier, literally every fish in the lake will eat a worm. Just think back to all the times on Facebook that you’ve seen a friend’s kid catch a good sized fish. Let’s say that friend isn’t a regular angler and they were just messing around. What exactly do you think they caught that fish on? I would wager a fair sum that it was either a nightcrawler, earthworm, red wiggler and wax worm. After all, that was the first bait most of us used to catch our first big fish.
Some people don’t think that larger fish like largemouth bass or northern pike will eat a nightcrawler. This hasn’t been my experience. I believe the reason people think this is simply a lack of opportunity. If you throw a worm out into a school of largemouth or smallmouth bass, you will catch bass. But, if you throw a worm out near a few largemouth bass and a few bluegill, you will most likely catch a bluegill before the bass has a chance to react.
Do Bass Eat Worms?
Yes, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass eat worms, assuming that they aren’t beaten to their lunch by a school of smaller fish like pumpkinseed or bluegill. However, I have noticed that you are far more likely to catch a largemouth bass on a large worm like a nightcrawler than a small one like a garden worm or red wiggler.
It’s also very important that you leave a large amount of the worms tail free and off the hook, dangling and squirming through the water. The problem with this, of course, is that bluegill will rip it to shreds long before the bass can get close, in most instances. You might go through quite a few small fish before you finally land that bass.
All in all, if I wanted to catch a lot of bass, I would bring artificial lures. They work better than nightcrawlers simply because they help you weed out all the little fish. All but the biggest sunfish aren’t going to bother with a spinnerbait, for example.
Do Crappie Eat Worms?
If you’re after a tasty meal to eat, worry not: worms will work great for catching small fish like crappie. They like other panfish can’t get enough of them if you put them where they can find them. With crappie and other smaller fish you’re sometimes better off cutting the worm up into pieces so you can fit more of them on the hook. These fish tend to peck away at them around the hook if you’re not careful, which can lead to your going through a lot of bait before you have some success.
Do Pike Eat Worms?
Northern pike, muskie, and chain pickerel will all eat worms. The bigger question is if you’ll ever land them. Most of the time when you’re fishing a nightcrawler, it’s on a pretty small hook and with no leader. These two facts don’t bode well for catching anything with teeth. While you could use a fishing leader, there are better ways to catch these fish. In much of the open water season you’re better off using something like a spinnerbait or spoon that can be worked quickly through the water. Worms are very slow and precise so unless you know exactly where one of these less common fish are lurking, nightcrawlers won’t be your best bet.
Are Worms Good Fish Bait?
Worms aren’t only good fish bait, they’re some of the best fish bait that you can find. They catch everything that can swim and are fun to find with your children. If you’re in a rush, every tackle shop and many gas stations near you carries them. You can use them everywhere, so you don’t have to worry about if it is illegal like fishing with corn is in some places.
Nightcrawler vs. Red Wigglers vs. Wax Worms
Three of the more common worms that you’ll see at your tackle shop are nightcrawlers, red wigglers, and wax worms (which are actually larvae). Of these, nightcrawlers are the only ones I bother fishing with. I know that’s a contentious statement, but I’ve yet to find a reason why I needed to use any of the others. The biggest selling point of the other worms seems to be size. Well, a pair of braided line scissors can cut a nightcrawler down to size quite easily, and you’ll get the added scent of the blood trail to boot. Nonetheless, let’s talk about the others a bit.
Red Wigglers
Red wigglers are a smaller species of worm that is very popular as a composting worm and also can be found in many bait shops as “red worms.” They are thinner than nightcrawlers and generally come in packs with more worms because they’re smaller. Some anglers love using them but in my opinion you’re better off leaving red wigglers and earthworms for garden composting. They’re small and thin which makes them difficult to spear, and, again, why not just cut the nightcrawler down to pieces?
Wax Worms
Wax worms aren’t actually “worms.” Rather, they’re the larvae of the wax moth or bee moth. A website appropriately called “thewormlady” has a good writeup on them. Apparently, wax worms make good ice fishing bait and are well liked by smaller fish like yellow perch who will eat them in droves. I will give them this: the fact that they come in a container of wood shavings as opposed to dirt is a very nice touch indeed. I can’t tell you how sick and tired I am of cleaning dirt off my boat when my kid kicks the worm container somewhere!
Will Fish Eat Dead Nightcrawlers?
I once wrote an entire article on Do Fish Eat Dead Worms. It turned out to be one of my first “hits,” go figure. While you can get the details there, the bottom line is, yes, fish will eat dead worms, but as a worm decomposes this becomes less likely. It’s difficult to keep a very dead worm on the hook, and many of the species that will jump at the chance to eat a live and spritely nightcrawler will thumb their nose at a dead one. You’re far better off doing your best to keep your worms alive, and that means keeping them in a cool dark place until you’re ready to use them.
How to Rig Nightcrawlers and Other Worms
The way you’ll rig a worm on a hook depends on what fish you’re trying to catch. If you’re going for panfish like pumpkinseed, bluegill, or rock bass, you’ll want to cut up your nightcrawler and just use a tiny little morsel on the tip of your hook. This will enhance hook up rates and prevent fish from eating your worm without being caught.
On the other hand, if you want a chance at a larger fish such as a bass, you will want to use the entire worm. A big fish like a bass isn’t going to eat a tiny worm parcel – it wants the whole thing. You are much more likely to catch a bass with a nightcrawler if you use the whole worm and have its tail dangling off into the water. This will allow the tail to squirm and wriggle which will call the fish in and tell them it’s something good to eat.
Some people spear their worms through the head and thread the hook through its body. While I do this too, I don’t like having too much of the worm impaled by the hook. Doing so means that part of the worm can’t wriggle. Instead, spear the head but then leave a good section of the worm outside of the shank. Then, spear the worm again in the middle, leaving the tail fluttering in the waves. I’ve found this is a good balance that allows the worm to wriggle yet also keeps it secure on the hook.
Rigging Options: Bare Hook, Dropshot, Bobber
Most folks use one of three rigs for fishing with nightcrawlers. A bare hook, a drop shot, or a bobber. All have their pros and cons.
Bare Hook
The easiest way to rig a worm is on a simple bare hook. All you need to do is thread it on as discussed earlier and then throw it in the water. A bare hook is relatively light weight and will allow the worm to sink slowly. This gives many fish a good chance to look at it and decide if they’ll dart up and snatch it. Just make sure that you use a hook small enough for the sort of fish you intend to catch. My big issue with many of the fishing starter kits you see out there is that they come with such large hooks that this is impossible. A size 4 or 6 Aberdeen style panfish hook is perfect.
Dropshot
My preferred way to fish worms is with a dropshot. I like it so much that I spend considerable time talking about what a great presentation it is, and how it should be the first rig you learn. I teach how to tie it in this post about the basic skills you need to go fishing. Drop shots are great because their weight allows you to make a longer cast. They also are very good for keeping worms off the bottom so they foul less with weeds. Finally, while bobbers can also keep bait at a certain depth, a drop shot keeps them at a certain depth and certain place, the wind be darned.
Bobbers
Those of you who have been following this blog for awhile know that I hate bobbers with a passion. I go against the grain and completely advocate against using bobbers when fishing with kids, and have even gone so far as to suggest that bobbers are destroying America. Nonetheless, people use them, and they can (boringly) work. My only suggestion is that if you insist on using these bore-balls, you bring a good book along. Might I suggest my own?
What is a Good Alternative to Live Bait?
If you don’t want to fish with live bait, but still want to catch a lot of fish, the best alternative I’ve found has been Berkley Gulp. I find that small minnows work extremely well for catching panfish as well as bass. When I’m fishing them, I’m usually targeting larger species so I go with the 1.5″ to 2″ size, but if you were strictly after panfish, the 1″ size would do very well. While they come up to 3″, I have found that you don’t catch near as many fish with that as you’re basically filtering out everything that isn’t a bass or larger.
Berkley Gulp comes in different colors but I prefer a gray or black – something natural. You can buy them in pouches, or in a can that is filled with liquid. I’d recommend the can as the liquid has as scent to it that disperses through the water and calls fish in. You can buy these great baits at Amazon.
Do Fish Bite Fake Worms?
Yes, fake or plastic worms are some of the best bass lures manufactured. What might surprise you, however, is that you don’t want to try to find fake worms that look exactly like the real thing. While there are some companies that offer these, they are usually outproduced by worms that look a little, well, odd. One of the best plastic worms out there barely looks like a worm at all. Gary Yamamoto’s Senko is without any doubt my favorite plastic worm and it looks more like a rubber cylinder than a true nightcrawler. Regardless, it is perfectly balanced, has a good salt scent and taste to it, and flat out catches fish.
With that said, don’t expect to catch many panfish with a Senko. These are big fish lures. Largemouth bass love them and will bite them routinely but smaller fish have a hard time getting them in their mouths deep enough to be hooked. You’ll still feel them pecking at the lure but you won’t land many. Bass, on the other hand, can be caught one after the other. Some of my most memorable fishing trips were thanks to a Senko.
Conclusions
Never be afraid to put a nightcrawler or other worm on a fish hook and to see what will eat it. Every species out there can be caught on them — I don’t care what you’ve heard. The only question is if the nightcrawler really is the best bait for the type of fish you’re trying to catch. A worm is clearly the best bait for panfish. Nightcrawlers can also be great for largemouth and smallmouth bass, assuming they get a chance to eat them before a bluegill does. Northern pike, chain pickerel, and muskie will also eat worms, but there’s a good chance they’ll cut through your entire rig in the process.
Just make sure you know what species you’re trying to catch when rigging up your worms. If you’re after smaller fish, use smaller chunks of a worm – they won’t mind any and you’ll put more on the hook. Is catching largemouth bass your goal? Then you’ll want to leave as much of that worm on as possible. If you’re going for northern pike… Maybe try a faster moving artificial lure, unless you have all day.
Armed with this knowledge, you should have a great time fishing with worms! Let me know how you did!
Thanks for reading,
John Paxton
