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is important. There are a number of tools that you can purchase that will make your presentation of nightcrawlers better. One is a "worm threader". This device is a long, thin metal rod with a handle. You thread the crawler onto the threader which you then put the end of at the tip of your hook and push the worm off the threader and onto the hook, and even up the line in most cases.. Since the threader is straight it's far easier to do this than to try to do the same thing on a curved hook and the worm can stretch out up and down your hook and line in a more natural manner. In addition, if you are using a more active approach like casting your bait out and reeling back, a worm threaded on the hook will have the hook closer to the end preventing the fish from grabbing the tail and pulling your bait off the hook. Another tool that can be useful is a "worm inflator". A worm inflator is a small bottle with a needle attached that is used to inject air into a worm to make it float off of the bottom where the fish can more easily find it.

You can fish for trout in lakes with nightcrawlers under a bobber or on the bottom. The fish will tend to hold at different levels in various locations around a body of water and at different times of the day. Experiment with the depth of your line under a bobber and, if you can't get any fish like that, try fishing right on the bottom. You can use larger hooks when fishing with nightcrawlers than fishing with smaller worms but a #6 to a #8 is probably the largest you will need. Baitholder hooks can work well for nightcrawlers as the barbs on the shank make it more difficult for the fish to pull the bait off of the hook, but the larger diameter wire and large, bent eye on a baitholder hook can make it more difficult to thread a worm onto the hook, especially for thinner baits.

In rivers and streams you can use the same techniques with nightcrawlers as you use for wigglers. Drift the bait downstream into spots that are likely to hold fish and wait for the strike.

Where nightcrawlers really shine is in cool and warm-water fishing for walleye, bass and catfish. There are probably almost as many techniques for fishing this bait for these species as there are fish and fishermen combined.

For walleye you will want to use the normal techniques for finding where the fish are, points and ridges off or in the main body of the lake are some of your best spots. Walleye will hold deeper during the day and shallower in the evening and at night.

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