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While it's always a thrill to catch fish, whether on artificial or natural baits, obtaining your own bait can be a fun and economical addition to the whole experience. And, if you have children fishing with you, the excitement of getting bait can provide them with almost as much fun as the fishing itself.

The tried and true bait that fisherman have probably obtained for themselves are earthworms. While you can buy red wigglers and nightcrawlers at any bait shop, any earthworm will work just fine. And with nightcrawlers at a price per pound higher than the finest steaks, you can save a lot of money by getting them yourself.

You can usually find earthworms in puddles or crawling through the grass after a heavy rain, but, sometimes you have to go to the tried and true method, a shovel in the garden. And, when you turn over a shovelful of earth, the kids really get a thrill out of playing in the dirt to find the worms.

My grandfather had another technique for getting worms. He had an old, hand-cranked generator with two wires running off of it. At the end of the wires were metal spikes. Pushing the metal spikes into moist soil and turning the crank would drive the worms to the surface where they could be picked up. You can accomplish the same thing by driving your shovel into the ground and shaking the handle, the vibrations will bring the worms to the top. I also learned from my grandfather that a pitchfork works even better, if you happen to have one available.

Most insects work well as bait, too. I can remember catching grasshoppers on the shore of the lake, throwing one out and catching fish after fish. It takes practice to catch grasshoppers but it can be a fun activity. Smaller grasshoppers are best caught between two cupped hands. You sneak up on the grasshopper, preferably sitting on a twig or blade of grass, and cup one hand in front of the grasshopper and the other behind and bring them together. If you do it right, even if the hopper jumps it will probably jump into the hand that you've placed in front. Larger grasshoppers are better caught by grabbing their wings or hind legs between your pinched fingers. If you've got one that you think will be perfect you might have to follow it through a few jumps until it gets tired enough for you to reach down and grab it.

Other baits that you can get for yourself are minnows, shad, crayfish and frogs. It's usually easier to catch these using specially designed traps or nets but, if you have a shallow creek nearby, you can usually wade in the pools of the creek and catch them by hand. Be certain to check your local regulations on what is legal to use as bait, there may be size restrictions or regulations on the quantities you can catch and use.

Next time you're thinking of taking your children or grandchildren fishing, take some extra time to get your own bait. You may find they have as much fun chasing bugs, digging worms or wading for crayfish as they do with the fishing.

Learn more about this author, Keith Hamburger.
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