Keeping Nightcrawlers "Clean"

[Sportdog]

I'm tired of cleaning my boat of the black worm bedding mess that crawlers come in when you buy them. I remember a post in the past about a material/paper? to keep them in while you are fishing, then returning the remaining ones to a proper bedding after you get home. Anyone willing to share a tip? Thank You.

[brentfrank]

A little 6 pack cooler with some water and ice. Crawlers will stay fresh and clean and at the end of the day put them back in the bedding.

[Sportdog]

A little 6 pack cooler with some water and ice. Crawlers will stay fresh and clean and at the end of the day put them back in the bedding.

You mean you put them right in ice water? Or am I missing something? Thanks.

[Terroreyes]

If I can't find crawlers in paper, I rinse the dirt off and put them in ziplock baggies with big chunks of shredded paper towel and a bit more water than the towels can absorb. Then I just throw the pack(s) in the cooler with the beer. :)

[fishchaser]

exactly right brentfrank. Not only will the crawlers stay clean and fresh they will also be very livley and swell a little. Have to keep the water cold.
It's an old trick. read lunkers love nightcrawlers.

[Xswab]

Concur w/Terrroreyes.
Add a little bit of spent coffee grounds.....livens them up real well.
Have been able to keep worms alive and well in a gallon ziplock for nearly 3wks, just keep 'em cold.

[eyecatcher01]

i hated the foam containers they come in always getting broke...than no lid and dirt all over the place. anymore i just throw them in a leach tamer bag in the livewell. the ziplock and 'downy' paper towels and some water/ice works great also. anything beats the mess that comes with foam containers.

[eyestopper]

I throw them in a little bucket with water. A dozen at a time. Keep the water cool, the crawlers plump up and seem to be very lively. No mess.

[howler]

we use those little plastic containers made by Glad, put in a few doz and a little water and keep them in the cooler on ice. Also keeping the crawlers in spaghnum moss is pretty clean, I hate that black dirt also

[@Lunker]

Wash the crawlers off in a bucket of water. Get yourself a small plastic container (sandwich sized Rubbermaid or something like that.) Drill holes in the top for ventilation. Put the crawlers in the container along with a small piece of damp cloth towel (a cut up hand towel). Keep them on ice in your boat. I keep two such containers and rotate them during the course of a day. Keeps the crawlers plump and happy and your boat clean.

They guys make fun of me because I "wash my worms" but they marvel at how clean my boat stays.

[westside]

What I have done, is to take out what I need...2,3 dozen from my main crawler box and rinse them off with the garden hose. Then they go, nice and clean, into a leach tamer(tight mesh bag w/velcro closure on the top). Toss that in with the beer and ice, just on top is fine. You'll have nice healthy crawlers that are very clean and easy to get to. At the end of the day back into the bedding box they go.

[undguy]

I second the leech tamer. I have small baitwells in my boat that I fill with ice. I rinse off the worms, put them in a leech tamer, and put them on ice. Like a poster wrote above - they stay very fresh and lively.

[Youngeye]

fished with a guide on lake erie once, he had a regular pail with a damp cloth over the top. Apparently this worked pretty well.

[Mark Komo]

Thats one of the first things I learned fishing a league event. Crawlers are indeed messy. I save my old folgers plastic coffee containes and use them. Zip locks are great too.

[Gone Again]

brentfrank is right on!

[Sportdog]

All of the wonderful tips you guys gave me are very much appreciated. I'll give them a try.

[RDJ]

I'm tired of cleaning my boat of the black worm bedding mess that crawlers come in when you buy them. I remember a post in the past about a material/paper? to keep them in while you are fishing, then returning the remaining ones to a proper bedding after you get home. Anyone willing to share a tip? Thank You.

Buy some Frabill "Fat and Sassy" worm bedding. I have been using it for the past couple of years and it is great to work with. Comes pre-moistened and ready to use. It isn't as clingy as straight Frabill paper bedding that you have to mix with water and is much, much cleaner than peet beddings.
I originally got a big bulk box from a bait dealer friend and used it for a couple of years not knowing who mfg'd it and just in the last couple of weeks found that Frabill "Fat & Sassy" is either THE same product I had bulk or a very similar product. I bought two 5# boxes from Cabela's two weeks a go to check it out and it is exactly what I was looking for. I just ordered 4 more boxes this past monday to get me through the next few months.
Get a hold of some of this product and try rebedding your crawlers in it. It really holds up well and has more of a "sandy" texture to it than the pure paper beddings and doesn't seem to cling to crawlers like paper or absorb odor like paper. I imagine it is a paper base product but has a different grind to it and is cut with other products and for me is much nicer to work with. The crawlers seem to like it as well and really keep healthy and well fed off of it.

Good luck, RJ in montana

[jaybe]

Hey - I've learned a couple of new tricks to try on here. Thanks.
I usually keep a box of Buss Bedding (looks like shredded newspaper) in a cooler with the crawlers in it. When I buy more (If I can't pick them somewhere) they get washed off and go into the Buss Bedding. It lasts all season and they come out of it clean. Just transfer a few dozen to a smaller container to use in the boat.