Press Release Summary = \"Catching nightcrawlers\" is typically reserved for the collection of Canadian nightcrawlers. Unlike their counterpart, the European (or Belgium) nightcrawler, Canadian nightcrawlers can be found slipping and sliding around the ground on a cool, rainy night in cow pastures, fields, yards, and even golf courses.
Press Release Body = \"Catching nightcrawlers\" is typically reserved for the collection of Canadian nightcrawlers. Unlike their counterpart, the European (or Belgium) nightcrawler, Canadian nightcrawlers can be found slipping and sliding around the ground on a cool, rainy night in cow pastures, fields, yards, and even golf courses. Their main habitat extends from the Appalachian Mountain chain on the east coast of North America and into parts of Canada. The worms are picked up, one at a time, by human \"nightcrawlers\", who each scatter throughout the location, head lamps attached, and grasp them by the thousands each evening. Perhaps as much as a billion Canadian nightcrawlers are harvested each year by those who are willing to withstand the knee pain and sleepless nights crawling through muck. The notion of catching Canadian nightcrawlers may seem odd to some, but it\'s a fairly simple job, easy to get started, and well-paying for those who excel. It\'s quite possible to earn up to $800 or more in a single evening catching nightcrawlers! By the time I was a teenager, I was able to catch up to 6 or 7 thousand worms - at the rate of 1,000 per 45 minutes - in one outing. In fact, my four brothers and I would earn $1,000 combined on a typical night of catching nightcrawlers. That would translate into about $2,500 at today\'s paid rate of $40 per thousand. Got your attention? The best time for catching nightcrawlers is after a soaking rainfall. Temperatures during the evening should be at about 60 to 70 degrees F. Ideally, the rain has stopped or slowed to a light drizzle and wind is nonexistent. Foggy conditions are perfect. There should be no thunder and noise levels are reserved to nature. Colder temperatures, especially below 50 degrees F, and windy conditions make catching nightcrawlers a difficult endeavor. The equipment I used included a head lamp with attached battery. Like every other person catching nightcrawlers in western North Carolina, I painted my bulb yellow. Canadian nightcrawlers, like many other worms are sensitive to light. That\'s why we have to catch them at night time. Nonetheless, a yellowish light is less likely to scare away the worms. In my earlier years (during the 1970s and 1980s) I had a 6-volt battery connected to my head lamp. The battery was quite large, about the size of a small brick, and was kept in my coat pocket. The problem with this get-up is the wire running to my head lamp always had to be routed through my coat sleeve so it wouldn\'t get in the way of my catching nightcrawlers. Today\'s head lamps are less heavy and use AA batteries.
Additional equipment used when catching nightcrawlers includes a bucket (64-ounce bean can), and an attached can filled with fine sawdust. The sawdust acts as a grasping agent for catching the slippery nightcrawlers. Both hands are used in the hunt so both were dipped frequently into the sawdust. Many Canadian nightcrawlers extend from their holes with only the tip of their tails remaining within the hole. This permits the worms to disappear back into the burrow when bothered. A nightcrawler extending 10 or 12 inches from its hole can suck itself back down the hole with two quick \"jerks\" in less than a couple of seconds. Obviously, catching nightcrawlers can be a tedious task! But, a studied hunter is capable of grabbing almost all worms in sight, up to 25 or 35 before moving the light to another area. A tactic I used included a quick scan of the ground in front and to the sides of me. I would then aim the head lamp down directly in front of me and use the outer ray of light to see the worms. The worms can reappear in as little as 4 or 5 minutes after scared back into their holes. It\'s not uncommon for someone who is catching nightcrawlers to simply crawl around in a large circle. This practice is most often used when a hunter finds a prime location. In short, he or she is unable to catch all the nightcrawlers in one passing and returns often to get the ones that got away. Head over to www.nightcrawlers.com and you\'ll learn that Canadian nightcrawlers can be found completely out of their hole, where they are often searching for a mate. Often times, this asexual worm is collected while mating. When this happens, the two worms are attached at or near their heads (the thicker portion of their bodies). It makes for an added bonus for the hunters catching nightcrawlers since two worms are collected on a single grasp! There have been times when all I saw were \"double-headers\". Catching these nightcrawlers was a pleasure! When catching nightcrawlers, you want to keep the \"trash\" to a minimum. Types of trash commonly picked up with the worms includes grass, cow poop, and dirt. When you have filled your bucket, you will need to dump them. The buyer - who often times brings his worm truck to the field - may provide you with special boxes for storing the worms until they can be counted (measured). Most buyers provide free sawdust and boxes. Many provide free headlamp batteries and bulbs to their top hunters. Catching nightcrawlers can be a team effort. In other words, 25 or 30 hunters will form a partnership and rent hunting rights to a field. Payment of up to $200 or $300 is made to the owner of the field and all the hunters split the cost. This is a common practice in Canada but not so common in North Carolina. Nonetheless, each hunter keeps their stake after paying the fee to hunt the field. Actually, I never paid to hunt in someone\'s field. Usually, only permission was needed and granted. As you can understand, catching nightcrawlers can be a rewarding adventure. Author: An avid fisherman, Rick grew up on the Pigeon River, near Canton, NC. He also spent many years hunting nightcrawlers for spending money and for fishing. Rick now operates the website, Nightcrawlers.com, a fishing news network and fishing forum. He estimates that by the time he was 18 years old, he had caught 1 million nightcrawlers and not quite as many fish!
Web Site = http://www.nightcrawlers.com
Contact Details = 110 South Brandly St, Canton, NC
2022
