The 3 Most Effective Ways To Rig A Nightcrawler

Whatever your current interest in fishing, there’s a good chance your first foray involved a can of worms at least somewhere along the way. There’s a good reason for that too… Worms flat out catch fish.All day.No matter where you live.The truth is that even though your fishing may have come a long way from that bucket of nightcrawlers, they still catch just as many fish as they did when you started out.Here are three great ways to catch fish (of darn near any species) on nightcrawlers.

1. Under a Bobber

It doesn’t get more classic, but a frisky nightcrawler under a bobber like the E-Z Trout Float is still tops on the list of “when you absolutely positively need to catch a fish of any species right now” baits. Suspending a nightcrawler under a bobber catches anything from panfish to bass, and even walleyes, catfish and just about every rough fish that swims. Truth is, throw a worm out there under a bobber and you don’t know what could slurp it down.

2. Split Shot Rig

In deeper water, or when fish are relating to the bottom, one of the deadliest presentations is a simple split shot rig, dragged or swam along just off the bottom. Again, just about anything will bite a nightcrawler slowly “worming” its way along the bottom (pun intended). To rig, simply tie on an Aberdeen or bait holder hook in size 4 through 8, thread on a nightcrawler, then pinch a BB sized split shot onto the line. Cast it out, and slowly wind it back. The combo is surprisingly weedless, and is a great tool to locate fish when you haven’t been on the water for a while.

3. Crawler Harness

When you talk trolling, it’s natural for the mind to conjure images of hard baits. The truth is though, nightcrawlers are one of the deadliest trolling baits available – on many species like walleyes, bass, trout, and even big crappies. At their simplest, crawler harnesses are lengths of monofilament with a spinner blade or two threaded on, then a hook. To troll a harness, most anglers use some sort of weight, like a bell sinker, snap weight, or egg sinker, then attach a swivel, followed by the crawler harness. By changing weight and trolling speed, you can effectively troll harnesses in 5 feet of water out to 30 feet plus. They are absolutely deadly on big water walleyes, smallmouth bass, and many other species.