Spring Chronicles....

[h2ofwlr]

8 days ago I had frost 8" down... it's been so dry I have not even looked for them, I hope that the frost is out so that the crawlers come out tonight....

This reminds me of a FB post end of last week - a gal in Shakopee wants fishermen to come get her crawlers out her yard because - get this: - her dog is afraid of them when they are out in her grass. I am dead serious - that is what she had said,

[deet]

I haven't poked around for a while now but a week ago I still had lots of frost. Central Itasca.

[Quack]

Rain for tomorrow evening, so it'll be time to go pick up 8 dz night crawlers for the Opener to save $24-32.

Am I the only 1 that still picks crawlers up off the ground for fishing?

Hell no. We get the kids into it then give them to my father in-law. He's full retired and can make sure they don't turn to dust like mine always do.

Any idea what the father-in-law does to keep them in good shape? Mine usually last "long enough" since I don't fish as much as I'd like, but by mid to late summer I'm culling enough to just pitch em.

[lanyard]

Quack,

Honestly, have no clue. I'm lucky if mine make it a week when I try. Going these make it to nextt weekend for him

[h2ofwlr]

How hard is it to keep night crawlers? I've kept mine no problem for 1 month. It's so easy even a cave man can do it.
But being Rob is not a cave man, but rather a high maintenance yuppy being his Crawlers turn to dust in a weeks time - here are the basics:
A foam container with black dirt (some guys add some moss) with a bit of moisture (not dry, not soggy - damp is ideal) and keep them in a cool place, like in the garage, or if warm out in the basement corner or well pit. If you don't have a basement, dig a hole on the north side (shady area there is a lot less heat from the sun) of the home/garage/shed and place the foam container down into the ground so only the top is up 1". Place a brick or similar on top of the lid so the wind does not blow the cover off. At least once a week check on the soil so it does not dry out - also watch for too much water as they will indeed drown and die if too if too much h2o. So don't place the box directly under the splash line of the roof above.

This should save you from buying NCs and you can put the $ that you saved towards buying a sturdy ice breaking Lund boat.

[maplelakeduckslayer]

Hoping to get the gf out for turkeys this weekend but seems my season was short lived, assuming if I cant lift 50 lbs I can't draw back a 60 lb bow . Any morels popping yet? I'd like to take a look for those too, last year we were finding them at this time but I know we might be slightly behind especially after lack of rain in central MN.

[Quack]

Thanks Fowler. I live on a sand lot so the first rainy day in May I go pick crawlers off a certain paved county road and that’s about it for me for the summer.

I thought crawlers had to be kept on bedding and not dirt but I don’t know much about it. Guys typically don’t use crawlers up here - that I know of - until mid summer.

DEET, NERSHI, - Can I be optimistic about using crawlers for walleyes right away? All I ever hear is “jig n minnow are king in spring”

Crawlers sure take up a lot less space than shiners - I had to pull the middle seat out of my F7 just to make room for the minnow bucket, fish cooler, beer cooler, clothing tote, etc. At least now I don’t have to make room for dogs or people anymore but sooner or later the kids will be old enough.


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[deet]

Thanks Fowler. I live on a sand lot so the first rainy day in May I go pick crawlers off a certain paved county road and that’s about it for me for the summer.

I thought crawlers had to be kept on bedding and not dirt but I don’t know much about it. Guys typically don’t use crawlers up here - that I know of - until mid summer.

DEET, NERSHI, - Can I be optimistic about using crawlers for walleyes right away? All I ever hear is “jig n minnow are king in spring”

Crawlers sure take up a lot less space than shiners - I had to pull the middle seat out of my F7 just to make room for the minnow bucket, fish cooler, beer cooler, clothing tote, etc. At least now I don’t have to make room for dogs or people anymore but sooner or later the kids will be old enough.


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I didn't realize you were a northerner. Where do you live?
I've never fished for walleyes on purpose using crawlers in the spring, but I've caught tons of walleyes in the spring on crawlers while sucker fishing in rivers. So they'll work in rivers for sure, and probably in lakes.

But indeed in the spring, in popular walleye lakes, the walleyes are stacked on those classic springtime spots because there are tons of minnows there, and it's minnows they want to eat. Personally I prefer using minnows over any other live bait and I'll use minnows all summer long when they work. I just like the versatility of jig/minnow combo and I like the bite better.

I know a lot of guys that swear by leaches right away in the spring (and all summer long). I've used leaches in the spring in the BW just because they're easier to transport than minnows.

I've also caught a ton of walleyes on hard and soft artificials in the spring.

[gimpfinger]

[quote="Quack"]Thanks Fowler. I live on a sand lot so the first rainy day in May I go pick crawlers off a certain paved county road and that’s about it for me for the summer.

I thought crawlers had to be kept on bedding and not dirt but I don’t know much about it. Guys typically don’t use crawlers up here - that I know of - until mid summer.

DEET, NERSHI, - Can I be optimistic about using crawlers for walleyes right away? All I ever hear is “jig n minnow are king in spring”

Crawlers sure take up a lot less space than shiners - I had to pull the middle seat out of my F7 just to make room for the minnow bucket, fish cooler, beer cooler, clothing tote, etc. At least now I don’t have to make room for dogs or people anymore but sooner or later the kids will be old enough.


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I didn't realize you were a northerner. Where do you live?
I've never fished for walleyes on purpose using crawlers in the spring, but I've caught tons of walleyes in the spring on crawlers while sucker fishing in rivers. So they'll work in rivers for sure, and probably in lakes.

But indeed in the spring, in popular walleye lakes, the walleyes are stacked on those classic springtime spots because there are tons of minnows there, and it's minnows they want to eat. Personally I prefer using minnows over any other live bait and I'll use minnows all summer long when they work. I just like the versatility of jig/minnow combo and I like the bite better.

I know a lot of guys that swear by leaches right away in the spring (and all summer long). I've used leaches in the spring in the BW just because they're easier to transport than minnows.

I've also caught a ton of walleyes on hard and soft artificials in the spring.[/quote]After a good rain on rivers crawlers will out produce minnows a lot of times spring, summer and fall.

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[Nershi]

How hard is it to keep night crawlers? I've kept mine no problem for 1 month. It's so easy even a cave man can do it.
But being Rob is not a cave man, but rather a high maintenance yuppy being his Crawlers turn to dust in a weeks time - here are the basics:
A foam container with black dirt (some guys add some moss) with a bit of moisture (not dry, not soggy - damp is ideal) and keep them in a cool place, like in the garage, or if warm out in the basement corner or well pit. If you don't have a basement, dig a hole on the north side (shady area there is a lot less heat from the sun) of the home/garage/shed and place the foam container down into the ground so only the top is up 1". Place a brick or similar on top of the lid so the wind does not blow the cover off. At least once a week check on the soil so it does not dry out - also watch for too much water as they will indeed drown and die if too if too much h2o. So don't place the box directly under the splash line of the roof above.

This should save you from buying NCs and you can put the $ that you saved towards buying a sturdy ice breaking Lund boat.

That sounds like a shit load of work for a critter you can get for $2.00 a dozen on the way to the lake and even cheaper by the flat.