Where can you dig up worms? How to collect earthworms. Preparing for mining

Where the worms live is where you need to dig. It would seem that everything is simple and how to dig up worms is not a difficult task. But there are some tricks and signs that will help you find such places.

Various types of worms live in various places and we will try to help you in this search.

This is the most appetizing worm for almost all types of fish and experienced fishermen choose it for fishing. The dung worm is distinguished by a short and thick body; they fit very well on a hook. It also differs in color and habitat. As a rule, dung worms are bright red in color, often mixed with yellowish. When it is crushed, a yellow liquid with a specific odor appears. They live in rotting manure or under stacks of hay. Very often they can be found in abandoned greenhouses. The main condition is that the soil should not be very wet or very dry. Crucian carp and crucian carp bite well on this worm.

It is larger compared to dung. It also varies in color and is usually grayish, like dust. Often with an admixture of pinkish. Best suited for bottom fishing. It is not as popular among fishermen as the dung fish. Probably everyone knows how to dig for this type of worm. You can simply in the garden, or any other plot of land, and therefore the question is where to dig up worms for fishing not as complicated as many people think. Often when digging up a garden you can find worms of this species. They live in the ground at a depth depending on the ambient temperature.

This species is distinguished by its striking scarlet color, sometimes even purple. This species is not at all difficult to obtain, you just need to go into the forest. It’s better to look for them under rotting leaves. They usually live right underneath them. This species is distinguished by its rather large size, but is rarely used for fishing. This worm stops moving when it is threaded onto a hook and is unattractive to fish.

The crawl is quite large in size. And often its thickness reaches one cm, and its length up to thirty cm. It is not easy to obtain such a specimen, since their burrows are located at great depths. But savvy fishermen came up with one good way. You just need to find well-trodden garden or park paths and take a good look. Noticing the earthen piles and moving them a little, you can see round-shaped holes, they reveal the places in which crawlers live. All that remains is to wait for nightfall and come to this place. By shining a flashlight on the piles, you can see that the worm is nearby. You need to carefully but quickly grab it with three fingers; if you hesitate, it will have time to crawl into its hole. This type of worm is better than others when fishing for large fish.

You will not find this species either in the city or in the garden. Few people know where to dig for worms of this species. They are found, as a rule, in swamps, constantly damp lawns, in oily soil, near reeds. Finding and digging up these worms is quite a troublesome task. It is easier to do this in the spring, before the heat sets in. IN summer season it burrows into the ground to a depth of 3 meters. Fish bite well on it different sizes. It behaves actively on the hook and does not break with small fish.

Water leaf

As the name suggests, it lives under the leaves. But this species is under the leaves of aquatic vegetation. Often found on the leaves of water lilies or lilies. Suitable for fishing for carp species, primarily because it is their natural food and an adored delicacy.

Excellent bait for predatory fish. It lives in clayey soils, for example, often in the coastal river zone. Before you fish with it, you need to special training, which consists of keeping it in moss so that it lightens a little and its specific repellent odor disappears.

To summarize, we can say that the majority of worms prefer damp and cool places, as a result of which they need to dig there. It is easier to find worms in the summer season and in the spring, in the fall and in winter time more difficult. As a result, if you did not have time to stock up on worms in advance, you can look for them in compost or manure heaps. As a rule, it is always humid and warm there, which allows the worm to safely survive the winter there.

Exotic and simple ways to get a worm

Instead of long and tedious digging of soil with a shovel in search of worms, you can simply find a place with wet soil or lift up rotten planks and find several small sticks. Then you need to drive one stick into the ground, and make a sawing motion with the second one driven into the ground. 5-10 minutes of such actions, and they will begin to climb up earthworms. You just need to simply collect and put it in a pre-prepared container.

Video “A unique way to extract worms”

This video shows how, with the help of two sticks and a file, worms are extracted, crawling out from the squeak to the surface of the earth.

Likewise, worms are attracted by light blows to planks or other wooden objects lying on the ground.

Do you think that when it rains, worms come to the surface due to dampness? Absolutely not, scientist D. Gorris proved that they perceive the sounds of rain as the movement of their main enemy - the mole. When it rains, the droplets create vibrations that are similar to the sound a mole makes when it moves.

Some fishermen place a board in the ground and place a metal sheet on the protruding end. Then it is pulled so that it vibrates. Frightened by such noise, the worms climb to the surface, where they are easy to collect.

Such simple ways allow you to get rid of such a difficult task as digging. In addition, it is more fun and less unpleasant than fiddling around in the mud.

You can put the dug up worms in a wooden box with holes for ventilation or in a small canvas bag. The soil in the storage container should be moist. The dug up worms should not be allowed to form a ball, as this will lead to the death of most of them. It is better to take soil for storage from the place where you dug them and there should be more of it.

This video shows the usual traditional method of digging worms.

Earthworms are known to every angler as an excellent bait. In addition, these creatures are indispensable assistants in gardening and gardening, and are also actively involved in the formation of compost, since they are able to quickly process organic residues and turn them into fertile soil. Various factors influence the way worms live, so you need to know when and where to catch worms. If you learn more about their habits, you won't have much trouble collecting the right amount of worms for your garden or compost pile. Unlike worms bought at a fishing store, earthworms won't cost you a penny. In addition, “hunting for worms” can be turned into a fun activity for children, especially if you arrange a mini-farm for the caught worms, where these creatures can live and reproduce.

Steps

Digging up worms

    Prepare everything you need. You will need a shovel or small garden trowel and a container filled with moist soil and leaves.

    • The best time to collect earthworms is when you have already dug up the soil for planting, or are digging holes for building a fence or foundation. If you go deeper into the soil below the surface layer, you may be able to find not only ordinary earthworms, but also other species, such as crawlers (very large worms with a flattened tail).
    • Wear clothes that you don't mind. To find earthworms, you'll have to dig, so you'll probably get dirty. Therefore, wear old clothes, knee pads, and rubber boots or old shoes.
  1. Dig. Choose a suitable place in the yard (if you live in a private house), on a personal plot or in the forest and start digging. You need to dig a small hole, sift the extracted soil and pick out all the earthworms from it. It is best to look for earthworms near a river or other body of water.

    • You can look for earthworms in forest parks and in areas where flower beds will later be planted. However, you should not dig holes in the ground if the area is someone else's private property, such as golf courses or farmland. Of course, you should not dig up the soil in search of worms in parks and squares.
    • Try to work as quietly as possible so that the vibration of the soil does not disturb the earthworms.
    • Be sure to look under rocks, logs, tree trunks, and other objects on the ground.
  2. If the worms are holding tightly to the soil, dig up the soil around them. The worm's body is covered with short bristles that help it move through the soil. Because of this, worms are not always easy to pull out of their burrows. Dig up the soil around the worm as it tries to burrow back into the soil. Be careful not to cut the worm. By loosening the soil, you can easily pull the worm out of the ground and can place it in a storage container.

    Continue digging until you have collected the required number of worms. Having selected all the worms from the excavated soil, bury a hole, move back a meter and a half and dig the next hole. Continue collecting worms, and when you're done, return the soil to its original location.

    "Hunting" for worms at night

    1. Place a large piece of damp cardboard on the lawn. This needs to be done a day before you start collecting worms. Damp cardboard will attract earthworms.

      Prepare the necessary tools. During the daytime, earthworms burrow deep into the soil, and at night they crawl to the surface, where they feed on organic debris. This way, you don't have to dig up the soil at night to collect the worms. During a night "hunt" you can do without special tools, but you will need:

      • a flashlight with a dim or red light (worms have no vision, but they can sense light and will run away if your flashlight is too bright);
      • a spade or small garden trowel to lift sod or dig around worms.
    2. Prepare a container for worms. For this purpose, you can take a plastic, metal or glass container or a thick cardboard box. Fill the container three-quarters full with moist soil and place a layer of damp, fallen leaves on top. The leaves will help the soil stay moist and provide food for any trapped worms.

      • A plastic butter or ice cream container, a glass jar, a metal coffee can, or even an old bucket will work for your purposes. Make sure the container is empty and clean before storing worms in it.
      • Worms need oxygen, so be sure to make holes in the lid. They should be large enough to allow air to pass through, but not too large, otherwise the worms will squeeze through the holes and crawl free.
    3. Wait until the sun goes down. When it gets dark, go hunting. Worms can be found in the garden, vegetable garden, or yard. If you want, go looking for earthworms in the woods or fields, or even try your luck on a golf course if there is one nearby. Move carefully, slowly and quietly. Worms do not have hearing organs, but they are able to sense soil vibrations.

      Use a flashlight to find the worms. Collect the worms you find and place them in a prepared container. You need to act very quickly because if the worms sense someone coming, they will retreat back into their holes.

    4. Pick up the cardboard you placed on the lawn beforehand. You can also turn over rocks, move logs or tree trunks lying on the ground, and lift up a layer of fallen leaves. Worms are attracted to moist soil under objects on the ground, so try turning them over.

      • If you are unable to find worms on the surface, use a shovel to remove a layer of fallen leaves or topsoil. You may find earthworms underneath them.

In order not to waste precious time on its extraction near a reservoir. Perhaps the easiest way to find ordinary earthworms. But even earthworms are different, bright red ones are found in manure, in garden beds there is a high chance of meeting white, so-called “ironworms”, and in moist holes with last year’s foliage, cherry-red subleaves are most likely to be found.

The properties of worms, including those properties that are important for fishing, are largely determined by the soils in which they live. Garden worms are different from mud worms, and those living in clay are not at all similar to those found in sand.

Where to dig for worms?

To find the most wormy places in the area, you need to be a little observant and pay attention to the birds. But still, where can you dig up worms? Where there are concentrations of rooks, there will probably be worms. If you don’t have time to study the situation, use general knowledge about the habitats of these creatures. Worms love damp, shady places; they can easily be found under a layer of last year's leaves, in various moist holes and ditches, along drying up streams and temporary river beds. Decaying wood and nettle roots are also an attractive combination for worms. To more effectively find and pull worms out of a manure pile, use a regular farm fork. Collecting worms in the garden can be done in parallel with planting work or while weeding the beds.

It is extremely simple to create comfortable conditions for worms in a certain place convenient for you. Spread old rags on a heap with compost or rotted manure, periodically moisten the top, and after a few days, under the rags you can collect the first “harvest”, which will be enough for fishing.

How to Preserve Worms for Fishing

If you are going on a week-long fishing trip, then it will be important to collect live worms in reserve. To prevent them from deteriorating in the heat and open sun, follow a few simple rules:

  • do not put different types of worms in one container, releasing toxic waste products, worms different types quickly poison each other;
  • Don't try to fit as many worms into one box as possible, especially if there is no soil in it. Under such conditions, you risk getting a complete mess by the time you arrive for fishing;
  • Do not store worms in metal cans, the smell of metal is quickly absorbed into them and they will lose their appetizing to fish.

Muckworm

This is the most delicious worm for fish and experienced fishermen prefer to fish with it. Dung worms are short and thick, making them easy to put on a hook. You can distinguish a dung worm by its color and habitat. The dung worm is red, sometimes mixed with yellow. If you crush it, it releases a yellowish liquid with a pronounced odor. These worms are found in rotting manure or under abandoned hay, as well as in old greenhouses. The main thing is that the soil is not too wet or too dry. Fish of the carp family are excellent at biting on this worm.

Earthworm.

It is larger than the dung worm and its color is gray like dust. Sometimes it has a hint of pink. Excellent for bottom fishing. Fish do not bite on it so readily and fishermen do not really like to use it. You can get it in the garden, where you dig up worms for fishing. Very often, when digging up a garden, you can stumble upon these worms. These worms hide in the ground at a depth that depends on the air temperature. The lower it is, the closer to the surface the worm is.

Subleaf.

This worm is bright red in color, sometimes tinged with purple. Such a worm is very easy to get; just go to the forest or other planting and look under the fallen, rotten leaves. They live right underneath it. These worms are quite large in size, but they are rarely used for fishing. This worm stops moving once it is hooked and loses its popularity with the fish.

Crawling out.

This is a very large worm. It can be about a centimeter thick and up to 30 long. It is very difficult to get such a worm, because their burrows go very deep and it is very difficult to dig it out. But you can take it with cunning. You need to go to the well-trodden paths in the garden or park and take a closer look. Seeing piles of earth and moving them, you can see round holes. This is the habitat of the crawl. Now you need to wait until nightfall and come to the place. By shining a flashlight on the “houses” you can see that the worm is lying nearby. You need to carefully grab it with three fingers and pull it out, otherwise it can deftly crawl into the ground. This worm is great for catching big fish.

Green worm.

Found in a specific area. In swamp hummocks, watery meadows, oily soil, near reeds. Digging for such a worm is troublesome, because it is easiest to get it in the spring, when it is not hot. In summer it can burrow into the ground up to three meters. Excellent for catching medium and large fish. Does not freeze on the hook and is not torn by small fish.

Water underleaf.

Just like an ordinary subleaf, it lives under the foliage. Only in aquatic plants. Can be found on water lilies or lilies. Carp and rudd bite well on it, because it is their natural food and favorite treat.

Zheleznyak.

Great bait for predatory fish. Lives in clay soil, for example, on the banks of rivers. Such a worm needs to be prepared, kept in moss for several days so that it acquires a lighter color and gets rid of the unpleasant odor.

In general, most worms love moisture and coolness, so you need to look for them in places that meet these conditions. It is easier to dig up worms in summer and spring, but more difficult in late autumn and winter. Therefore, if it was not possible to prepare worms for cold times, then you need to go to compost or manure heaps and . The ground there is moist and warm, which makes it an excellent wintering place for the worm.

Caught a fish

What to do if you run out of worms?

We continue our traditional section Tips from experienced fishermen - how to quickly get worms while fishing - tips:

Where to look for worms?

It happens that the worms run out right during fishing. What a shame it is when the fish bites perfectly, but there is no bait! What to do? Don’t rush to reel in your fishing rods - worms can always be found on the shore, you just need to know where to look...

For example, between the hummocks it is always damp - tall sedge grows here and the sun cannot dry the ground because of the tall leaves. The dead sedge falls and worms always crawl under such propped litter.

Also, don’t be lazy to look for worms under fallen leaves near the trees - the worms here are nimble, hold the hook well and attract fish well.

If there is not a tree around, then try turning out the turf - there are pale pink ones in it - not the best the best option, but in this situation it will do.

In a marshy pond, look for trees and bushes. Such places will be a little higher, there is less moss, and the ground is damp. Short, thick worms are found here.

If you are lucky enough to find an aquatic plant called “kuga”, then you can provide yourself with worms not only for real fishing, but also for use. Look for worms among the dead inflorescences of this plant. These red worms are very tenacious.

Worms can also be found under logs or boards lying on the shore, under horse or cow droppings.

If there is a plowed field near a pond, then look for worms in the outer furrow, under layers of earth turned over onto the grass.

As you can see, there is absolutely no need to go home because you run out of worms.