The nightcrawler is deadly, devastating, and irresistible when used properly. For years the crawler has emerged as the number one live bait among the majority of freshwater fishermen in this country, with good reason. It will produce where others fail!

But not just any nightcrawler! By now, we’re sure, you have heard and read about the conditioned crawler, a worm, through a temperature controlled feeding process, becomes thicker and juicier, and livelier than the ordinary store bought worm. Well, its true, this conditioned worm is indeed a much more appealing enticement to fish than its lazy counterpart. On the hook, the conditioned worm nightcrawler is a virtual acrobat, twisting, jumping, and moving about as if possessed. And he will last longer, hours longer, than a regular worm in the water! In this article, we’ll give you instructions as to how you can grow nightcrawlers like this in just a three-day period. It is not a difficult process to learn. You can do it and do it right after you have absorbed all of the facts to be revealed here.

The culling process – You pick the right ones!

The most important step in preparing your nightcrawlers for conditioning is to separate the healthy crawlers from the smaller, weak crawlers. This is called culling. As a rule no matter where you buy your live bait, you are going to get a mixture of good and bad worms. Cull the little ones from the bunch and set aside at least three dozen crawlers for the conditioning process.

The bedding makes the best results.

There are many choices of worm bedding on the market today. Choose one that you feel will work the best in you area, then fill a container about half full. Then pour in just enough water to make the bedding moist. Be careful not to put in too much water. You don’t want it too soggy. Next, soak some newspaper and pack it loosely over the top of the bedding. Make sure you have put some nightcrawlers in the bedding before you lay the newspaper in. The next step is temperature control. Temperature is the key to making these crawlers turn out, as you want them to. If its to warm in the storage area they will die. The proper storage temperature for worms in the conditioning stages is 50-60 degrees. Usually the coolest area in your basement will do the job or a spare refrigerator with the temperature set at 50-60 degrees would be good too. Now wait three days and get ready for a great site. You won’t believe it! The crawlers will literally jump at you. They will squirm like crazy, ready to place on a hook.

The best method for fishing the conditioned crawler is in combination with the bottom rig. But before you cast that worm in the water, first inject two small blasts of air into the crawler. You can purchase air injectors from almost all tackle stores. What this does is allows the crawler to float 12 to 18 inches off the lake bottom, thus in full view of any fish in the area. Be sure to hook that crawler just once through the tip of the nose, so he will be able to move freely on the hook and appear very natural to the fish. One thing is quite certain; the conditioned nightcrawler will out produce the ordinary store bought crawler every time. Sometimes the results can be spectacular! One other thing to remember is that after the crawlers have been conditioned is they must be kept somewhat cool. Don’t leave them exposed to the sun at any time. Keep them in a shady area of the boat or in the cooler. This recipe for success has been proven over and over again. The conditioned nightcrawler is a deadly fishing bait for almost any freshwater fish.