Is there an easy way to catch my own live bait for walleye fishing, like night crawlers or anything?

Catching your own live bait is the easy and economical thing to do. There is really nothing to it. In the case of night crawlers, simply start by locating a patch of wet ground. This can be either man made by a sprinkler or water hose or by nature after a good rain shower. Once you’ve found a wet piece of grass, grab a diffused light flashlight. The diffused light will give you the light needed to see the ground but will not be so bright as to scare the worms back underground. Just as a worm is coming out of the hole, snatch it up by the tail. Maintain a firm hold on the tail. A simple, quick pull upwards with a twist will remove the worm from the ground. With worm in hand, keep your catches in a cool place. Another live bait capture option is something called a Sabiki rig. To do this, locate an area in open water where small schools of fish are known to gather. Set out four feet of leader matched with six small feather flyers. Add a small sinker to one end and cast off. When the small fish bite onto the line, reel in the catch. Optimally, six small fish will bite on at once. This gives you instant access to live bait. Store as you would any other small fish until you are ready to use your small bait for bigger catches. One rule of thumb to keep in mind is to only take as much live bait as you plan to use in a day. When you’ve reached the limit, return the rest back to the waters. Leaving bait today will result in more bait catches for tomorrow.

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