Keeping the worms alive and fresh

[Kramr]

Learned from Mike Worley, guide on Bull Shoals, that you can keep worms in water. They are cleaner, are nice and plump, and very feisty. He was using a glass jar and was keeping them on ice as I remember. I went out, got a Frabill Leech bag which floats and has a velcro closure. I take the worms out of the soil knock off the dirt, put them in the leech bag and drop them in the livewell. This worked well for a couple of years but then the velcro lost some of it's strength and the worms started escaping into the live well. They don't get away, they end up in the bottom of the livewell, but boy do they not want to get caught either. 

Wondering if anyone else keeps their worms in water and how they do it.

[rps]

Tanderson has the best system. He takes a plastic container, a butter cup or the bottom of a plastic quart milk bottle, and he lays wetted napkins on the bottom and along the sides. Then he puts the containers on top of reusable ice blocks. The washed worms go in the chilled containers. Clean and plump worms, clean boat, and if he doesn't use them, they go back in the dirt at home.

Another system I often use is to take the worms out of their dirt, throw the dirt away, fill the container with crushed ice, and put the worms in the ice. It is much faster than Tanderson's system (no worm washing) but leaves you short of dirt for the ones you do not use.

[Kramr]

So putting them directly on ice doesn't harm them? Resilient little bastards. 

Thanks for the ideas.

[dprice]

From my garden 

[Hillbilly Bass]

Holy cow. I thought I'd learned all I needed to about worms. I've never heard of this but I bet I try it from now on!!! Great info

[MOPanfisher]

Heck I just put the little Styrofoam box into the cooler with the ice, & beer or rather gatorade.  Sometimes I will swap out the dirt with dam shredded paper.  It usually blows out of the boat on the way home.  Besides my boat get worm dirt, fish slime, crappie nibbles, whatever mashed into the carpet on a regular basis.  Sometimes after accidentally catching a catfish it will look like I have done battle with a giant slug the next day.

[rps]

45 minutes ago, MOPanfisher said:

Heck I just put the little Styrofoam box into the cooler with the ice, & beer or rather gatorade.  Sometimes I will swap out the dirt with dam shredded paper.  It usually blows out of the boat on the way home.  Besides my boat get worm dirt, fish slime, crappie nibbles, whatever mashed into the carpet on a regular basis.  Sometimes after accidentally catching a catfish it will look like I have done battle with a giant slug the next day.

I hear you and feel your pain. On the other hand, when Tanderson sold his boat, it looked like the day he rolled it off the dealer's lot.

[dan hufferd]

Holy cow ! really try hard to keep my boat clean but it does not look new, good but not new. I guess I would rather be fishing than cleaning. I wish I could be that meticulous. The ice in the worm box is the ticket for me too.  

[MOPanfisher]

From what I remember of the pics Tanderson had a rhino lining type vinyl liner.  Would actually be really handy for keeping a boat clean.  Only sure thing about carpet is it will wear and it will get dirty.

[dprice]

Very smart   But how do you keep them hydrated   As cold normally drys???  Tell me  a bit more?