How to Raise Red Worms for Fishing

Every person that enjoys the sport of fishing has at one time or another considered how to raise red worms for fishing, but in most instances the thought passed quickly due to a lack of knowledge on the subject. Live bait for fishing can be rather expensive but to raise red worms for fishing requires little effort or knowledge, just a strong desire to escape the trap of purchasing half-dead worms at a ridiculous price from vendors. The expense involved to raise red worms for fishing can be under ten dollars to start, with no hidden costs or added expense down the road. In the short time period of only a few months, a modest worm farm started at home can produce well over 1,000 red worms with a constant crop of lively fishing bait at hand for the taking.

How to raise red worms for fishing begins with the acquisition of a sturdy wooden box, about 3 feet long by 2 feet wide and a foot in depth. The box should be made of natural untreated wood that has not been stained or painted, as these types of boxes will most likely kill any red worms placed in it due to chemical poisoning. After the box is obtained, holes will need to be drilled into the box bottom about four inches apart to allow for drainage, and a nylon screen placed over the holes to prevent dirt or worms from escaping.

The next step in how to raise red worms for fishing is to fill the box with a medium that is conducive to a good environment for worms to live and thrive in. A few inches of shredded newspaper placed on the box bottom and topped off with about six to eight inches of good soil that has not been previously fertilized makes for a perfect red worm farm. Wet the contents of the box liberally, but no so heavily as to compact the dirt and let the box stand unpopulated by red worms for five to seven days to let any chemicals present in the newspaper to dissipate. The perfect environment has now been created to raise red worms for fishing, now all that needs to be done is to acquire your red worms for your worm farm.

To raise red worms for fishing the worms can be obtained in one of two ways - either purchased or by getting them yourself in your backyard. While getting the worms from your yard is the preferred method to get breeding stock, it may not always be practical depending upon the soil condition of your property. If purchasing red worms to start a worm farm it is imperative to select only worms that look healthy, as a few sickly worms can kill an entire community.

To maintain the red worms you raise for fishing only requires feeding the worm farm 1/3 of a cup of vegetable matter every other day in the form of leftover table scraps. Keep a spray bottle of water handy and every few days lightly add a very small amount of moisture to the top of the soil. Every three months or so change the medium in the box, and you will be able to raise red worms for fishing that are superior to any that could be bought at a bait shop.