How to Raise Fishing Worms, Crickets, and Grubs for Fishing Bait at Home
It doesn't take much to turn your backyard into a one-stop bait shop
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Summer is made for last-minute trips to the farm pond, so why waste time tripping to the bait shop? It’s easy and cheap to raise bait in your backyard. Here’s how.
Cricket Condo
Scatter cover boards in the shade around the yard—in moist shrub beds, beside the toolshed, or near a creek seep. To boost the cricket-holding power of the cover boards, supplement with a shallow saucer of chicken laying mash to feed young crickets.
Quickie Worm Bin
A 10-gallon storage tub of opaque material makes a dark and cozy worm farm. Using a 1⁄4-inch bit, drill holes 2 inches apart through the base for drainage, and in a row around the rim for ventilation. Fill with moistened newspaper strips, a few handfuls of good soil, and worms. Add organic kitchen scraps for worm food, and place the tub under a deck or shrubbery to keep it in the shade.
Read Next: 15 Essential Bait Rigs
Grub Shack
Firewood placed on the ground makes a great grub-hunting spot. Choose a shady location away from the house. To attract a wide variety of bait, use various pieces of wood—some split into flat faces, some with the bark on, and others with the bark removed. Worms and beetle grubs will settle in the moist soil under the wood, while other beetle grubs will burrow under the loose, decaying bark.
