If anyone is interested in raising your own ,I have enogh to give several people a start.
These are compostin red wigglers.about the length and diameter of a kitchen match. they make one big bait or two mid
Cedar hill area shoot me a p.m. phone # if interested.might check out some you tube videos.

Smithaven posted a story on bait inflation yesterday. You should get some takers.

Kudos to you Texsam!

I have red wigglers in my compost pile both for bait and for the "work" they do.

Only problem I've had is they seem to disappear over the winter and I have to restock a few every spring.

Just like everything else the price on a lot of fishing items is going up including live bait. For me it is still easiest to get worms at the local Walmart or Acadamey!

Banker I understand your opinion , no one should raise there own unless they would enjoy the process.For me it is not about the money,
I like doing it.it is not for every one .The way you catch fish you need a designated fish dehooker. I enjoy your reports.

I use all artificial baits on sunfish. The cost of lures has gone up as well.

I fish with a couple of anglers who raise their own worms and they enjoy doing it. They also love the savings. As for me buying worms works the best. If only I could find a way to write them off my taxes.

Hey banker, thought I would write you a prescription for worms.

Side note. Let me know if it works.

Got to love it! That just might work!

This is why I raise my own baits and fly my own flies. The costs keep going up, but making them myself I don't have to worry about that. also if you're having problems with them sticking around over winter build and indoor worm bin to overwinter. Let that be your breed stock. You won't run out.

Also consider a second bait to raise like mealworms. I prefer black soldier flies. This way if one bait dies, you'll have a completely different bait to sustain you.

I use lures and bait together on the same rig. It's the trifecta: raise two types of live bait and tie your own flies.


Banker, if you start your own business, live bait becomes a supply expense. Since I run my own enterprise and advertise via my fishing adventures on YouTube, bait, fly tying equipment and supplies become business expenses.

This is not a tax shelter, but a legitimate business expense because technically it's an office supply, rather business supply expense.

Check out Self-Employed Tax Solutions by June Walker: http://junewalkeronline.com

I have wigglers in a damp flower bed where my AC drips. I'm gonna try again on crawlers in a bin.

grandpa used to put our unused worms in a washtub full of dirt, leaves, sticks,..
put an old screen over top to keep the chickins out,...

Used to all the local Wallmart had were nightcrawlers. There was something about them the local fish didn't care for. Last year, they started carrying red wigglers. They seem to be a decent worm. Nothing beats a fresh-dug worm, though.