one method that i like to use is taking chlorine tablets for a pool and a 5 gal bucket of water. feel the bucket up about half full and grab 2 to 3 chlorine tablets and mix in the bucket by swishing the water around with the tablets in it. just basically pour into the ground and the worms should start to come up toward the top. basically the mixture causes a skin irritation and it seems to bring them to the top to get away from it instead of either going deeper in the ground or one direction or the other.

I like the natural methods mentioned above without chemicals. They taste better when the fishing slows down. No one wants to eat GoJo or Chlorine Bleach flavored worms.

The most worms I ever saw come out of the ground was by mistake. About 30 years ago, before I realized that anti-freeze was poisonous to the environment, I emptied my radiator down our driveway, to flush it the rest of the way down the street with the hose.

I first filled up the radiator with new AF and water, then went down to the foot of the driveway. Man!! The antifreeze had gotten off the driveway into the lawn, and the cement was COVERED with night-crawlers trying to get away from the antifreeze. I quickly figured the problem, and picked them all up, rinsed them off and dug them a hole under a plant.

By the way, have you ever wondered why antifreeze is so poisonous to dogs and cats? I got a mouthful of it once, siphoning, and it tasted like REAL SWEET Kool-aid. An animal, or a child, would LOVE the stuff! Be sure to keep it away from EVERYBODY and EVERYTHING !!

When I was a kid, my Dad and I used to spotlight the worms at night under a giant willow tree that we had in the backyard. We would just go out and the worms would all be up on top of the ground, especially if the ground was wet. Some of the biggest worms I've ever seen. Just put the light near them and pull them out of the ground

I use my truck, I drive to walmart, go to the fishing section and pull one out of the cooler.

Just kiding man. Just trying to get my post count up...lol, me anyway.

What he said for sure. It's called fiddlin' for worms. Sounds kinda like a country song, don't it? But it sure works.

Hey Coach, that's a good article but bass ackwards! The notched stick goes in the ground and a 1" square stick is the best to use with approx. 1/4 to 1/2" deep cut from the edges. Use a round dow rod approx. 1" as the bow. Depending on the dept of the notches and speed of action you can tune your fiddle. Hence the name fiddling' for worms.

ok OK I admit it! I've got kin in Arkansas! But I do remember seeing it work and that's the way may Grandfather and Father taught me when I was around 12. Thanks for the memories

There use to be an electrical probe. I think many companies may have discontinued them for fear of law suits. There was a recall on some that had actually Electrocuted people.

My grandfather had a "worm probe",
a modified soldering iron.
stick it in the ground and pull the trigger
worms would shoot up all over in about a 5-6' radius
always made sure we wore shoes, though
pretty cool when you're 10 years old.
-Brian

i have heard also, if you will laya blanket next to the holes... then you take a glass of tea and place it on the blanket... next, you sit there and sip the tea for a few minutes.. then you start singing to the worm hole while laying down on the blanket facing the hole... they will eventually come out and start doing the "MC HAMMER" across the end of the blanket!!! SO I've heard.....

That wasn't mushroom tea was it? LOL

I owned a plant nursery for several years and always found worms when a pot was picked up. If there is any moisture in the ground just place something flat on it, wait awhile, overnight is good, then look underneath. Chances are good you'll find a fair number of worms.

Much better than contaminating the ground with bleach or other chemicals.

I've never heard of anybody actually making a stick to fiddle worms up. I've always done just fine with two sticks that are dry enough to rattle when rubbed together, but not so dry that the bark comes off easily. The other trick to making it easier is to fidlle for worms underneath hardwoods that have a couple of years worth of leaf litter on the ground with good moist dirt under the leaves. The worms will come up through the leaves to get away from the vibrations. Just home in on the sound they make in the leaves. Be careful, though, if you're one of the girly-man snake-a-phobes we have around here because you're also likely to scare up some DeKay's snakes which look a lot like earth worms.

I use the metal probes hooked to a 12 volt battery method. That way, I don't electrocute myself or my grandson. Just have to make sure the ground has the right moisture content and that I'm picking a good "wormy spot". It works real well on Nightcrawlers.