Besides providing a relatively cheap introduction to the sport, worms are about as popular with fish as chocolate cake is with us. While worms can be an effective bait throughout the year, they can be particularly potent for early-season trout. Streams often run high and turbid in the spring. But trout can use their sense of smell to locate live bait, such as worms, even when cloudy water limits visibility. There are actually many different kinds of worms, but perhaps the favorite among anglers are the larger species generically called nightcrawlers.
Nightcrawlers are readily available at tackle shops and even convenience stores.
For those who prefer to take a hands-on approach to collecting their opening day bait, it s easy to round up nightcrawlers right in your own backyard. Better yet, search for nightcrawlers after a rain storm. Water saturating the soil forces worms to the surface. Nightcrawlers don t have eyes, but they are sensitive to light. Don t shine a flashlight directly on them, or they ll detect you and escape.