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Not many fish will turn down a nice juicy nightcrawler if you present it to them properly.
Presentation is important and while a fish might turn up its nose at a gob of worm on a big hook, it might be seduced by a lively, wiggling crawler unencumbered by a heavy sinker and a hook big enough to hold a whale.
I first became aware of the advantages of a free swimming nightcrawler when I began to use a flyrod. I was fishing East Palestine City Lake at the time and the water was clear enough for me to see a nice bass that had taken up residence near a sunken log. That was one paranoid bass and anything I plopped into the water in its vicinity sent it scurrying off to safety. Then, I tried my flyrod and lightly hooked a nightcrawler on the end of the leader with no additional weight.
The flyrod let me flip the worm near the bass with no splash. I could see the undulations of the crawler as it slowly sunk to the log. Then it disappeared and the water exploded as the bass broke the surface. It was a good fight, but I won and released my opponent to produce future generations of bass. Maybe even a few of his descendents still swim in that lake.
The fishing book "Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers" takes nightcrawler presentation to a higher level. The book is out of print, but you can still find copies on Amazon and you should have a copy in your fishing library. The author, George Pazik, recommends a tiny No. 8 lightweight hook even when fishing for larger fish such as bass and walleyes. He even claims that 6-pound test line is strong enough if you play a fish right. Pazic's system also calls for lightly hooking the crawler in the very tip of its nose.
After years of hooking a worm solidly on my hook I have a hard time making myself follow Pazic's directions, but I'm determined to give it a serious try very soon.
There is so much excellent information in "Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers" that I could never get it all in my column. So I'll let you decide if you want to buy the book while I write about some of my methods.
Nightcrawlers work great on spinner lures such as the Erie Dearie. While these weight forward spinners were designed for Lake Erie, they work just fine on inland lakes. I caught many species of fish while using them on Atwood Lake, including an Ohio State certificate for a 29-inch channel catfish.
Many of my best catches were on nightcrawler harnesses. These harnesses are nothing more than a series of beads and spinners threaded on a long leader. They are easy to make and I produce my own during those long winter nights. By making my own I have a wide selection of beads and spinners to try. Who knows when a particular combination will be the best producer of walleyes?
The nightcrawler harnesses can be either trolled or drifted. When I drift using a nightcrawler harness I thread a slip sinker on the main line, use a snap swivel to keep the sinker from sliding down and then snap on the harness using its leader. For trolling I add more weight such as a keel sinker or bottom bouncer. I make both by using a Do-It mold and pouring lead in my workshop.
Bottom bouncers are basically a spring steel wire with a lead weight. The wire keeps the bouncer doing what it is intended to do: bounce along the lake bottom. It takes a while to get the feel of using these.
Keel sinkers are nothing more than a keel-shaped weight with a small chain molded in. One end of the chain attaches to the fishing line and the other to the leader of the harness. I make several weights and have rigged my tackle so I can switch to lighter or heavier weights as needed.
There is more to fishing than catching fish. I enjoy trying to learn new methods and making my own tackle. After many years I'm still being educated by the fish. Sure is fun.