Live nightcrawlers in winter? I had to find out

Hey, Keith here.

If you read last week's newsletter, you know I tore up some bass using a weightless Power Worm.

The slow fall kept the bait lingering in the strike zone and turned an ordinary cold-weather trip into one of my better winter outings. But after that trip, one question stuck with me.

If bass were willing to eat a weightless plastic worm in cold water, what would they do with the real thing?

Today, I’ll walk you through how my trip went and show you a few proven ways to catch winter bass with live nightcrawlers.

BEST LINKS

What I watched this week

• How to hook a worm: Step-by-step baiting guide (Anglers)

• Back to basics: Trapping shiners and picking crawlers (Wired2Fish)

• Catching lunker bass with nightcrawlers (In-Fisherman)

• Largemouth bass can’t resist this rigged live worm! (Logan the Waterman)

• Bass fishing with nightcrawlers BACKFIRES! (Veto Fishing)

Deals of the week

• Walmart has a pack of three-inch Senko’s on sale, regularly $11.32 marked down to $6.70.

• FishUSA has a pack of Boss Kat “J” Live Bait Hooks marked down from $3.99 to $3.19.

• Bass Pro Shops has a pack of XPS Octopus Hooks 40% off. Regularly $4.99 now $2.97

DEEP DIVE 

Do live nightcrawlers still work for winter bass?

Live nightcrawlers might not be trendy, but there's a reason they've caught fish for generations.

Nightcrawlers are natural and easy for fish to eat, and they move on their own without any help from the angler.

In winter, when bass are conserving energy and strikes can be hard to come by, that matters.

When bass are lethargic, a live worm drifting naturally through the strike zone can be tough for them to ignore.

At least, that's the theory I wanted to test.

Last week, I made a trip to a local lake where I had recently caught bass using weightless plastic worms. I decided to keep everything as similar as possible and only change one variable: 

Instead of plastic, I threaded on a live nightcrawler.

While I usually dig my worms in my backyard when I’m going perch jerkin’, I wanted something bigger for bass. So, I picked up a carton of DMF Bait Co. Nightcrawlers at Walmart and headed to the pond.

I was fishing by about eight a.m. Normally I like to start earlier, but with how cold it's been, I figured it would be better to let the sun come up before heading out. 

I started on the western side of the lake where the sunlight was hitting the water first.

After threading the hook through the head of the nightcrawler, I ran it through the middle so it would stay on during the cast.

After about five minutes with no movement, I reeled in. I walked a few steps down the bank and made another cast.

My ultralight Trika rod and reel combo handled the presentation perfectly. Casting a weightless nightcrawler was easy, and everything felt natural.

In fact, if I had brought my baitcaster, I don’t think I could have cast the worm far at all.

On the next cast, I pitched the worm about 20 feet out and let it sink, watching the line for a couple of minutes. I'll admit, it felt more like catfishing than bass fishing, but I am an end-justifies-the-means kind of guy. 

If it catches bass, I'm interested.

After about two minutes, the line started moving to the right. I had a decision to make. Do I wait, or do I set the hook? 

Since it was a live nightcrawler, I decided to let the fish have it a little longer. I figured it was unlikely to spit it out. After about ten seconds, I set the hook.

It was solid, but it wasn’t bass.

The fish turned out to be a decent blue cat, which I put on the stringer to keep. 

After staying put, I caught another blue cat. So, I decided to relocate to the same dock where I had caught bass the week before, and that move made all the difference.

On the first cast near the dock, the worm barely had time to sink before the line started moving. I set the hook and battled a solid bass that jumped twice before I landed it.

Catching bass on an ultralight never gets old!

That dock continued to pay off. I stayed put and caught four more bass from the same area, all on live nightcrawlers.

How to rig live nightcrawlers for winter bass

There's more than one way to fish a live nightcrawler, and small rigging choices can make a big difference in winter.

Weightless hook

This is the simplest and most natural way to fish a live nightcrawler.

Hook the nightcrawler once through the head and lightly thread it through the head and midsection on an Octopus Hook, then fish it with no added weight. 

The worm sinks slowly and moves on its own, which keeps it in the strike zone longer. I find it best to watch the line for movement instead of waiting on a hard bite.

This is one option, not a rule. Live nightcrawlers can be fished a few different ways depending on conditions, and figuring out which setup fits the situation is part of the process.

Split-shot rig

Adding a small split shot 12–18 inches above the hook helps with casting distance while keeping the presentation subtle. 

This rig is useful when there is a light breeze or when bass are holding slightly deeper but still close to the bank.

The key is keeping the weight light enough that the nightcrawler can still move freely and look natural.

Drop-shot rig

A drop shot allows you to keep the nightcrawler off the bottom and directly in front of fish that are suspended or holding just above cover.

Hook the worm through the head and use a drop-shot weight so the bait is not overpowered.

This is a good option when bass are slightly suspended and not directly on the bottom.

Light Carolina-style rig

A light Carolina-style rig uses a small sliding bullet weight with a leader between the weight and the hook.

This setup helps maintain bottom contact in deeper water, especially along edges, drop-offs, or pond basins.

As with the other rigs, keeping the weight as light as possible is important so the crawler can still move naturally.