African nightcrawlers are my worm of choice being it can accomplish all these things in a variety of ways. The one drawback to this worm is the fact it must be raised in warmer conditions (70 degrees Fahrenheit or better is best) compared to the red wigglers or European nightcrawlers which can be raised at much cooler temperatures.

When it comes to consuming most waste, the African nightcrawler can outperform the other three worms we raise, red wigglers, European nightcrawlers and Alabama Jumpers. The reason I mention most waste is the fact they do very well with vegetable scraps, shredded newspapers… however one of the things I noticed is that they do not do as well as some other worms on shredded corrugated cardboard.

The reproduction rate can be faster under good environmental conditions than the other worms raised on Organic Worm Farm. In fact many times when harvesting in two weeks time, not only do we collect a number of cocoons but find a few that have been laid and already hatched within the same time period. To grow a large African nightcrawler up to eight inches does take longer than some other worms to grow out, up to eight months time, however can grow out quicker under ideal conditions.

The worm castings, when a proper bedding material is used, such as those outlined in the 14 Day Worm Castings eBook, come out more like mice droppings, shape and size rather than a fluffy like peat moss. This makes it possible to actually use a seed or fertilizer spreader to cast around your yard and garden areas as well as makes it much easier to mix when making your own potting soil.

African nightcrawlers make a superior fish bait in a couple ways. First they offer a better presentation to the fish than most worms by illuminating blue fluorescent stripes running throughout its body especially in clearer waters as the picture below depicts, catching the fish’s attention more readily.

Blue Fluorescent Stripes on African Nightcrawlers

They can be used for a variety of species, i.e. 2”-3” worm for brim, 4”-5” are becoming popular in some areas throughout the country for trout fishing, 6”-8” are a favorite of catfish and other fish such as bass.

As anyone familiar with targeting catfish will tell you an odor can be instrumental and why many folks even make their own “stink baits” for catfish. It appears the African nightcrawler puts off an odor when stressed similar to that of the red wiggler hence why catfish literally go crazy for this worm.

As for trout fishing, while raising the worms in warmer conditions is necessary, they can survive quite a while in colder trout waters.

Unbeknownst to many anglers is the fact that the African nightcrawler can survive brackish water (mixture of fresh and saltwater). The only other worm I have heard but not tested is the European nightcrawler which supposedly can also survive brackish water. Further testing on a variety of worms is planned for the future!

Raising the African nightcrawlers for worm castings or fishing does not require the concept of composting with food waste… but can be done by top feeding with the use of products such as Purina Worm Chow which also helps to fatten the worms up for fishing.

By raising these worms, an angler can have a full array of sizes for different fish one wishes to target  from two inches up to eight inches plus on any given day.

Being this worm spreads well over the spectrum of different reasons for raising worms, makes it a favorite of mine.

Bruce

Some may remember I showed some plans on starting a worm farm using a Rubbermaid style storage bin a couple months ago. After I was finished, this setup does not actually do me any good for the amount of worms we raise, hence I decided to try and make the fisherman’s worm box out of it.

As I pulled back some of the bedding from the top of the worm bin, I found some worms eating which was a mix of all four types of worms while there were various worm cocoons also noticed. You will not see the Alabama Jumper cocoons as they are too small to be seen in the bedding mix.

Keep in mind that the bedding material is not an ideal mix for any one species of worm; however appears to be supporting all four types of worms rather well. I did have one issue where I needed to keep the worm bin under a light for 5 days before I could actually get all the worms to stay down.

A good solution for additional bins would be to place about 1 inch of existing bedding material from one worm bin over the top of a new worm farm.

To get started though you will need to mix one two thirds part Sphagnum peat moss and one third either sifted clay or top soil. Next you will need some damp shredded newspaper and corrugated cardboard. Finally you want to mix all the bedding materials together adding approximately 2 tablespoons of agricultural lime to a half filled 15 gallon bin. Be sure your material is at about 30% moisture level without being compacted. Finally tap down the bedding material lightly as you do not want a hard packed bed; however this is done to help support the Alabama Jumpers. If you need direction for setting up a worm bin using a Rubbermaid type of bin, use the link above.

Now take some vegetable scraps and bury them in one corner, much the same you might for a red wiggler bin and cover with the bedding material.

Lastly I ended up placing a quarter pound of each, the red wigglers, European nightcrawlers, African nightcrawlers and Alabama Jumpers onto the surface of the bedding material covered with an additional thin layer of damp shredded newspaper and left under a light.

Over the next five days, be sure the top remains moist by misting some water if needed.

Before placing the cover on top, I added Purina Worm Chow directly to the bedding under the top layer of shredded newspaper so as once any of the worms came to the surface; hopefully they would get distracted by the food on top, which apparently worked.

I have been feeding them food scraps only twice in about the past two months while applying the Purina Worm Chow on the surface weekly.

I have stored the worm bin inside the temperature controlled building at 78 degrees Fahrenheit however room temperature of around 70 degrees will do the trick also.

There you have it, the fisherman’s worm box and best friend!

Bruce

African Nightcrawlers are raised by some just for the castings. The African Nightcrawlers worm castings are darker in color and fluffier than other composting worms. There is no difference in the microbes or quality of the worm castings other than the looks and feel.

The macro photograph below does not really do the worm castings justice; however you can make out the African Nightcrawlers castings on the left, which are darker. The worm castings on the right are red wiggler worm castings.

Both worms were fed the same diet and were raised in the same bedding materials.

Some worm farms and brokers sell African Nightcrawlers in counts of 600 to 1,200 per pound. These are bed run, usually very small African Nightcrawlers which are still good for composting; however do not make a very good fishing worm as many are the same size as red wigglers at these counts.

Many others offer a 200 to 300 count per pound African Nightcrawlers. These are approximately eight month old worms which run about 6 to 7 inches in length without being stretched out. These make an excellent fishing worm in the warmer weather as African Nightcrawlers are a more heat tolerant worm.

Organic Worm Farm offers the latter, 200 to 300 count per pound as well as the super large African Nightcrawlers, 180 to 225 count per pound! These monsters are approximately 10 months old and run up to 10 inches before being stretched out. If you are looking for the largest, active worm to fish with, these are the worms you want. The Canadian Nightcrawler will run larger, however is not nearly as active as the African Nightcrawlers.

The below photo shows an average 200 to 300 count African Nightcrawler on top with the super large African Nightcrawler, 180 to 225 count per pound below it.

The monster, super large African Nightcrawlers were raised by feeding them Purina Worm Chow. It is a food formulated especially for worms which is fortified not only with grains but minerals and vitamins as well. To raise the largest, fattest worms as well as the most prolific worms, there is nothing that beats using Purina Worm Chow as either a diet supplement or as a sole diet for worms.

Bruce “The Worm Expert” Galle

The Alabama Jumper has two main beneficial components. First, it is an excellent composting earthworm for your garden or lawn areas even in hard packed clay and sandy soils. They burrow deep, aerating the soil coming to the surface to eat and leave worm castings on the surface areas.

Alabama Jumpers also make an excellent fishing worm. With their tough exterior skin permitting them to burrow through the toughest terrains, they remain on the hook better than most fishing worms, including the European Nightcrawlers.

Well onto the humorous video, enjoy…

Bruce