Where to find worms?

[sashkello]

Hi all!

When I used to fish as a kid in my small town near Volga River, I almost exclusively used earthworms. I never took any bait with me, as all you had to do was find some old log or rock near the river and under it there surely would be a few nice earthworms. Within minutes I'd have a dozen of them in a can and would replenish when they run out... 

However, here in NSW all my efforts to replicate that experience failed miserably. I moved rocks around Lyell lake, I looked under fallen trees, all in vain. The soil looks very dry, maybe they don't even live in those places I've looked.

Everyone says they're best bait for trout, and I'm really keen to try finding some if so.

Edited August 21 by sashkello

[Steve0]

We always had a spot in the garden. Dig in some low volatile oil leaves (trees that drop leaves in Autumn are great) and kitchen scraps. Keep the area damp and toss a few wheat bags on top to stop it baking on sunny days (if you can find wheat bags these days). Occasionally add more scraps, leaves, dry grass... Much the same as you'd use for a compost heap. It's a case of 'build it and they will come'.

When we stopped maintaining the patch, I used to visit a truck wash near a sale yard. All the water that washed down was loaded with sheep dung. Worms were incredibly thick in the ground there. I'm not suggesting you'll find such a handy source of worms in Lyell Lake, but if you have a look around the flow from your local truck wash, you may get lucky.

[XD351]

I have dug them at Rydal - in the creek bank . You need to look at areas where the finer darker  silt has settled as this is where the rotting vegetation will also settle - bottom of little gullies, edges of creeks ( if it is too wet go up a bit higher on the bank ) around the base of willow trees is also worth a try . 

The best option is to start a worm farm . It is dead simple and if you use the equipment in the video dirt cheap .

https://youtu.be/vUv2catceHY?feature=shared

Also a channel called Marty's garden , he is into vermiculture ( growing worms to make fertiliser) and has dozens of videos on worm farming .

One of my mates grows and sells flat tail worms out around Oberon , not sure if he sells from his home but I do know you can get his worms at the wattle flat general store - look for the name I got worms . 
I also know of a place in Bathurst and Penrith you can buy them but I will have to pm you those names as they are tackle stores . 

 

[sashkello]

15 hours ago, Steve0 said:

We always had a spot in the garden. Dig in some low volatile oil leaves (trees that drop leaves in Autumn are great) and kitchen scraps. Keep the area damp and toss a few wheat bags on top to stop it baking on sunny days (if you can find wheat bags these days). Occasionally add more scraps, leaves, dry grass... Much the same as you'd use for a compost heap. It's a case of 'build it and they will come'.

Yeah, I wish I had a garden, mate, apartment living for me for now. There is a community garden nearby, maybe I can ask to poke around their compost pile and see whether there's something.

8 hours ago, XD351 said:

I have dug them at Rydal - in the creek bank . You need to look at areas where the finer darker  silt has settled as this is where the rotting vegetation will also settle - bottom of little gullies, edges of creeks ( if it is too wet go up a bit higher on the bank ) around the base of willow trees is also worth a try . 

Cheers, I'll try that!

[juicy233]

Might be a long shot but one day I struggled to find worms in my garden, I had a look in a gutter and found about 10 of them! Any moist dirt seems to have some worms about. I 100% agree they are the best freshwater bait for trout, Murray cod, perch, redfin and other fishes. I've fished at the murray river and in various rivers and dams around nsw and I'll often have baits out with live worms, cheese, dim sims, bardi grubs and other stuff and nearly all the time the worms are the best.