Where Fishing Begins
Keep cool and dry. Refrigerate or just keep in a cool area at 50 to 60 degrees. Feeding is not necessary.
Mealworms and Giant Mealworms
For extended storage, remove from our container and put in shallow container in bran millings. Keep refrigerated and about once a week remove from fridge. Add a slice of apple or potato so they can eat for nourishment. Place worms (without potato or apple slice) back in fridge. Refrigerate at 40 to 50 degrees.
WAXWORMS
Keep leeches refrigerated, 38-40 degrees is just fine. Nice cool fresh water really is the key for keeping leeches healthy. Never use chlorinated water (city water) on any type of live bait. Best choices of water are well water or chilled lake water. Just a tip if you plan on using water from a lake, pond, stream or river. The plastic gallon milk jugs work very well because they fit so nice in your refrigerator. After you collect the water bring it home and put it in the same refrigerator you are keeping your leeches. By the next morning the water will be chilled down to about the same temperature as your leeches so you can then change the water. We recommend that you change your leech water every day or at least ever other day for best leech health.
When choosing a container to store your leeches, choose a container that will keep the pile of leeches about 1" to 2" deep when in the water. Leeches like to be a little crowded but not too crowded so don't allow the leeches to be piled up more than about 2". The container should also hold atl east 4" to 8" of water above the leeches.
So to recap, change the water every day or every other day with well water or chilled down lake water. Keep the leeches in a container that holds enough water and does not over crowd the bait. As you are changing the water also pick out any sick or dead leeches and throw them away. Keep leeches refrigerated during storage and also keep them nice and cool when traveling and fishing.
MEALWORMS
If nightcrawlers are kept for more than 3 weeks, transfer to larger container add fresh, slightly dampened peat moss. If Worm Bedding is used, follow instructions on package. Store in shallow plastic or styrofoam containers and refrigerate at 40 to 50 degrees
WATER LEECHES
NIGHTCRAWLERS
REDWORMS
Can be kept in the same moss in which they are packed for 2 to 3 weeks. For longer storage, re-pack into fresh, damp peat moss. If Worm Bedding is used, follow instructions on package. Store in shallow plastic or styrofoam containers and refrigerate at 40 to 50 degrees