Does farming worms actually save anglers money?

I’ve often joked with my friends and family about starting a worm farm.

I use loads of live bait during the peak summer months and, lets be honest, like most things a pack nightcrawlers isn’t getting any cheaper.

A few months ago, after some torrential rains, my driveway was filled with worms. It seemed like a shame to let all that free bait just sit there, so I started collecting them in an old sour cream container from my in-laws’ restaurant. Before long, I had dozens — far more than I could go through before they died. My friend Spencer, who lives down the street got in on the action and also filled a large bucket over at his house.

It seemed I had no other choice than to finally take the plunge into worm farming.

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Fishing a desert oasis

About 10 years ago, I was sitting in my parents living room on a weekend morning and John Gillespie’s Waters Woods was on TV. This is pretty typical. For as long as I can remember, my dad’s morning routine on Saturday or Sunday involved watching John while enjoying his coffee and breakfast.

This particular episode was different, though. It was a rare instance when John ventured outside of Wisconsin. He was in Arizona catching, what appeared to be, comically large bluegills. These things were the size of dinner plates.

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Important reminders

Each year, dip netting season brings an important part of me back to life.

This tradition, that doesn’t seem quite as popular with other folks as I recall it being in my childhood, is one of the first true signs of spring. It means longer, warmer days are coming which, in turn, means more time fishing, hunting, birding, or simply being outdoors. Sure, I do all of those activities in the winter months, but it’s just not the same when you are consistently at odds with the elements.

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BIGG Mouth Fishing Stick Bait Review

It’s no secret that stick baits are something of a cheat code in the bass fishing world. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who has impacted bass fishing the way Gary Yamamoto did when he introduced us to the Senko in 1996.

In my experience, these plastics strike a balance of catching the volume and size of fish I’m after that few other options offer.

So It makes sense that loads of companies offer their take on the holy grail of stick baits. I’ve spent money with many of them.

But when I saw an Instagram post from Wisconsin-based company BIGG Mouth Fishing, I was immediately intrigued.

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Hunting for trout

“If you want something you have never had, you must do something you’ve never done.”

The fact that this quote is frequently misattributed to Thomas Jefferson shouldn’t take away its sentiment. It certainly doesn’t for me.

After I came up empty in my mission to land my first inland trout on a fly rod during the early season, my friend Brandon offered me an opportunity. His family owns a cabin in Langlade County and he discovered an abundance of quality trout fishing spots during some scouting trips last year. He told me I was welcomed to join him for an adventure that would likely get me off the schneid.

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Fly Fishing Reflections

On an overcast, unseasonably mild January day, I found myself on one knee, my neoprene waders protecting my skin from the condensed pack of fading snow I was parked in.

In front of me was a small pool of the Mullet River protected by frosted cedars and plenty of downed timber. My left hand clutched the butt end of the nine-foot fly rod I had borrowed from my friend and fishing companion, Brandon. My right hand held the flies that were supposed to be attached to my tippet which now swung naked in the gentle breeze.

I was out of breath, drenched in sweat, and there was a steady stream of blood flowing out of my left thumb from an unintentionally self-inflicted wound undoubtedly caused by my haste.

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