Nightcrawlers - Heads or Tails

[JerkinLips]

Now that the crawler bite has begun, I wonder which end of the half crawler is better for catching walleyes.  I get more bites with the tail end but miss more bites.  I think I hook more fish with the head end.  Anybody else have any observations?

[delcecchi]

I never fished much with crawlers down here in wild west, since perch and gills also like them and would steal them in a short time.   

[tinker]

I have always hooked them in the head just above the egg sac. I usually pinch off 1 to 1/12 inches from the back.

[leech~~]

5 hours ago, delcecchi said:

I never fished much with crawlers down here in wild west, since perch and gills also like them and would steal them in a short time.   

I try them a few times a year but like Del said.  Can't seem to get them down before the sunnies and then perch rip them to shreds! And the lake I'm on after the spawn that means deep.  Midsummer sunnies out of 38.2' feet! 

 

[Kettle]

Dark end, inflate them, run tungsten weights. Seems to help

[Wanderer]

Didn’t seem to matter to us over the past couple days even though most seem to prefer the head end.

[tinker]

13 hours ago, Kettle said:

Dark end, inflate them, run tungsten weights. Seems to help

Memory lane. 50 years ago we would use a worm blower, # 10 Kahle hook and slip sinker. Anchor up and pitch out and drag back slowly. Worked great. 

[Kettle]

3 hours ago, tinker said:

Memory lane. 50 years ago we would use a worm blower, # 10 Kahle hook and slip sinker. Anchor up and pitch out and drag back slowly. Worked great. 

Some things will always work. Simplicity is a good thing 

[tinker]

I agree. Seems like today I have to bring 20 lbs of Jig heads, assorted hooks and spinners,4 rods, bait boxes with aerators, marker buoys, trolling motor and batteries. Yikes I'm gonna need a bigger boat. It's no wonder my wife thinks I'm not a fisherman but a tackle collector.

[Kettle]

I'm still running a two tray Plano tackle box from the 70s. Jigs and lindy rigs with some bobbers. 

[gim]

On 7/17/2022 at 4:17 PM, leech~~ said:

Can't seem to get them down before the sunnies and then perch rip them to shreds!

If you're using them on a spinner, try the Gulp versions.  I almost exclusively use these instead of real worms now because the panfish peck the end of the real ones before a walleye can even get to it.  The fake ones are just as effective and very durable.  And since you're using spinners and going for a quick reactive strike anyways, the fish can't tell whether its real or fake in a split second decision.