Floating?

[Osage]

Does anyone here float nightcrawlers ?if so what is your technique ?

[quickco]

what do you mean, under a float? or sink with no weight?

[Fishrmn]

Inject them with air... during open water.  Can't think of a good reason to float them under the ice.




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[Osage]

Yes on the air injection,and they are killer under the ice,or soft water for a variety of fish.My problem is,I can't remember the technique for inserting a snelled hook into the crawler.Years ago we would fish them in hard or soft water,using the Carolina rig set up ( if my memory serves me ) floating a crawler just above the bottom or just above the vegetation.
   Countless catfish and gills have fallen to this presentation,I just can't remember the procedure for threading the snell,plus I hoped others might have a different way of presenting

[FG Steve]

I float my 'crawlers off the bottom with a marshmallow in the summer.

In the winter, I float my 'crawlers off the bottom with my line.   

In other words, I can control my bait depth from above.  In the summer I don't fish straight down.

Floating my worm in the winter would mean that my line would go down right past the bait to the weight, then back up to the bait.  Way too much line in my presentation.

Marshmallows also make a nice little cloud for the first few minutes underwater.  In winter I use scents to do the same job.

My $.02

[Osage]

I float my 'crawlers off the bottom with a marshmallow in the summer.

In the winter, I float my 'crawlers off the bottom with my line.   

In other words, I can control my bait depth from above.  In the summer I don't fish straight down.

Floating my worm in the winter would mean that my line would go down right past the bait to the weight, then back up to the bait.  Way too much line in my presentation.

Marshmallows also make a nice little cloud for the first few minutes underwater.  In winter I use scents to do the same job.

My $.02

   Yeah there are several presentations that work,I haven't felt the line has bothered the bight,but yes it does put the bait close to the line.I recently experimented with using floating jigs tipped with meat,dropping down the hole,and floating about 18" above bottom,I actually did very well.
   Most folks who use the floating crawler tend to be some of the older gentlemen ,maybe that's why I'm interested,just to relearn an old technique .

[Kevin23]

A hook needle (sometimes called a bait needle) is what you are looking for. Its a long needle with an open hook on the end for threading line through baits. Hook the first hook through the nose, then hook the second hook right behind the first but don't come back out of the worm. Then push the baiting needle in from the center of the worm and hook the shank of the hook inside the worm, pulling it down to the center and out.

[Osage]

Thanks,the bait needle led me to find more info on threading and inflating,I do believe I've got it now.