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What are you fishing for? What you are fishing for makes a world of difference. I assume trout, if so trout LOVE garden worms. I fish for bluegill and crappie, I have tried garden worms, nightcrawlers, red worms, angler worms, ect. and they dont work half as well as waxies or spikes.
Hard to dig in frozen ground
If you use smelts at all try your local large food store, sometimes they have and cheaper than bait shops. Some chinese like them to eat.
do you suspend them like a minnow or do you put them right on bottom?