Nightcrawler hunting lights?

[earthsaver77]

This is totally out of the normal for this forum, but I can't be the only one that collects nightcrawler for fishing.

I've noticed that just about any standard white, red, or UV LED will scare them back into the ground from a distance. I have an old Fulton right angle light from the 1980s that nightcrawler barely react to at all.

Does anyone know why nightcrawler shy away from LED bulb light but not the old wire filament bulb from the 80s?
I would like to upgrade to a new light. Are there any modern lights that don't scare away nocturnal critters that make good fishing bait?

Thanks

 

[hsa]

I don't know anything about nightcrawlers. Mag LIte still sells these.

Maglite 3-Cell D Incandescent Flashlight

Every Mag-Lite flashlight embodies a precise balance of refined optics, efficient power, durability and quality. Each Mag-Lite D-Cell flashlight includes two high intensity Krypton Lamps for enhanced brilliance and extended range.

maglite.com

 

[fulee9999]

This is totally out of the normal for this forum, but I can't be the only one that collects nightcrawler for fishing.

I've noticed that just about any standard white, red, or UV LED will scare them back into the ground from a distance. I have an old Fulton right angle light from the 1980s that nightcrawler barely react to at all.

Does anyone know why nightcrawler shy away from LED bulb light but not the old wire filament bulb from the 80s?
I would like to upgrade to a new light. Are there any modern lights that don't scare away nocturnal critters that make good fishing bait?

Thanks

from the few scientific data I quickly found, it seems like that worms tend to move away from light, especially in the UV range, so most probably a photo red LED lightsource is your best bet, as it is the furtherst away from the UV range that you can still see with your eyes.
what type of red light did you use? a white light with a filter? red bulb? or red LED?

some people had luck using a headlamp with a red option:

best light to observe worms

Hi, I'm looking for a light to use when observing my worm beds. Don't know if I should use a red light, or some sort of UV light that might show the worms easier. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You' Forrest Urban worm Manager

www.houzz.com

also here is a paper discovering light sources most suitable for earthworms:
( red wins here as well )

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238778639_Effects_of_light_colour_and_oscillator_frequency_on_earthworm_bioactivity

 

[ironhorse]

It has been probably 25 years since I went out at night for night crawlers. All we had to use was the Eveready incans. I might have to experiment with using a led, however it is getting a little late in the season now.

 

[bigburly912]

I'll actually chime in on this. I don't post much anymore but I've never found an LED of any kind at all that didn't scare them to death. I don't understand it, can't explain it but I too just use an old incan when I hunt my own worms. I'm glad you posted this. Good luck!

 

[snakebite]

I used a mx-991 with a 150ma bulb and the red filter.
Always worked fine.

 

[ButchW]

Interesting....
Butch

 

[turbodog]

Just gotta be fast when you flip over the dried cow poop and grab them before they escape. We always went 'foraging' in the cow pasture.

 

[alpg88]

maybe the reason they barely react to Fulton is that it barely shines. Maybe there is more to leds than just visible light, maybe they feel driver circuit emf.

 

[earthsaver77]

Thanks for the replies. I've definitely noticed that worms and nightcrawlers scatter fast with every LED flashlight I've tried. I have 12 or 13 different flashlights with drastically different qualities. My newer Fenix and Streamlight make them disappear from 60' away or further. The Surefire has a bright center spot with dimmer halo, but still too bright. Even the much dimmer GSX and Defiant 3-bulb lights down to my old 12-LED beater is too much. The 20-year-old pocket MagLite with original bulb works ok. My old Fulton military flashlight worked great without any filters, but it FUBARed. I have 2 cases of (new REALLY old stock) industrial yellow Fulton flashlights in their original boxes with incandescent bulbs that I've never opened. I may have to pull one out and put it to use.
Thanks for the great tips #fulee9999.
Has anyone tried using the red filter idea on a LED light yet? I'd love to hear how your experiments went.

 

[earthsaver77]

Looking at the filter concept, I found these very interesting for IR filtering.
Filters that allow only infra-red to pass are Rosco #27 and #382 theatre gels.

There's a lot of info about blocking visible light while allowing IR to freely pass on this site:
http://www.amasci.com/amateur/irgoggl.html

Might be handy for anyone setting up security cameras using your existing lights.

 

[bykfixer]

This is totally out of the normal for this forum, but I can't be the only one that collects nightcrawler for fishing.

I've noticed that just about any standard white, red, or UV LED will scare them back into the ground from a distance. I have an old Fulton right angle light from the 1980s that nightcrawler barely react to at all.

Does anyone know why nightcrawler shy away from LED bulb light but not the old wire filament bulb from the 80s?
I would like to upgrade to a new light. Are there any modern lights that don't scare away nocturnal critters that make good fishing bait?

Thanks

That Fulton puts out 10 lumens at best. A pretty focused beam with a gentle spill. When worms see that gentle incan beam of natural light they say "alright pally it would be nice if you'd turn off that thing".
Turn on an LED with it's chemical reaction taking place to cause light and they say "holy crap! it's the humans!, scram!" and flee.

 

[M@elstrom]

Nightcrawlers appear to be the equivalent to what we call Earthworms here, on the odd occasion I do go fishing (not often enough), I just dig them up fresh in the middle of the day without too much problem, I know of people who use polystyrene tubs (as used to pack frozen foods for transport) and make unescapable dirt farms for them.



Red light filters make sense for hunting most anything at night...

 

[VT-light]

Several decades ago I used a 2 d-cell flashlight with a layer or two of Kleenex wrapped around the flashlight head, held with a rubber band, to illuminate nightcrawlers. The key was a very dim light that was just bright enough to be able to see them 3 feet from the flashlight. They clearly are light sensitive creatures. Fancy lights not required, in fact they do not work. They also are sensitive to foot step vibrations, that'll also send them scurrying back into their holes, so you have to walk softly.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

It's obvious--Nightcrawlers are tint snobs.