Im not exactly which forum I should post this in because it is not hunting related, so I just put it in here because I live in Wisconsin. Anyways, I was just wondering if anyone herehas any experience with gathering nightcrawlers after dark. I've been out a dozen times or so including in the middle of the night and after a downpoor. I go to parks and soccer fields and walk slowly with a flashlight. I thought gathering nightcrawlers would be simple but I have yet to find a single one. Does anyone know what I am doing wrong? Its really starting to get frustrating
thanks

Nightcrawlers are not found everywhere. For example, i grew up in a town of 250 in southern Illinois. We did not have them in my yard or any of the other yards on our block, yet my grandmother's yard on the next block was full of them. Dunno why that is the case, but i am sure a soil scientist can explain.
Sounds like you are looking at the right times, you just need to find the right place.

I dont think its the area because occasionally I find nightcrawlers on my driveway after a rain and talking to friends I hear they get 250-500 crawlers after a good rain in the same areas. Perhaps Im cursed!!! haha

Well, if they are there, they are there. No reason why they shouldn't be out on any night when there is a lot of rain and the ground is really wet. You might try looking in some areas where there is bare ground like flower beds and gardens. You could also try getting worm food or coffee grounds and scattering it across a given area. That might concentrate them in a given area if there aren't too many of them.

You also have to move very slowly and don't let the flashlight beam sit on them or they will go back down their hole. Once you find one you have to be very quick otherwise back down their hole they go. It is alot of fun to do and we have had the best luck on one of the football fields in town.

We use to drive a old broom stick in the ground then take another stick and rub across it several times and the worms would crawl out of the ground and we would collect them to go fishing.I heard of people taking one of those old style crank telephones and running a wire into the ground and shocking the worms to get them to come out.....hmmm come to think of it I think years ago they made a metal probe you stuck in the ground and it was plugged into an electrical source and used to shock-up worms also!

Little late in the year to find huge numbers of them best time is in spring on the first warm rain i found around 1000 in 2 night and havent found 100 in the summer

checke freshly mowed damp areas/lawns/fields, etc, gardens are great as well. cornfields are just as good.