Find live bait
Learn how to find and collect safe live bait like worms and minnows using a small net, flashlight, and gentle handling techniques.
Step-by-step guide to find live bait
How to Rig and Hook a Live Shrimp (and Mistakes to Avoid)
Step 1
Ask an adult for permission to go outside and to help with the activity.
Step 2
With your adult choose a safe spot to look for bait like a damp garden patch for worms or a calm shallow shoreline for minnows.
Step 3
Put on gloves or wet your hands with clean water to protect the animals and your hands.
Step 4
Decide whether you will search for worms or minnows.
Step 5
If you chose worms then use the small shovel to gently loosen the top layer of damp soil.
Step 6
If you chose worms then pick the worms gently and place them into the container with a little moist soil.
Step 7
If you chose minnows then use your flashlight to look into the shallow water for small fish.
Step 8
If you chose minnows then sweep the small net slowly through the shallow water to try to catch a minnow.
Step 9
If you caught minnows then gently transfer them into the container that has a little clean water.
Step 10
Keep the container shaded and cool out of direct sun.
Step 11
Check your bait often to make sure they look lively and healthy.
Step 12
If any animal looks injured or you have too many then ask your adult to help release them back gently where you found them.
Step 13
Share your finished bait collection on DIY.org.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use instead of a small shovel, small net, or gloves if those items are hard to find?
Use a sturdy spoon or kitchen trowel to loosen the top layer of damp soil, a clean kitchen strainer or fine-mesh butterfly net to sweep shallow water, and use a phone flashlight and damp hands instead of gloves if needed.
What should we do if we can't find any worms or minnows or if the animals look unhealthy?
Search damp soil under leaves or garden edges and gently loosen the top layer with the shovel or spoon as the instructions say, sweep the net slowly in calm shallow water for minnows, and keep any caught bait lively by placing them into the container with a little moist soil or clean water and keeping it shaded and cool.
How can this activity be adjusted for younger children or older kids?
Have an adult always choose the safe spot and handle tools like the small shovel and net while younger kids observe and gently pick worms with wet hands, and let older kids use the flashlight, record sizes or counts, and prepare a shareable post for DIY.org.
How can we extend or personalize the bait-collecting activity once we've collected bait?
Label and decorate your container, keep a short observation journal noting how often you check the bait and their health, add natural shelter like leaves or moist soil to follow the instructions for keeping them lively, and responsibly release any extra or injured animals back where you found them.
Watch videos on how to find live bait
🎣 Live Bait Rig for River Walleye Fishing: Tips and Techniques! 🐟🎯
3 Videos
🎣 Live Bait Rig for River Walleye Fishing: Tips and Techniques! 🐟🎯
Teaching My Son to Fish with Live Bait 🎣
How To Hook LIVE Bait (Fishing Beginner/Advanced Method)
Facts about bait collection and fishing safety
🔦 A flashlight can attract tiny baitfish and insects at night, making them easier to spot and scoop with a small net.
🤲 Always wet your hands before touching minnows or worms — it helps protect fish slime and keeps worms moist and healthy.
🪱 Earthworms breathe through their skin and can eat up to about half their body weight in soil each day — that makes them super busy little bait!
🪣 Keep collected minnows lively in a shaded bucket with cool water and fresh oxygen (change water or use a small aerator) to keep bait ready.
🐟 Many minnows swim in schools of hundreds or even thousands — safety (and snack-sharing) in numbers!
How do I teach my child to find and collect live bait like worms and minnows?
What materials do I need to find and collect live bait safely with a child?
What ages are suitable for this live bait activity with kids?
What safety tips should parents follow when collecting live bait with children?
One subscription, many ways to play and learn.
Only $6.99 after trial. No credit card required