As a boy growing up in Michigan, We used worms for bait when chasing just about any species of fish. In the spring a river near my home was host to a spawning run of suckers. They provided hours of fun for me and my friends. If we weren't trying to snag them with big treble hooks, we would get them to eat a big gob of worm. The brook trout in that stream fell for fresh dug worms as well. Perch would take a double hook rig baited with worms in Lake michigan during their spawning runs in lake Michigan, Walleyes on spinner rigs, bluegills, etc. If the ground wasn't frozen and we were going fishing, we probably had to dig a few worms first.
I got good at finding these simple yet very important creatures. It was rare that one of the standard spots wouldn't produce a good ice cream pale full of slimy brown gold. The leaf piles under the eaves of the garage or the tool shed were always an easy place to start. Move the leaves and get to the wet ground and there they would be. Sometimes a stick would be needed to scratch up a little earth if it hadn't rained in a week or more. A keen eye was needed to differentiate between a worm and a wet stick but I mastered the skill. Replacing the leaves back on the pile ensured future hunts would be successful.
From there you could always count on the slightly less pleasant, large pile of dog poop behind our bird dogs kennel. This location provided some of the fattest worms but was most likely responsible for the women in our family never touching a worm during a fishing outing. (Although the women in my family loved to fish, it is hard to tell a leaf pile worm from a dog crap worm) There were several tricks to hunting this spot too. Most important was that worms are rarely if ever found directly in the pile. Even they must not be able to handle the pure fecal power. Instead you had to use a shovel and dig at the very edge where the poop meets the topsoil. Here a couple shovels of dirt could be over turned and broken up to unveil a trove of wiggling beauties.
Now when you were away from home and had to find a few worms for a last minute trip or maybe had run out during a hot bite, there are some standard locations one could look. Tipping over the logs used as seats around a fire pit always has potential, as did turning over large rocks. Soil type of the area however could have a great affect on success rates. Rocks on a sand beach dont have worms under them. Worms aren't really the beach type I guess. I was also scolded by a young native boy for attempting this technique on a trip to Belize. Apparently Scorpions, Snakes and other mean critters like living under things too. Safety tip for you.
This past spring I had cabin fever something terrible. The weather was nice enough but seasons were still closed here in the north country so I couldn't hit the water. It had rained during the day so I decided to teach my daughter one of the most fun ways to catch the biggest worms. Sarah loves worms and regularly collects them off the driveway following a storm. This night however, we were taking a more direct approach. She was allowed to stay up past bedtime and armed with a flashlight and plastic cool whip container, we hit the front yard. Watching a four year old in princess PJs diving on a night crawler as it shoots back down its hole in the grass is a priceless sight I would recommend to any father who has a daughter. We had a blast. The worms won most of the time but Sarah and I did manage to outsmart a few. If you have never tried to catch a worm using a flashlight at night you would be shocked at how fast they are and although they have no eyes, they can tell when you shine the light on them. You need to pull slowly as Sarah found out once or twice or you will find yourself holding half a worm. Once we had scared all the worms in the front yard back down, It was time for bed. I got a big hug and had to promise another worm hunt soon. A promise I gladly made.
I dont use live bait very often anymore. Worms made from plastisol make up most of my arsenal these days. I will always have a place in my heart though for the wiggly little guys and I am guessing the fish will too.