If you regularly use live bait, particularly lobworms, it’s well worth setting up the right conditions to keep them healthy and lively. With a bit of care, lobworms (Lumbricus terrestris) can be stored for weeks — giving you a steady supply of top-quality bait whenever you need it. Here are three simple tips to keep your lobworms in excellent condition:

1. Keep Them Cool

Temperature is key when it comes to worm storage. To extend their lifespan and keep them active, store your lobworms at a steady temperature of around 4–5°C. Investing in a small dedicated fridge is ideal — it keeps conditions consistent and helps prevent them from becoming too warm, which can lead to stress or even death.

2. Provide Rough, Moist Bedding

Lobworms thrive in coarse, damp bedding. While moist newspaper works well, moist corrugated cardboard is even better — it gives the worms something to crawl through and helps maintain the right level of aeration and humidity. This type of bedding mimics the rough texture of soil that garden worms are used to, keeping them in tip-top condition for longer.

3. Don’t Let Them Dry Out

In their natural environment — your garden soil — lobworms enjoy a consistently cool and moist habitat. It’s important to replicate these conditions when storing them. Bedding materials like peat, coir, or moss are all excellent choices. Just be sure to keep the bedding slightly damp at all times — not wet or soggy, but never dry.

With the right setup, your worms will stay healthy and active for weeks, ensuring you’ve always got fresh bait at the ready when it’s time to head out fishing.

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