Maggots Catch Fish

[Cart Man]

I know this is redundant for English fishermen. There are a lot of ways that UK fishing is far more sophisticated than US fishing. Almost nobody here has even heard of fishing with maggots. Well, after so much exposure to UK fishing techniques I had to try them for myself. Today I decided to try out the maggots I grew. I put my first line in at 11:20. I left at 2:40. I caught 31 fish, 29 readear, one little baby bass, and one black crappie (I have a watch the keeps track of my catches or I would surely have lost count). Most were small (this is not a lake that has many big readear), but quite a few were not. I fished with a cane pole using 2# line and small spade-end hooks. The readear loved the maggots. I had a line with red worms that didn't get a bite, and I later changed it to wax worms, but still nothing. With the maggots I usually got hit as soon as I put the line in, and if not, just a little twich was all it took to get a bite. I am totally sold on maggots for pan fish, and they're free and easy to grow. I put three or four on the hook through the skin just behind their head. They are so tough you can catch several fish without putting on new bait. Amazing. Best bait ever.

[wunnus]

I would n't leave home without 'em.

They are always a great attractant. Put a bed of maggies down and watch what turns up. Whereas fish tire of other baits the good old maggot goes on.

 

Any left overs at a session... just leave a day or two and then use the chrysalis stage as a floating bait. Just dropping on to the water will soon show where the surface feeders are.

[Newt]

Wunnus - the problem with using maggots in the US is lack of availability. Unless you raise your own about the only option in most places is internet buying "medical maggots" which are great but horribly expensive for fishing.

 

Cart man - I used to have fun at a fairly deserted lake by hanging a coffee can over the water. Punch a few maggot size holes in the bottom, put in some meat, and soon have a great feeder and a major hot spot for bream (sunfish to UK folk) and pretty much whatever else was in the lake.

[Tigger]

Wunnus - the problem with using maggots in the US is lack of availability. Unless you raise your own about the only option in most places is internet buying "medical maggots" which are great but horribly expensive for fishing.

 

 

Thing is Newt maggots are so easy to breed so anyone can get them through the warmer months if they want them enough.

[John S]

I remember a bit of advice given in an old book (older than me!) that advised hanging an animal carcase (chicken or rabbit) from a branch of a tree so it overhangs the water. When the resulting maggots start dropping into the water, that's the time to start fishing under it.

 

Just out of interest, how much would a pint of maggots cost over in the States?

[Ken L]

There was a dead cow on the far bank when I was in India. It had almost certainly died as a result of a snakebite and was right next to the water. It was pretty well rotted and the local croc kept disapearing big chunks but you could see where the maggots were running down the bank and into the water and the river was literally alive with fish that were sadly just out of reach of casting range.

So there you have it, all you need is a dead cow, a strong nose and a good eye for crocs and you can get as many maggots as you need.

 

The carcas went from a reckognisable dead cow to a dark stain on the far bank in less than a week. The croc came back for more and the dhol scattered the bones and cleaned up the rest - amazing to see.

[Cart Man]

Wunnus - the problem with using maggots in the US is lack of availability. Unless you raise your own about the only option in most places is internet buying "medical maggots" which are great but horribly expensive for fishing.

 

Cart man - I used to have fun at a fairly deserted lake by hanging a coffee can over the water. Punch a few maggot size holes in the bottom, put in some meat, and soon have a great feeder and a major hot spot for bream (sunfish to UK folk) and pretty much whatever else was in the lake.

 

I have heard of hanging road kill over a body of water. The can works better. BTW, here is a place that sells maggots, and they're not prohibitively expensive.

 

http://www.vadosbait.com/index.php/bait-store/maggots.html

[Cart Man]

I remember a bit of advice given in an old book (older than me!) that advised hanging an animal carcase (chicken or rabbit) from a branch of a tree so it overhangs the water. When the resulting maggots start dropping into the water, that's the time to start fishing under it.

 

Just out of interest, how much would a pint of maggots cost over in the States?

 

John, they don't sell maggots in any bait store I have ever seen or heard of. It just isn't done here. You can buy them online, however. I found a place that sells 2,000 for $15.00 (9 GDP) plus shipping. I bet they're a lot cheaper and easier to come by there, huh?

 

As far as hanging a dead animal over the water, you'd pretty much have to find a private lake or a verrrry secluded section of a public lake to get away with that. Hmmmmmm, I think I know a good spot.

[John S]

There are still places where you can buy a pint for £1 (and they're good quality too). I've not counted how many you get in a pint, maybe next time the fishing is slow....

 

As you can see in my sig however, even when the fish aren't biting there's still plenty of stuff to hook on to

[Steve Burke]

I bet few Americans go to all the trouble that you did, Cart Man. It certainly paid off! Congratulations!

 

It seems that anything different stands a good chance of success purely because the fish haven't seen it before. You may find it hard to believe, but on UK waters that haven't seen lures before the pike fishing can be a lot easier than with baits!

 

You may also find this article of mine comparing UK and US fishing of interest: http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/Miscellaneous-...an_angling.html.