Turning maggot to caster

[davedave]

Hi all,

 

Got just under a pint of mixed maggot in the fridge, which is two weeks old, but has been in the fridge and wont turn to caster. I'd like it to turn to use it in a match on sunday and i'd rather not buy any because the stuff in the tackle shop is dear and naff.

 

Looking on the net it says to use damp sawdust but I don't have sawdust, just maize. I thought the maggots were too cold to turn so will just leaving them at room temp turn them? I riddle them every day for the last few days and theres a few deads and maybe one or two casters but they're reluctant to turn!

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks

[ayjay]

They will eventually turn in the fridge but it will take much longer - the way to do it is to leave them out of the fridge - you'll need to riddle them off three or four times a day - then store them in the fridge - by the time you've got enough casters to go fishing with you'll realise why they're so expensive.

[Guest twofoottwitch]

As said turning casters is a pain, and bear in mind the shop bought ones are turned from white's, so if you are turning bronze etc they will end up darker and mostly smaller. As soon as they are turned into a shell, and when they are PALE, riddle and seperate the lives, put the casters into a freezer bag seal after taking as much air out, and place in fridge. Open the bag every day to refresh.

 

Don't worry about the pale colour, that's what you want, and within an hour on the bank they will be perfect.

 

Did you know if you hook up a double caster by one in the head and the other in the tail it won't 'spin' your hook length on retrieve?

 

I seperate the floaters from the sinkers in a bait tin, if I need a slight pop up effect I use the floater, but mostly the sinkers are best on a float rig.

 

Watch out if you are loose feeding caster, any floaters will ...err float, and bring the Rudd etc to the top,, so crush 'em in the catty!!

 

Love using caster and they certainly sort out the better fish!

[JOHN.H]

I can only relate how I do mine.I obtain a gallon of white maggotts the day I go fishing , normally a tuesday. I fridge these up and upon my return , generally a thursday,I remove them from the fridge and split them up into three or four cheap washing up bowls. I use sawdust from pets at home (fine). This can be damped with a mist sprayer and one packet is more than adequate for the amount I am talking about.I do not soak the sawdust but occasionally damp it down. The sawdust is saved for the next week when I am finished.I think it is important that the maggotts are not "squashed" together too much as I have noticed that when one is just about to pupate ( still white but not wriggling) and is put back in the moving maggotts it may wake up ,or slow down the pupation process.The less contact they have with each other the better imo.The first day or two leaves you with very few casters , but just as you imagine all is lost the process accelerates and you end up with a good 6-7 pints of casters .Riddling twice a day at least to begin with you end up riddling at least 3, maybe 4 times and my last time is the day I go, having been to the tackle shop for next weeks supply of maggotts.Having riddled them off I give them a good stir in fresh water ,this gets rid of any floaters, then I store in tie wrap bags in half to three quarter pint amounts having sucked the air out These are stored in the fridge, the ones that have cast that is . Guess I have rambled on but wanted to give you an idea of timescales etc. I also label the bags in the order they should be used ( as I try to fish for two days)I take them with me in a cool box and any , the 1-1.5 pints that did not cast provide you with some maggotts but will also cast as you are fishing.

[davedave]

Ayjay - Thanks, yes, wondering whether the time/hassle is worth doing it myself!

 

John - Thanks for that detail, appreciated, do you find white maggots make better caster?

[RUDD]

Ayjay - Thanks, yes, wondering whether the time/hassle is worth doing it myself!

 

John - Thanks for that detail, appreciated, do you find white maggots make better caster?

Yes white maggots are best for turning into casters.

[JOHN.H]

The time and effort are without doubt worth it and you definitely want white maggotts. You can stop the turning process as you want , by bagging the casters at their various colour stages and end up with lovely hues from yellowy orange to orangey red . Going to start a gallon tomorrow for next week .

[John Weddup]

Davedave you can see why casters are quite expensive when shop bought.

 

I have a local shop that turns his own and they are very good but to do it takes time.

 

I like mine very light coloured you then have a better chance before they start floating. Keep them in water on the bank.

 

John

[Guest bluedun]

Haven't done that for many years - hours of messing about.

Maggots won't turn in a very cold fridge; they'll shrivel and die before they do. Not sure of the ideal temp, but cool rather than warm is best. So either raise the temp or take them out and keep in a cool place. These days I'd just buy them I think.

[Andy Macfarlane]

do you find white maggots make better caster?

 

I would say so. Coloured maggots already have some pigment in them so when they turn, they're already heading towards the dark end of the scale. By using white maggots, you can turn them at slightly different rates, so you end up with a good range of colours, from near white to dark browny/red.

 

When fishing for roach and rudd especially, you might find the fish are hitting one particular colour more quickly than the rest. I don't know that the fish are actively selecting a particular colour or that the conditions of the water itself dictates how quickly certain colours are seized upon but it's definitely worth having a selection.

 

I also find that when freezing casters, it's best to have them in a loose bag, so it flattens out in the freezer. Not only do the caters freeze more quickly and retain their shape without splitting but you don't end up with a big solid ball of casters, which can be a nightmare to defrost without creating lots of moisture or damaging the skins.