There are three main types of maggot that anglers use in coarse fishing today. They come from the Bluebottle (Calliphoria vicini), the Greenbottle (Lucilia caesar) and the common Housefly (Musca domestica Linnaeus). All three have slightly different characteristics. Then there's a fourth type ... Read review
(+) Cheap to do when done correctly, good results. (-) FEAR FACTOR - You will look silly if you do it without results. Difficult to carry a large amount.
Advantages: Almost all species of freshwater fish like maggots. Disadvantages: Keeping them in the fridge might upset your other half.
...are now baby maggots. The maggots then feed on the meat until they are large and fat, at this point they stop feeding and quite quickly turn into casters (this only takes a few days or so). The casters (pupa) then remain dormant for a further few days and then out from the shell of the caster emerges a fully grown fly, although not mature enough to start breeding. Then the life cycle repeats ad infinitum.
Bluebottle (Calliphoria ... ...and produce loads of large maggots that have a quite tough skin. This makes them ideal for general use, wether they are used as loose feed or as a hookbait.
The Greenbottle fly also produces a high quality maggot however they are smaller in size to that of the Bluebottle. This makes them ideal for loose feed and hookbait too, when shy feeding fish will ... more
There are three main types of maggot that anglers use in coarse fishing today. They come from the Bluebottle (Calliphoria vicini), the Greenbottle (Lucilia caesar) and the common Housefly (Musca domestica Linnaeus). All three have slightly different characteristics. Then there's a fourth type of maggot that only hardened anglers use, these are known as "Gozzers". I will talk about gozzers, how to get them etc., later in the review, but for now lets have a look at the breeding habbits of flies.
Life cycle of a fly ==============
First an adult female lays its eggs onto some decomposing meat/fish. The eggs then hatch out after a few days, these are now baby maggots. The maggots then feed on the meat until they are large and fat, at this point they stop feeding and quite quickly turn into casters (this only takes a few days or so). The casters (pupa) then remain dormant for a further few days and then out from the shell of the caster emerges a fully grown fly, although not mature enough to start breeding. Then the life cycle repeats ad infinitum.
This is the most common fly that is used in production of maggots. They breed very efficiently and produce loads of large maggots that have a quite tough skin. This makes them ideal for general use, wether they are used as loose feed or as a hookbait.
The Greenbottle fly also produces a high quality maggot however they are smaller in size to that of the Bluebottle. This makes them ideal for loose feed and hookbait too, when shy feeding fish will not take ordinary maggots since they associate large quantities of large maggots with a hook, they will readily take the smaller offerings presented to them. These maggots are commonly called "Pinkies", why I haven't a clue since it bears no similarity to the colour of the maggot itself.
The Housefly produces a maggot that is very similar to that of the Greenbottle, both in size and colour. However these maggots are a lot softer, and if you squeeze them gently they will almost certainly burst so great care should be taken if you intend on using these as a hookbait. They are more commonly known as "Squatts". A typical Housefly will lay approx. 150 eggs at a time, and will do this on several occasions during its life. So you can see that they really are "little breeders".
Which end's which? =================
If you look closely at a maggot you will notice that it has two rather different ends, one being pointed and the other rather blunt. The pointed end is the maggots head, it uses this both for eating, and with the aid of several hook like legs, for walking too. It extends its body forward, hooks whatever is underneath it, and drags and compresses its body to enable it to move. On the rear of the maggot you will notice three black dots, one a little smaller than the other two. The smaller one is the grubs anus, and if you intend on hooking a maggot this is the place you should nick your hook through (the anus). The body of the maggot is very similar to that of a caterpillar. It has several segments that makes up the body, which as I said earlier, helps it to move around by compressing and stretching.
Are they harmful? ==============
Well the answer to this is yes and no. If you intend on picking up maggots and using them then they're probably not harmful to you in any way. However since the average maggot contains over 350,000 bacteria I wouldn't suggest that you keep them in your sandwich box. Back in the 1980's you could have said that bronze maggots were very harmful to your health, this was because the dye used, ChrysiodineR, was found to cause cancer. This was replaced with a far more suitable non-toxic dye, and since then safer dyes have been used. If you intend on warming your maggots up on a cold winters morning, to make them wriggle more, you can put them in your mouth, If you have a cold be careful since it only takes one hard cough or sneeze to alow you to swallow them. (They've never done me any harm though....lol)
Cost =====
Way back in the 1980's you could purchase a pint of maggots for around £1, but today you should expect to pay in the region of £4 to £5 per pint. So they aren't too expensive, but if you fancy making your own "Gozzers" which are very soft, milky white and the best maggot bar none I'll tell you how to do it a little later.
Storage =======
Since maggots turn into casters at an alarming rate you need to prolong how long they remain as maggots. This is quite simple but you will need an understanding partner.....or another fridge. By placing your bait container, with air-holes in the lid, into your fridge the maggots metabolism slows down. This will prolong the life of your maggots for up to two or even three weeks. Just make sure that you check your box every other day and remove any dead grubs from your container.
Breeding your own Gozzers ======================
The equipment you will need is as follows;
Pigs heart or Sheeps heart 1 large bucket 1 small bucket Newspaper Large cloth (to fit over the large bucket) Bran Soft brown sugar Riddle
Take the heart and cut it quite deeply several times, from the top to the bottom. Now remove any congealed blood from the centre of the heart. With this done you should now place the heart into the small bucket and take it outside, preferably the bottom of the garden. Now you should leave it there for somewhere in the region of half a day to one whole day. When you go back you should notice lots of little white specs, these are the eggs. Now you should gently wrap the heart in some old newspaper and place it back into the small bucket. This in tern should be placed in the larger bucket and the cloth fastened around the top. (The second, larger bucket, is used to insulate the eggs from extreme temperatures of cold at night and heat during the day). This should now be taken to a shady part of your garden and left for a couple of days. If all goes well when you return to inspect your eggs you should notice lots of small maggots. This is the time that they start to feed so you should place the heart, with the newspaper still on into one of your buckets that you have placed some bran and some soft brown sugar in, you can add a little cream off the top of a pint of milk to the heart later if you wish. Now replace the cloth and leave them in the cool for about five days. When you return you should notice that the maggots have grown big and juicy, if they haven't then it's probably due to it being a little cold for them so more time will be needed for them to mature. When they are fully mature you will notice that they have stopped feeding, so you should now seperate them from all the mess and place them into a clean container with fresh bran and sugar inside. You should keep them quite cool from now on. The bran and sugar will toughen up their skins a little so that they won't explode when you try and use them as a hookbait. They should now be left for about 24 hours in a cool spot. Now It's time to riddle the maggots, this will seperate all of the bran and sugar from the grubs, their skin will be slightly tougher but they will be full of lovely sweet juice. They can now be placed into a bait container, with a lid that has holes in, now even more bran should be used to top up the container. This lot of bran helps absorb any moisture thus preventing the maggots from sweating. Now place the container in a fridge and keep it there until you intend on using them.
All of the effort is well worth while because you end up with a superior bait compared to any purchased one. It's a bit like comparing a free range chicken to a battery hen, they are both poultry but one tastes so much better than the other.
Colours =======
OK when you go into any tackle shop you will see maggots with a variety of differing colours. This is due to them eating dyed food. The colours themselves do serve a purpose, on some days red maggots will out perform all of the others, and yet on another day it will be bronze ones. So by purchasing a pint of mixed (all the same type of maggot, but with different colours) you should be able to find the one that works best for you on any given day.
Other uses ==========
I know that this review is supposed to be just about maggots and thier use in fishing, but I must tell you about the wonderful things that these little grubs do. I'm talking about their use in hospitals. When certain wounds become severely infected, to such a point that amputation may be a cause of action, these little grubs are used. They are grown in sterile conditions in laboratories, then applied to open wounds and a breathable membrane placed over the top. The grubs then go to work, by eating all the desiesed flesh and puss. They are changed at regular intervals because several courses of these little critters are needed to clean such bad wounds. The maggots do not eat any living (good) flesh so you can rest assured they won't find them burrowing through your body. And yes they do use this method in the NHS.Well I hope you've found this information useful, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it. If there's anything that you think I've missed please let me know.
Advantages: Best allround bait available. All fish love em'. Pretty cheap too - about £2 a pint Disadvantages: Climb all over the place if you let them get wet.
...of you that don’t know, maggots when they get wet, can climb literally vertical surfaces, but the squatts, as they move less, are easier to control if they get exposed to the rain (or your dribble problem). Having a bag or car full of maggots is not a nice thing, but can happen (yuk you say – so do I!!). The only problem with the squatts is that you have to be careful not to turn the bait tubs they’re in upside down. The ventilation ... ...of pinkies whilst using bigger maggots on the hook. You can even get away with quite thick lines when they’re feeding well. Bennys recommendation on hook size would be a 22, and nothing bigger really.
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Big Maggots (haven’t got a clue about a real name, they’re just referred to as ‘maggots’)
These are the most common ones, sold by nearly all tackle shops. Despite most ...
BJEEE 08.03.2001 (19.08.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Maggots
Advantages: Many species of freshwater fish can be caught using casters Disadvantages: Keeping them in the fridge might upset your other half.
The pupa of the fly is more commonly known to anglers as a caster. At this point in the flies life cycle it proves to be an almost irresistable bait, and one that many match anglers consider to be the best bait bar none. When used corectly it is possible to catch many different species of fish, from the smallest gudgeon to the largest carp. This is what makes casters one of the most popular baits available to any angler.
Price and availability
Casters can be purchased from any tackle shop, the cost varies from place to place, but as a general rule expect to pay in the region of £5 per pint. This is a fair price since it takes about five pints of maggots to make three pints of casters. Alternatively you can make your own. If you have read my other review on maggots, and how to breed them, there are only a few ...
snake_plissken 16.05.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Casters
Advantages: Friendly and helpful staff Disadvantages: None really. Although parking by the store can be difficult
My husband has used this store over the last 20 years and always found the staff to be helpful. They stock a large range of products and are always willing to do a deal. Whilst in this store you must look at the large range of carp baits. Their range of maggots and castors are always good quality.
This is a store we would recommend most highly for anyone who has just started fishing. The staff will give excellent advice on the necessary equipment to get started with and what baits are good for which local venues.
For anyone visiting the store for the first time it is located in Lower High Street, Stourbridge, West Midlands. They also have an internet site and publish a mail order catalogue. ...
cwbear 05.01.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Hingleys
Advantages: Cheap, allround bait. Disadvantages: Only really good during the summer.
Uummmm, the yummy yellow stuff.......where to start?? Yes indeedy, I’d have quite a job to make this one as sickening as the maggot one, but I’m sure I can try. Actually, I’ll give up on that idea right now. What can be at all horrible about a sweet tasting yellow grain of corn??!!
Apart from bread, this has to be one of the cheapest yet best baits available. Its made even better by the fact that hopefully this time, I won’t have to spend 5 years writing about it, unlike a few of my others.
Let’s start at its origin....the tin (that’s where they grow it right??). Prices for a tin of sweetcorn obviously vary from place to place. One of the cheapest and best I’ve found is actually Lidls supermarkets. What you’re often looking for is a small grained variety. Then you can ...
BJEEE 08.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sweetcorn
The plain stuff is very cheap. As a whole, this is a brilliant bait!!!!!
Fattens fish so they look funny sometimes, can get overfed which fishery owners don't like. In fact they are banned on a fair few venues these days. (*)
