Maggots

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 vicini) ...
...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. Greenbottle (Lucilia caesar) 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 ... Read review

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. 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 ... Read review

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... Read review

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Advantages: Catch you bigger fish
Disadvantages: Fragile and take a lot of looking after if you're going to store them correctly, keeping them fresh

...It is now getting very late, but hey, I’ve got just enough energy left to write this short op on these things that a lot of you will have never heard of. I’m sure by now that my current choice of topics is becoming quite clear. For me, this is the extremely easy route, allowing me to write a few detailed ops on some stuff that I know a lot about. It’s nice to have a break from some of the more technical stuff. Anyway, casters are the chrysalis stage that maggots go through before they reach the point where they turn in to those damn annoying flies. By fishing with these, you’ll actually be doing the world a favour. Casters are well known (by some) as a quality fish catching bait. By that I don’t necessarily mean BIG, but they just tend to be particularly liked by the larger individuals of certain... Read review

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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... Read review

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