Thread: maggots

I use them and also wax worms. They are extremely effective on Bluegills. I myself would probably impale them on a #8 hook or #10 hook for Bluegill. (Easier for me to see and to get out of the fish's mouth.

I have also tipped jigs with them and had great success. The attracting color of a jig and the scent of meat equals fish for dinner for you.

robo if your getting your own maggots best bet is to pick them out of whatever trashor whatever and put em in some sawdust, they stay relatively clean and wont be all slimey from the trash.... i agree with ship a #10 or 8 is fine i wouldnt worry bout using the super tiny ones cause the gills will swallow em

Try putting a maggot on a 1/124 black microspoon. We caught and released over 200 gills at Ky lake in a few hours, one day last spring. They've been my go to gillie bait ever since and i've never been disappointed by them.

I've been using them almost exclusively for over 10 years. They're a killer bait.

I don't think you have to go that small for hooks. I have used a #20 on occasion, but I generally use a #14 or #16 dry fly hook. If you're going to use hooks that size, get a disgorger and learn to use it. It's much better than pliers or hemostats:

http://www.lindyfishingtackle.com/ta...ger&by_title=Y

Each maggot has a "fat end" and a "pointed end". You just want to lightly skin hook the fat end. That way, the maggot stays very frisky. Don't thread them on the hook. Here's a couple of pics of how to correctly hook one:





In the second picture, you can see a dark spot on the maggots. That's called the "feeding spot". A big, dark spot means the maggot's tummy is full, and he is very fresh. A small or nonexistent spot means the maggot is old.

As you can see, these maggots are red. They are available in several colors, if you order them from a dealer. I always get plain white, though. The dye they use to color the maggots shortens their lives.

I use maggots all the time.I put 3 or 4 on a single size 8 or 10 hook.I alsotip my jigs with them.Great bait.

Do you buy your maggots locally? I haven't seen anyone selling them around here. How long do the keep for you?

Originally Posted by gone_fishing

Do you buy your maggots locally? I haven't seen anyone selling them around here. How long do the keep for you?

I don't think they're popular enough for a lot of bait shops to carry them. The only local shop I know of that carries them is Henry's in Chicago. I'm sure there are others, though, particularly in ice fishing country.

Two good online sources are Grubco and Vados:

www.grubco.com

www.vadosbait.com

I have kept maggots for over two months, but that's really pushing it. Six to eight weeks is a typical life span.

Soldier fly maggots are the best! At least when they are young and tender (white). At least here in Texas they occur naturally in the fall when it cools down enough for me to put rich food scraps in the earthworm bin, I am hoping to get some going this spring. These guys are much bigger that regular maggots and a #8 bait holder hook is just fine. However the pet food variety are harvested when the larva are ready to pupate and crawl out of their food source. By this time they have a thick leathery skin and are much less effective as bait.

After pulling up crappie and largemouth in addition to tons of bluegill I had a few folks come up and ask what I was using. LOL, no, not minnows, here take a look ;-)