Storing maggots

[Lumeymorris]

Any tips on storing maggots as I want to use these through out winter but don't want to keep buying them and wasting them as I've just got back from and overnighter and still got two and a half pints left at the moment I've just got them in the shed in a air tight container

[snowmanstevo]

Air tight container will kill em,mate.

[salokcinnodrog]

If you want them dead freeze them for a couple of days. If you do it simply overnight they will come back to life.

 

Maggots can't be kept too long before they go off, a week maybe two is the maximum, and they need care and attention to keep the best out of them.

You will need to riddle them, to remove casters and dead skins, and stop them sweating, so keep a bit of sawdust in them, and replace it after riddling. You also need to keep them in the fridge or a cold atmosphere in a container with air holes.

If you have a 2pint maggot tub, do NOT keep more than a pint and a half of maggots in it.

 

You may also want to know how fresh they are before you try to keep them; if the thin end has a large black spot then they are fresh, as the spot shrinks they are getting older, so give you so idea if you need to freeze them.

[cyborx]

If you want them dead freeze them for a couple of days. If you do it simply overnight they will come back to life.

 

Maggots can't be kept too long before they go off, a week maybe two is the maximum, and they need care and attention to keep the best out of them.

You will need to riddle them, to remove casters and dead skins, and stop them sweating, so keep a bit of sawdust in them, and replace it after riddling. You also need to keep them in the fridge or a cold atmosphere in a container with air holes.

If you have a 2pint maggot tub, do NOT keep more than a pint and a half of maggots in it.

 

You may also want to know how fresh they are before you try to keep them; if the thin end has a large black spot then they are fresh, as the spot shrinks they are getting older, so give you so idea if you need to freeze them.

 

some good advice from Nick there, a couple of things that i would add tho is 1st if you keep them clean by riddling and cold in a fridge they will last anything up to 8-10 weeks before turning to casters.

and 2nd the black spot in the maggot is its feed sac and a large black spot denotes a well fed and happy maggot so rather than keeping them in clean sawdust you can dust them with bran (buy a bag from your tackle shop) and they will munch on this for a while everytime you wake them with riddling.

failing the use of a fridge i once kept some for over a month in the summer just by putting the bait box in a dark corner of my garage floor so that is another option

[oscsha]

Some good advice the main trick is to keep them cold . Once you buy them they will not re-feed so just make sure the saw dust is kept dry/clean ,maggots sweat ammonia .Store in as big as container as possible this will stop them produce heat as they move against each other.  

[Lumeymorris]

I see you guys keep mentioning about putting saw dust in them could I not put ground bait or some crushed boilie or even a liquid so that they will take on some flavour simular to my hook bait

[hutch]

 

 

crushed boilie or even a liquid so that they will take on some flavour simular to my hook bait 

 

I can't comment on the other bits as I have no experience with storing maggots, but the other posters to seem to have this pretty well covered, I don't think you need to add anything to maggots there naturally attractive to the fish, I believe some match fishermen used to sprinkle spices on there maggots (tumeric mainly) in winter to make them more attractive.

[yonny]

I don't think you need to add anything to maggots there naturally attractive to the fish

 

Agree 100%. In fact in my experience adding flavours or other additives to them makes them less effective.

 

It is my belief that carp use electroreceptors to detect tiny electrical signals given off by live maggots (and other naturals such as bloodworm) and that is what makes them so effective. Add a flavour or man made bait to that and it simply serves to make them seem less natural to the carp.

 

I was speaking to my mate about the above, he thinks I'm nuts but I swear based on my experience maggots and worms etc are best with no additives whatsoever.

[oscsha]

Adding ground bait or crushed boillie may just clog up , we used to use a mixture of sawdust and maize the idea was to clean and keep them dry . 

[ianain]

Maggots can come to you quite greasy or just plain damp from the fridge, so it often depends when you get them with regards to their life-cycle and also what processing the shop has done to them.

 

I've always found maize (and turmeric powder) can help to soften them which helps when hooking them.

 

Adding ground bait may just clog up

 

I agree, however saw-dust can clog up as well; they may need to be riddled often depending on how warm they are as they tend to sweat the more they wriggle about / the hotter they are.

 

As above, some anglers add things to their maggots and some don't (I do), it's really up to you - I will add caution to liquid additives though, only add liquids if you are going to freeze them in a sealed bag ... maggots spend their whole life wriggling, the liquids allow them to stick to the sides of anything, they can even crawl through the tiny pin-holes in a bait box lid.

 

So long as they are fresh (dry) don't put a lid on them as they can sweat - even if you store them in the fridge, they will be safe since they won't wriggle about much, keep them in the lowest section - once the other half gets used to it they will be fine with it.

[cyborx]

I see you guys keep mentioning about putting saw dust in them could I not put ground bait or some crushed boilie or even a liquid so that they will take on some flavour simular to my hook bait

liquids are a no no!! if you want to colour or flavour them you need powdered gear, curry powder, turmeric and or garlic will add flavour and you can buy all manner of powdered food colouring too.

powdered cochiniel (red) if mixed with bran and added to your maggots as long as they are active will give them a nice deep red shade.

food colour and flavour will have to be mixed with bran tho as they have to ingest it, or you could always use a feeder and add a glug to the ones in the feeder to match your hooker

[oscsha]

liquids are a no no!! if you want to colour or flavour them you need powdered gear, curry powder, turmeric and or garlic will add flavour and you can buy all manner of powdered food colouring too.

powdered cochiniel (red) if mixed with bran and added to your maggots as long as they are active will give them a nice deep red shade.

food colour and flavour will have to be mixed with bran tho as they have to ingest it, or you could always use a feeder and add a glug to the ones in the feeder to match your hooker

Maggots no longer feed once removed from the food source at the bait farm , hence why it's difficult to colour them the Bronze dye we used to use is very carcinogenic . Red maggots are feed the red coloring at the bait farm while they are still feeding .  

[cyborx]

Maggots no longer feed once removed from the food source at the bait farm , hence why it's difficult to colour them the Bronze dye we used to use is very carcinogenic . Red maggots are feed the red coloring at the bait farm while they are still feeding .  

yes i stand corrected on the feeding thing, i have got my wires crossed. what i should have said is that the maggots will absorb the flavour and colouring thru the skin, i have successfully done white maggots to red (cochiniel) bronze (turmeric) and green on many occasions, try it and see

[oscsha]

yes i stand corrected on the feeding thing, i have got my wires crossed. what i should have said is that the maggots will absorb the flavour and colouring thru the skin, i have successfully done white maggots to red (cochiniel) bronze (turmeric) and green on many occasions, try it and see

No need to try it , was my 1st saturday job bait/tea boy . Scary thing is my hands & lower arms where covered in Chrysodine .

[ianain]

green

 

Spinach?

[salokcinnodrog]

yes i stand corrected on the feeding thing, i have got my wires crossed. what i should have said is that the maggots will absorb the flavour and colouring thru the skin, i have successfully done white maggots to red (cochiniel) bronze (turmeric) and green on many occasions, try it and see

Squat maggots will sometimes go back on the feed, if they are really fresh, a slice of bread with milk on it can be added.

 

As said, most maggots are dyed at feeding stage, although there are still some liquid or powder dyes around but the results are not as good as the chrysoidine bronze or red feed.

 

If you add any liquid to maggots they will escape, you want them as dry as you can get them. That may mean riddling the sawdust off, and replacing it with fresh, or they will escape if they get damp. Add to that maggots that have gotten wet can float, indeed adding a small amount of water to maggots in a tub, half their body height, is a match anglers trick to make them float!

Adding other powders like groundbait, will go lumpy, so doesn't keep them dry.

Maize is the exception, however for some reason if you don't use them quickly they seem to shrink, and if you want casters from them the casters are small, where sawdust is definitely the best medium.

 

I prefer bronze maggots for river roach, reds for pretty much most else, although a nice big fluoro maggot can be a bite inducer if using single or double maggots on the hook.

It is very rare for me to flavour them, with the exception of turmeric for roach fishing. There is simply no need.

[Jerrysquash]

Hi folks, anyone know where I can find a battery operated fridge to keep in my shed for maggot storage. I can’t get 240v power out there. Thanks any advice would be good 

[framey]

You will need to find a caravan supplies place if you want a new one 

failing that eBay and check under caravan fridges as they usually run on 12volt, mains or gas

[dayvid]

You Can keep maggots for several weeks in the fridge at a low temp , I know as its how id store them back in my match days