Most Successful Maggot Colour

[dezza]

PJ was once telling me that he colours and flavours maggots with powdered saffron, about 2 to 3 heaped tablespoons full per pint.

Another excellent colour additive he uses is pure Aurum in fine powder form, about 24 ct. 1oz per pint is about right. Gives a lovely yellow colour.

 

[flightliner]

Why don't they sell annatto maggots these days? Had some belting catches on them in the 60-70s.

Perhaps the most successful match angler who had bucket loads of "wins" with annatto maggots was Geoff Kirk-- otherwise known as the Bollington Butcher from Cheshire, he and his angling partners the Lovatt brothers took fenland apart back in the mid sixties particularly on the Witham at Kirkstead. When other anglers finally cottoned on to what they were using they had pocketed rather a lot of money.
The famous angler who sadly passed away with cancer that was put down to chrysodined maggotts was the great Clive Smith, a very sad premature death.
I know anglers even today who still claim to use chrysodine in their bait and seem to ignore the fact that its a carcinogenic!!
Maggot colour for me-- obviously its down to what I am after- if its big roach then its big whites,If I,m trotting for them then bronze do it ok, last week I had some good tench over five pounds and they came to reds.
ps, anyone still using gozzers-- I am when I get hold of the occasional wood pidgeon?

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

I know a few lads who like using the fluro pink

Definitely in winter, super bait on the river. Local shop called them Discos.

---------- Post added at 21:27 ---------- Previous post was at 21:24 ----------

The famous angler who sadly passed away with cancer that was put down to chrysodined maggotts was the great Clive Smith, a very sad premature death.

That's right, I remember the event, just forget the names.

Who was in that match team called 'The Firm', from Wigan area weren't they?

 

[Morespiders]

Yes Jeff, the Firm was from Wigan, Graham Joint, cant remember the others, they mainly used bloodworm

 

[S-Kippy]

Red for me generally except when I'm on the blockend for barbel/chub when I prefer white. Disco pinkies in winter for roach.

I was a big fan of the chrysodine sub "Kent Colour" which was a sort of peachy colour. That vanished quickly but while it was about I swear the fish picked it.

 

[sam vimes]

Colour choice will depend on where I'm fishing and what I'm fishing for. Generally, I'll buy a mix of bronze, white and red. I'll mix and match the hookbait colour depending on what seem to go best on the day. If I were only allowed one colour I suspect it would be bronze.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

One thing you shouldn't do is ask the shop owner for 'Mixed' maggots. I've known too many shops chuck all their old rubbish maggots in the 'mixed' bin and these go off within hours of buying them. Always choose your colours.

 

[Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC)]

Then there's the pricing policy to watch out for.

Lets say I wanted to by 2 pints of maggots - for figures sake £2 / pint.

That would be £4 right?

Not if I wanted 1.5 pint red and 0.5 pint of white.

Some shops charge say £2 / pint or £1.50 for 0.5 pint.

Fair enough, but if I want 1.5 red + 0.5 white one shop (i used to go to) would charge for 1 pint + 0.5 pint + 0.5 pint = £5 the robbing gets!

Watch out for this one.

 

[Andrew Macfarlane]

For river species, I'd say white, just for clarity more than anything else but for stillwater, I go for red maggots and casters.

casters are very underrated IMO. I hardly ever see anyone using them and they're absolutely deadly for bringing on commerical carp.

 

[flightliner]

Corker, I had a similer experience last year. I went to my tackle shop who at the time were charging £2 a pint, I asked for a pint in one box and a half pint in another, as he passed them to me I handed him £3 to which he said £3-20, I asked him why the 20p and the cheeky sod said "handling charge". I gave him the money and ever since have used anther shop in a small town in Notts. The other guy lost a twice a week customer- thats around a hundred customers a year not buying maggots.
I related this story to the guy running the other shop and he told me that as long as he runs the place they will always be £2 a pint. Seldom go anywhere else now.
Little wonder some dealers struggle with that sort of customer service.

 

[chav professor]

Bronze for roach for me. Otherwise a mix of reds and whites (the only problem is that red maggots are 'invisible' underwater like the main line that is marketed as such...lol).

Chub can show a preference for whites in certain circumstances - but red is normally the clear winner........... IMO.

 

[geggsnick]

Corker, I had a similer experience last year. I went to my tackle shop who at the time were charging £2 a pint, I asked for a pint in one box and a half pint in another, as he passed them to me I handed him £3 to which he said £3-20, I asked him why the 20p and the cheeky sod said "handling charge". I gave him the money and ever since have used anther shop in a small town in Notts. The other guy lost a twice a week customer- thats around a hundred customers a year not buying maggots.
I related this story to the guy running the other shop and he told me that as long as he runs the place they will always be £2 a pint. Seldom go anywhere else now.
Little wonder some dealers struggle with that sort of customer service.

£2 a pint of maggots £3.70 at my local shop

also when using maggots can you over do it or do they not fill the fish up too much??

 

[peter crabtree]

No, maggots have very low food value however if you feed too much at once it can result in foulhooked fish.

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

For river species, I'd say white, just for clarity more than anything else but for stillwater, I go for red maggots and casters.

casters are very underrated IMO. I hardly ever see anyone using them and they're absolutely deadly for bringing on commerical carp.

I never go fishing without casters, for some reason a caster will get you a fish on days when nothing else seems to work.

 

[laguna]

On commercials red by far, occasionally white if the waters coloured.

Anyone use little pinkies or squats? ... great in winter for finicky roach.
(not a ad for the bog-in-a-bag)


No confidence in blue ones whatsoever.

 

[stu_the_blank]

£2 a pint of maggots £3.70 at my local shop

also when using maggots can you over do it or do they not fill the fish up too much??

At that price NO!

Years ago when you could afford a gallon of them without taking out a loan, used to pile them in to intentionally feed off the small stuff when Barbel fishing. The Barbel would usually follow the trail. I suspect that this would still be a blinding method if financial suicide, at the price your paying it's nearly 30 quids worth!

Much to my surprise, on colour I completely agree with Chav! Bronze if you can get them or a mixture of red and white with red usually shading it.

 

[tortoise100]

My local shop sells five colours when you ask for mixed white,red,bronze,green,blue and fluro pink.(Lawn farm cambourne)
They are also the best maggots I have ever bought they don't smell and seem to last longer than others from other shops maybe it's because they sell allot in contrast my next nearest shop sells the worst maggots I have ever bought they stink when you get them have dead ones and don't last very long (ouse valley angling).
I have been buying just white ones recently as I like to give them to my chicken and my tropical fish ,can't say I have noticed any loss of fish compared to other colours.
My brother only buys red now.

 

[William Pastuszka]

Which colour of maggot do you find the most successful?

Do you ever use good old fashioned white maggots?

I find bronze maggots to be the most productive & whites still seem to have a productive effect on river fish at the very beginning of the season, but seem to fizzle out as the season progresses.

Have also had some success with roach on green maggots, but cannot get them no more.

 

[flightliner]

damdest thing yesterday, I went to a lake that has lots of tench and crucians and for a while it was a bite a chuck using either red or white double maggot. Later bites were hard to come by so ringing the changes to one red and one white it was all systems go again. Ended the day with over forty small tench and about fifteen crucians.

 

[Andrew Macfarlane]

Never understood blue maggots. Absolute pishflaps IMO. I think I caught a pantyliner on blue maggots one day. Wasn't much of a fight so I don't target them.

Does anyone like blue maggots??