Dead maggots

[flightliner]

I've been using plenty of dead maggots of late with a little success .
My problem now is a dealer nearby has stopped doing them .
Initially I thought I had it sorted by simply buying live ones the day before and then squeezing as much air from the bag as possible and knotting it tight.
My first attempt seemed to be effective as all the mags seemed dead to the world.
My second attempt was ok-- all but a few very sleepy ones which I attributed to them not being bagged tight as long as my previous attempt.
The third time I gave them twenty four hours bagged tight but on the day they started to come round , very slowly tho and still unable to get into any mud or silt so again fairly happy.
I had a few left that day so took them home still bagged tight and the following morning emptied them into a tin and by the day's end they were as lively as ever!
I'm ok with what I'm achieving but a much longer session could see them coming around which isn't what I want.
I know freezing is the way but I can't use the one at home for the swmbo factor and no space anywhere for a small freezer so I wondered if anyone here as another way of putting them to sleep permenantly?

 

[peter crabtree]

Not boiling but very hot water poured on them for a few seconds.
I use my tea flask on the bank.

 

[nottskev]

Funnily enough, the method you tried for killing them was the one I use for keeping them alive! I sometimes go for a few days to a Lake District water, and I can't refrigerate bait. I've found that maggots, bagged, air squeezed out, appear to die - but revive when the bag's opened. The time it takes them to recover is in proportion to how long they've been bagged; on one trip I was using maggots on day 4 that took a couple of hours to come around, and I wondered if they'd had it, but come around they did. It can be surprisingly hard to kill them. I've even had them come around after a night in the freezer, so now I leave them there longer.

The plumpest deads I've had involved a bit of a tedious method, but here it is: maggots in a knotted bag; bag in a bowl/tub with some cold water in the bottom; gradually add hot water ( do it too fast and they blanche and lose condition) and persist in topping it up til wriggling stops. It can take 10/15 mins to do half a pint, but they do come out well!

 

[rayner]

The plumpest deads I've had involved a bit of a tedious method, but here it is: maggots in a knotted bag; bag in a bowl/tub with some cold water in the bottom; gradually add hot water ( do it too fast and they blanche and lose condition) and persist in topping it up til wriggling stops. It can take 10/15 mins to do half a pint, but they do come out well!

If you're unable to freeze then the hot water method is the only way to get a dead maggot without ruining them.
The bagged method only puts them in a sort of suspended animation, they will revive.
The way to stop them wakening up is to cover them with water as soon as the bag of maggot is opened. doing them this way the finished maggot is by far the best to my mind.

 

[flightliner]

Interesting stuff food for thought.
I did once flavour some maggots with aniseed oil but put to much in the mix with the result being a pint of dead maggots.not much good at the time and maybe not now as aniseed flavoured deads overdosed on a very strong flavour may not be good for my target fish that Are Bream and Tench.
Unless anybody has used aniseed and done ok with them using it?

 

[stillwater blue]

I used to swear by a mixed particle flavoured with aniseed when I was a carper and I certainly caught more than one bream and tench fishing over the mix

 

[peterjg]

Flightliner: I've tried to send you a private message but I don't think it worked? I am hopeless with computers. I use dead maggots a lot when roach fishing, they work better than live ones! I put them in clippy boxes and totally cover them with flavoured filtered water and then immediately freeze them.

If you are unable to freeze them try just totally covering them with water - as if you had loose fed them. Do this a day or two before you go fishing? If you just partially wet them they will float.

Good luck.

 

[john step]

By coincidence, today I had delivered one gallon of red maggots from Willies Worms. I am impressed as they took less than 24 hrs and arrived in an insulated chilled box securely contained in 2 poly bags.
Including postage that was £2.75 a pint.

It would be good to patronise a local tackle shop but after a futile 40 mile round trip it was closed Sunday even though they were supposed to be open. Their loss.

They are now bagged into smaller amounts and freezing in my bait freezer.
The thing is if you have room a smaller freezer in the shed it saves money over time. I bought mine new about 14 years ago and it saves a lot of time and money on fuel and is marvellous for a constant supply of pike baits.

I have amounts of hemp/tares/paste/wheat/rice etc all ready to go when needed. I wouldn't be without it.

 

[binka]

Bait freezer for me too, all my leftover maggots get riddled off and krilled before being frozen.

I've never found a better way to achieve bulk quantities of dead maggots and chopped worm, and I've spoiled a fair few trying mg:

I'm convinced I'm up on the deal with the money I save by not chucking away leftover bait.

 

[108831]

The bag method does kill them,but you need more than three days to guarantee killing them,for freshness you need to cool them,trial and error on how long they'd be any good without fridging/freezing mind.

 

[john step]

Having a quick look on the web I see small chest freezers are still about the same price I paid for mine all those years ago. Currys have one for about £110.
When you think about the amount of money we spend on tackle, transport etc and dare I say some people spend on fags I think that is put in perspective.

I consider a freezer an essential piece of fishing tackle.

 

[thecrow]

I have a used freezer for bait trouble is SWMBO keeps putting food in it I have gone from 4 drawers to one and a half

 

[mikench]

My bait freezer( only I know that) is now 90% mine! It will soon be 100%!!!!

Inspired by this thread I bought 3 pints of maggots which are breathing their last in the fridge before they are krilled and frozen tomorrow!!

 

[markcw]

I remember the days when I used to throw dead maggots away. Now tackle shops are selling them ,

 

[mikench]

It's a strange world! Well my maggots are now krilled and in the freezer! I followed the steps outlined in the marukyo vid on you tube and even after being without air in the fridge a few were reviving as I added the krill powder! Maggots really are the most loathsome, fascinating and indestructible little horrors on the planet! Seemingly immobile,give them a chance of escape and they suddenly accelerate away and can disappear before your very eyes!