Honey, why is the fridge moving?

Hello there everyone!

I have a serious problem on my hands here and I need some urgent help!

I'm pleasure match angler and being that, I very often keep maggots for use when fishing... Now let's get one thing straight, when I say "keep maggots", what I mean is that, "I try to keep maggots stowed away in an air tight (purpose built) box in a fridge that my mom bought me for the one purpose of storing live bait" and still maggots are ALL OVER THE PLACE just a few hours after putting them there...

What am I doing wrong here?

Personally it's not a problem for me anymore since I have a "bait fridge" and all that but I am an instructor at a local fishing club and if one of my spurs (or their parents!!!) ask me the question: "What's the best way of storing maggots?" I would like not to tell them "buy a fridge second hand and just toss 'em in!"...

And while our at it I bet that it's not only maggots that are causing headaches...

Any help GREATLY appreciated

Hi mate, its sounds like the lid on the container was badly fitting, I`ve had this, especially with pinkies, they seem to wriggle out of anything, a bit like scousers, although an old fridge in the garage is an help/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

Unless you're trying to keep pinkies (greenbottle maggots, the Houdinis of the bait world), try leaving the lid off the box. Lidded, they sweat, and climb up the film of moisture they produce; left to breathe, they don't. Plenty of maize meal or bran will hep keep them dry and grounded, too.

Pinkies don't just sweat; they exude a sticky stuff even when well aerated. I've never tried to keep many!

oops, forgot, a thin layer of maggots in a big, shallow tray sweat much less than a thick layer in a deep box!

I would say the best thing if you haven't got a bait fridge is to get one. Saves all the trouble - been there try argos for one of those small frigdesthat hols 6 cans of beer - should be ok for live bait

any other baits -ie meat, pellets ect the normal firdge will be find

i find it keeps the bait much fresher if you take the fridge with you to the venue !

i had to change my ford kaaaa haaaa up to a top of the range toyota hi-lux truck to get the fridge-freezer in but at least i can stand it up ...as long as i strap it in , means i keep my sarnies fresher too , tho i had to pick the pinkies out of the peanut butter last time !!!.

Bait fridge, keep dry as possible, don't store too many i.e, half pint per two pint bait box is about the limit with lid loose.

So you can use maize meal to keep them dry? Never thought of that...

And the container I use is a Browning maggot box wich is plenty big for storing a full KG of maggots in a shallow layer...

But never thought of leaving the lid of and chucking in a bag maize meal...

Thanks for all the great tips guys/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

As long as they wont be in the fridge for long I just put them in a large freezer bag & tie a know in the top. This only works for maggots though as pinkies can wriggle through the knot & out the bag!!

Okay, let?s assume that you have got back from a day fishing and you have left over maggots.

They will probably be pretty warm and the bait box will contain all sorts of ?impurities? as well as maggots.
The first thing you should do is lay the maggots out in a large tray (take a look at the Sensas trays) and allow them to cool down, place in a shady cool place like the garage.

Then, you need to clean them up so that all the old saw dust, maize meal grass and whatever is removed. Do this by riddling two or three times.
I use 2 trays for this, one to riddle the ?dust? over then place the riddle over a clean container and allow the live maggots to wriggle through the riddle. This should leave only dead skins, or dead maggots, which can be consigned, to the bin.

Then riddle again and allow to cool even more in a large tray.

Assuming that you bought your maggots from a decent tackle shop or bait dealer then the maggots should have a life cycle of about 1,000 degree hours. So, you can keep them in the ?fridge (at about 4 degrees C) for about 10 days.
You should of course reduce this ?keep time? by the number of hours you have been on the bank given an average temperature for the day.

I store my maggots without any maize meal, but if you do then remember that they will need to be riddled again after about 3 days.

I leave leftover maggots in the larger Sensas trays and store in the bottom of the bait ?fridge, alternatively, you can ?turn? the left over maggots into Caster by keeping them in the garage in the large trays together with a little damp (and I mean damp and not soaked) saw dust.
Riddle these every 4 or 5 hours and store the resulting Casters in brown paper bags, to avoid ?bag burn? and then wrap the paper bag in a polythene bag and store in the middle shelves of the ?fridge.

Make sure that all of your trays and riddles are really clean and more importantly, <u>dry</u> before use, and do <u>not</u> cover.

Hope this helps.

That sorts out a lot of the problems I have with maggots I'm sure..!

Thanks mate!

The only problem is living in Denmark I suppose... We really only have Browning and Drennan readily available to us and a few places also stock Garbolino and Milo gear...

So I usually go to France in the summer and buy all these sort of things and then complain about the caravan being to small for all my new purchases/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

But will have a look at the Sensas trays when I get a chance...

Thanks again

fridges are for maggots, lagers and ready meals, sling the girl friend out/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

what are you doin keeping your girlfriend ina fridge ?/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif/forum/smilies/eye_rolling_smiley.gif.

I used to keep an ex. girlfriend in the fridge, she was pretty cut up.

well peter jacobs , that is more info then my brain can take at one go , so i will print it off and look forward to non-stinky maggies in future .

i must say tho i'll miss the odd ...aaaaaaaaarrrrrrggh

as the wife finds creepyscrawlin.

cut up hahahahaha.

ha./forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

never NEVER drop pinkies on the carpet.

/forum/smilies/confused_smiley.gifwas it you i drew next to in the burton joyce open back in 76 slimey .

merember ? road stretch near the outflow , you beat the pants off me that day ...

hated it tho how you went ooo ooo oooh cacacaca every time you landed another roach , end of the match you threw all your old banana skins at me .

not bin the same since that day .

phobia bout bananas now ./forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

my girlsfriends pretty cool/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif, untills shes thawed out that is/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

<blockquote class=quoteheader>Peter Jacobs wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>Okay, let’s assume that you have got back from a day fishing and you have left over maggots. They will probably be pretty warm and the bait box will contain all sorts of ‘impurities’ as well as maggots. The first thing you should do is lay the maggots out in a large tray (take a look at the Sensas trays) and allow them to cool down, place in a shady cool place like the garage. Then, you need to clean them up so that all the old saw dust, maize meal grass and whatever is removed. Do this by riddling two or three times. I use 2 trays for this, one to riddle the ‘dust’ over then place the riddle over a clean container and allow the live maggots to wriggle through the riddle. This should leave only dead skins, or dead maggots, which can be consigned, to the bin. Then riddle again and allow to cool even more in a large tray. Assuming that you bought your maggots from a decent tackle shop or bait dealer then the maggots should have a life cycle of about 1,000 degree hours. So, you can keep them in the ‘fridge (at about 4 degrees C) for about 10 days. You should of course reduce this ‘keep time’ by the number of hours you have been on the bank given an average temperature for the day. I store my maggots without any maize meal, but if you do then remember that they will need to be riddled again after about 3 days. I leave leftover maggots in the larger Sensas trays and store in the bottom of the bait ‘fridge, alternatively, you can ‘turn’ the left over maggots into Caster by keeping them in the garage in the large trays together with a little damp (and I mean damp and not soaked) saw dust. Riddle these every 4 or 5 hours and store the resulting Casters in brown paper bags, to avoid ‘bag burn’ and then wrap the paper bag in a polythene bag and store in the middle shelves of the ‘fridge. Make sure that all of your trays and riddles are really clean and more importantly, <u>dry</u> before use, and do <u>not</u> cover. Hope this helps. </blockquote>Does the 1000 degree hours apply absolutely, Peter? Only I'm thinking of freezing mine to -1, so that's, er, an INDEFINITE life. /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

Great advice I can but endorse, though; riddling and maize meal to keep them dry, and well-ventilated lids... or no lid if possible. I once stayed in a French hotel which absolutely insisted on me keeping a gallon of maggots in the cold storage with the veg, then wouldn't let me check them to see if they'd sweated up; result, a restaurant full of maggots. I was not very popular despite my protestations that they'd prevented me looking after the little beggars...