Artificial baits ??

magicone · Nov 7, 2014

Reading recently various media, most suggesting to use Artificial baits like maggots and foam of various colours and shapes etc. during winter.

Having had a dismal days fishing on Wednesday at a fishery near Monmouth, using baits such as 'maggots/casters, sweet corn, 6mm cube meat' (with various flavourings), punched bread and various sizes/types of pellets all on both float and method using a size 14 hook.

I fail to see how can such a false bait can be any better than whats already been used or tried to improve upon. ??

sam vimes · Nov 7, 2014

If you can't catch on the real thing, in many situations, an artificial is unlikely to give you better results. The plus points of artificials are found in their ability to withstand the attentions of crayfish or unwanted small or "nuisance" fish. An additional benefit can be found in their bouyancy compared to the real thing. Balancing the weight of another bait or hook. They can also be used as a pop up. Artifical baits do have their uses but often take a bit of a leap of faith to become confident in their use, especially if used on their own and not in conjunction with another real hookbait. When used entirely on their own, they often rely on the fish feeding fairly voraciously to work.

Foam pieces are usually used as a zig. They are fished higher up in the water column and rely on the curiosity of the fish rather than any real nutritional value, though that can be faked using a flavouring of some description. Such use is sometimes less about the fish feeding voraciously than actually being able to present a bait exactly where the fish are.

Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC) · Nov 7, 2014

Maggots can crawl into silt or under debris....a plastic one can't.

Plastic baits can be used to offset the weight of the hook, ensuring the bait gets sucked up as it should (read The Fishing Detective by John Bailey - some good insights in there).

sam vimes · Nov 7, 2014

http://www.fishingmagic.com/forums/beginners-improvers/353761-imitation-bait.html

http://www.fishingmagic.com/forums/coarse-fishing/353132-fake-baits.html

flightliner · Nov 7, 2014

Running three or four maggots down a river swim for barbel can often be seriously hampered by nuisance smaller fish that leave them looking like "lace curtains" in the warmer months before they get anywhere near the intended quarry and is frustrating to say the least.
When this occurs its advantageous to have some fake plastic maggots handy, by placing them at quarter turns up the hook shank they become a great detterant to any but the attentions of the bigger fish.

davethesax · Nov 8, 2014

Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC) said:
Maggots can crawl into silt or under debris

Are you sure about that? I have read a good few articles from notable people saying that is a fallacy.
Personally I don’t know, but I would like to.

Click to expand...

sam vimes · Nov 8, 2014

davethesax said:
Are you sure about that? I have read a good few articles from notable people saying that is a fallacy.
Personally I don’t know, but I would like to.

Couldn't say for certain about silt and debris, but live maggots will definitely crawl away from a baited area. I fish a large gravel pit with relatively deep margins. What silvers are there tend to stay at range and well up in the water. It does make fishing for the margin carp with maggots quite feasible. Unfortunately, the carp get surprisingly wary of maggot at times, possibly because of my initial success with the method. Despite fishing at twenty yards or so, in around fifteen feet of water, I've sometimes waited long enough to see lots of the feeder fed maggots crawl up out of the deep, through the margins and back onto dry land.

Ray Daywalker Clarke · Nov 8, 2014

Artificial baits are good when you have nuisance fish or crays in your swim.

The fake maggots work very well with daed maggots as your feed.

Regarding maggots crawling away, I can State 100% that maggots will crawl into silt etc. On one water i used to fish, (Wraysbury) you could clearly see maggots crawling into silt and into the weed.

On a local water that i fish for Tench, you can also see maggots crawling from the gravel into the weed and silt around the gravel bar. Thats why I tend to use dead maggots rather than live ones for feeding on still waters.

Dead maggots also work very well on rivers for the Barbel.

neil1970 · Nov 8, 2014

A single fake red maggot on a size 18 hook, with maggots in the feeder worked pretty well on the river for me this summer

simon dunbar · Nov 8, 2014

I was fishing a lake near Iver in Bucks one year , it was meant to have a few catfish in it , so I spent a few nights fishing for them. Each time I fished there I walked passed a large overhanging bush and I noticed carp sat under or around it everytime. So one evening I decided to try and catch one. I crept up to the swim and chucked out some chum mixers , carp appeared instantly , so I dropped a rubber chum mixer in amongst them. It was a fraction bigger than the real mixers , so I could see it clearly. A large common moved out from underneath the bush , but ignored the mixers , however a nice mirror followed it and I could see it heading past the real mixers , moving towards the surface of the water in a direct line with the rubber mixer ! A large glomp later and it was on .
If only all fishing was that easy , I had been at the lake for a few minutes and had caught my p.b. mirror carp. That carp passed a few mixers on the way to the rubber one .
Also I find fishing a rubber sweetcorn over real sweetcorn works really well.

laguna · Nov 9, 2014

sam vimes said:
Despite fishing at twenty yards or so, in around fifteen feet of water, I've sometimes waited long enough to see lots of the feeder fed maggots crawl up out of the deep, through the margins and back onto dry land.

Well I never...

The miracles of posterior spiracles...
Close up of a maggot spiracle - Australian Museum

NaturePlus: Curator of Diptera's blog: Posterior spiracles anyone?

They usually do crawl under leaf debris and burrow into silt, then after a few (20-30?) minutes they will become immobile, however in an effort to expel shallow water in a bait tub maggots take on air and will float. Apparently you can also use fizzy drinks to speed up the process if you want.

Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC) · Nov 9, 2014

Yes I am sure about that. All you have to do us throw a few maggots into the margins and watch them do it. Try it, it's not rocket science ffs.

mick b · Nov 9, 2014

Can anyone tell me.....

If a fish eats an item of plastic bait what happens to it?

Does the fish digest the plastic.

Does the fish regurgitate the plastic bait.

Does the piece of plastic just lay in its stomach for.....however long.

Just a question from someone interested in fish.

.

Ray Daywalker Clarke · Nov 9, 2014

mick b said:
Can anyone tell me.....

If a fish eats an item of plastic bait what happens to it?

Does the fish digest the plastic.

Does the fish regurgitate the plastic bait.

Does the piece of plastic just lay in its stomach for.....however long.

Just a question from someone interested in fish.

.

Thats a very good point.

I have never lost a plastic bait to a fish, from the hook or a hair rig.

I would have thought it may well be a little of each, i.e., stay in the stomach, or regurgitate and even digest and pass it back out.

Fish have been found to have many things in the stomach, so i don't see why plastic would be any different.

I might even help some Old Duffers float to the surface once in a while

mg:

maggot_dangler · Nov 9, 2014

mick b said:
Can anyone tell me.....

If a fish eats an item of plastic bait what happens to it?

Does the fish digest the plastic.

Does the fish regurgitate the plastic bait.

Does the piece of plastic just lay in its stomach for.....however long.

Just a question from someone interested in fish.

.

I would be very surprised if a fish could get a plastic/rubber maggot off the hook in the first place they take a bit of hooking normally ..

PG

Artificial baits ??

magicone

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sam vimes

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Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC)

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sam vimes

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flightliner

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davethesax

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sam vimes

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Ray Daywalker Clarke

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neil1970

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simon dunbar

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laguna

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Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC)

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mick b

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Ray Daywalker Clarke

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