maggots

I always just buy red and white. Is it worth trying, particularly now, bronze ,pinkies or some other colour.

I usually try one maggot on the hook initially then two ( a red and a white) and sometimes three if all else has failed.

I have been dipping the white ones in mild curry powder which turns them yellowish!

Oh and is there a particular catapult that is best for maggots?

As for colours I only buy reads in dead form from the shop.
For hook baits it has to be white. The sole reason for buying white maggots is to turn unused to caster.
I really can't say maggot colours make any discernible difference. I recon movement is more important than colour, so a lively maggot out fishes a dead one. the only contradiction to this is on silt where live maggots are quick to bury themselves.

As a kid - the only choice in maggot colouring was white, bronze (extra charge) or 'mixed' - which included green. I never caught any fish on a green maggot - not even the minnows which would mob any bait on the river! In idle moments on the bank I used to sort through the maggies and pull out the green ones which got used as loose feed for the fish or for the hens in the field. This was the only way to get red or yellow maggots locally!

The importance, or not, of maggot colour depends on the water concerned and the species being fished for. Fish in my local rivers show a marked preference for bronze maggots. If I fish a stillwater or an alternative river, reds and whites are my likely choice. Trial and error over an extended period of time will give you a fair idea of which colour is "better".

Pinkies are not just pink coloured maggots, they are a different, smaller variety. Want even smaller maggots? Ask for squatts.

sam vimes said:

.... Fish in my local rivers show a marked preference for bronze maggots. If I fish a stillwater or an alternative river, reds and whites are my likely choice. Trial and error over an extended period of time will give you a fair idea of which colour is "better"....

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In some clear streams I have noticed that fish seem 'scared' of white maggots - shying away from them as they sink through the water - but show no such fear of bronzies or other colours. Perhaps the ultra white is non-natural?

I will try bronze for a change then and some pinkies! I will also get some more 18 or 20 size hooks! I have been using 16 or 14 and whilst numbers have dropped size has increased!

Red, white and bronze colours are the most usual for maggots, and trial and error will tell you which are most preferred on most days on your local venues.

Back in the 80's and 90's the "disco" coloured maggots and pinkies were gaining popularity and some match anglers (Jan Porter in particular) used to swear by them. They came in pretty garish culours and some were almost fluorescent too.

When you think about it, most insects and aquatic "food" for fish are either gren-ish or brown coloured but we never seem to see thoe colours on maggots . . . . ?

The same goes for loose fed maggots, they sink in a sort of horizontal plane and yet we typically hook them only by one end . . . . ?

Is that to facilitate maximum wriggling Peter? Mind you I would wriggle wherever the hook was attached

I am now going to try a hook through the middle of a few to see if it makes any difference!

---------- Post added at 12:45 ---------- Previous post was at 12:12 ----------

greenie62 said:

As a kid - the only choice in maggot colouring was white, bronze (extra charge) or 'mixed' - which included green. I never caught any fish on a green maggot - not even the minnows which would mob any bait on the river! In idle moments on the bank I used to sort through the maggies and pull out the green ones which got used as loose feed for the fish or for the hens in the field. This was the only way to get red or yellow maggots locally!

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Is your Avatar Greenie, you, Huck Finn or one of the gnomes from Little Grey Men by BB? One of my favourite books by the way-

greenie62 said:

In some clear streams I have noticed that fish seem 'scared' of white maggots - shying away from them as they sink through the water - but show no such fear of bronzies or other colours. Perhaps the ultra white is non-natural?

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Spot on Greenie as you were on the green ones too, I've noticed when fishing 50/50 red and whites that the whites get taken as much as reds (judging by looking in the chubs gobs) but the reds get more bites.

Watching fish in clear water most the fish tend to hit the whites so fast and skitty often not even moving the float whereas the reds seem to be taken more confidently. Unless it's trout and they seem to prefer whites which is a good ruse when after grayling to feed whites/reds and fish just reds to avoid the trout, doesn't work 100% but it does help I find.

Rest of the time it's reds only on the hook, works for me

For the chalk streams, and other rivers when clear, I prefer to use reds..........

Bronze were the killer maggot (literally) back in the day. I don't know what is was about them that fish liked but they seemed to out-fish most other colours. Perhaps it wasn't the actual colour that accounted for big nets, it could have been the chrysoidine itself?

You could always try dyeing your own white maggots in damp tea or a paste made with turmeric. A spray with vanilla extract might also be an option. The colours will absorb best into the outer layers of their skin if you pop em in the fridge.

I'm only talking still waters here, but on the waters I fish (for roach) reds are definitely the most productive bait and these fished 'handle bar' fashion. Best is a single on a 22 in winter although not so fussy in the warmer months. I take both red and white every time I go as contrary to what I've written above, and for no apparent reason, a change to a singe white brings results and even with fish feeding well on them a quick change back to a red fails to produce anything! Just to make it even more frustrating the fish can change to the other the next day...

On the odd occasion I can catch the odd couple of fish on one of each, so if I'm struggling I will chop and change, even going to an 18 with two of one and one or the other, just as an experiment, which sometimes produces the odd half decent perch. I'm all for experimenting with all sort of combinations, particularly in cold weather, but for my money presentation is probably the most telling factor (along with the freshest of bait) so varying the depth and shotting just as critical in my book.

I see little point in making the effort to go out in the cold and fish if it means sitting with hands in gloves and a half dead maggot dangling off a 16. A change of hook, bait, tactics and depth cam make all the difference IMHO, just as baiting several parts of the same swim if considerable differences in depth are to be found....

Invariably, working hard for you fish on cold days, which can mean changing your bait or combination every couple of casts is the way to go. Not easy to add or remove a number or 8 shot with cold fingers either, but it can make all the difference, regardless of maggot colour!!

Only my opinion, though!

At the time I started fishing the Severn bronze maggots were the in bait. Chrysiodine was reputed to have carcinogenic properties and iirc was cited as a factor in the passing of the great Clive Smith.
I've always seen the sense in using white maggots in coloured water, for visibility, red maggots for Perch also has logic to it, I believe a favoured tactic on the canals this time of year is chopped worm and red maggot feed.
As Tee Cee says it's really about varying your rig. A matchman once wrote in an article 'if it didn't work last time, why should it work this time?'
Ivan Marks said an inch is vital, and the great Trent matchman John Dean was always changing his set up apparently.
I found drip feeding casters on my local canal to be a good tactic for roach, constantly feeding one after the other and I mean constantly.
It works, it's a tactic mentioned in every article on roach I've ever read but I've never seen any other angler do it
All the best.

nhs service said:

I found drip feeding casters on my local canal to be a good tactic for roach, constantly feeding one after the other and I mean constantly.
It works, it's a tactic mentioned in every article on roach I've ever read but I've never seen any other angler do it
All the best.

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Drip feeding is hard work that's the problem, you start off doing it but then it's a case of needing a break, but youre right the more little and the more often you can feed the better. Roach can be really selective if they are faced with a choice of feed that's made it to the deck

Like the Artist says; drip feeding can be tiresome but very effective. One alternative is to introduce some crumb now and again to keep them occupied as maggots/caster quickly get eaten potentially leaving your swim empty.

I think colour does play a part and is definitely worth experimenting with on the day. I remember feeding on a notable chub swim on the swale a pint of mixed maggots ,I caught one chub in the last 15 minutes that was stuffed with only red maggots made me think.
Best colour for me would be red and whites.
Fly anglers will know a change of colour will bring a take on a difficult day.

greenie62 said:

As a kid - the only choice in maggot colouring was white, bronze (extra charge) or 'mixed' - which included green. I never caught any fish on a green maggot - not even the minnows which would mob any bait on the river! In idle moments on the bank I used to sort through the maggies and pull out the green ones which got used as loose feed for the fish or for the hens in the field. This was the only way to get red or yellow maggots locally!

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Have you never tried a green maggot in the summer under an overhanging tree where those little green catapilars are always works for me in fatc one set of bushes are regular summer targets if i can get a good number of green maggots .

PG ...

maggot_dangler said:

Have you never tried a green maggot in the summer under an overhanging tree where those little green catapilars are....

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Thanks - I'll remember that and look out for the green caterpillars next time I have a supply of green maggots!

On second thoughts - I could always catch the caterpillars and use them on the hook!

sam vimes said:

The importance, or not, of maggot colour depends on the water concerned and the species being fished for. Fish in my local rivers show a marked preference for bronze maggots. If I fish a stillwater or an alternative river, reds and whites are my likely choice. Trial and error over an extended period of time will give you a fair idea of which colour is "better".

Pinkies are not just pink coloured maggots, they are a different, smaller variety. Want even smaller maggots? Ask for squatts.

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when was the last time you saw squatts?

xenon said:

when was the last time you saw squatts?

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A year or two, maybe a little more. Whether your local tackle shop can get them, or not, depends on their bait supplier. There are still some suppliers that do them, but many don't. Whether your local actually asks for them is another matter entirely. Not that I'd ask for them very often (if at all these days), but I believe that at least one of my locals can get them to order. Not that I know, but I'd guess that the canal match fishing hotspots like West Yorkshire, Lancashire and the West Midlands are the likeliest areas to find squatts. It was in one of the big West Yorkshire tackle shops that I last saw them.