long lasting maggots

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Jan 14, 2010

I bought a pint and 1/2 of maggots on 02/01/2010 to take to Damflask in the disaterous pike and roach session and being a Yorkshireman I had about 3/4 of a pint left at the end that I deicded woudl save till the following Saturday

Well given the weather last Saturday and Sunday was a non started so they're been in the garage since the 02/01/2010

I've just been in to get a couple of beers and I had a look at the maggots - now I'll not say they're in prime condition but most are still alive and non have turned - so it looks like this weekend it might be a case of just needing a pint of fresh maggots and take the lot to the Rother for the chub

What's the longest you're had maggots saved and they've still be useable?

slime monster · Jan 14, 2010

Pinkies last for ages ,I have them on my bench in the garage they have been there three weeks and look as good as when I bought them.

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Jan 14, 2010

I find a difference in maggots depending where I buy them

1 local tackle shop (now closed) the maggots wer the same price as other shops but I've had them from there and they've been dead by the end of a session - no wonder it closed - I only used them twice - second time to see if the first was a one off - but the maggots weren't much better.

The tackel shop i buy from mostly - the maggots last the longest (this lots is from there)

The 3rd shop in the area is cheapest for maggots £2 a pint but they only last for a few days - but he's opening times are differemt to the others so I sometime have to buy from him.

peter crabtree · Jan 14, 2010

My bait fridge tonight .......... half pint of squatt,half pint of pinkies,whats left of a few pints of red maggot,(most have been thrown on my backdoor step for the robins that queue up every morning.) these were intended for bait on the 28th december for a match on the KandA canal which was cancelled

They are kicking still.........)
Shall I bring them to Bristol :wh?

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Jan 14, 2010

my bait fridge died a few months back but a new one has been installed at the Hall so the maggots are living longer

peter crabtree · Jan 14, 2010

Bait shop owner.......... Can I help you sir
Punter.............How much for a pint of maggots?
Bait shop owner. £3.............
Punter............ I can get them down the road for £2.
Bait shop owner. go down there and get them.
Punter.............they haven't got any
bait shop owner. When I haven't got any they are £1 a pint.............

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Jan 14, 2010

There used to be 3 tackle shops in my local area and I tried them all

The one that has shut was the one I had the maggots from that did n't last a day - also I had to watch his adding up - both times I bought stuff there he seems to add up to £1 over the price - Wonder why he's shut:wh

The other 2 shop I try to used evenly - both are good, both owners know me by sight and pass on adive - by spreading my trade I hope to in some small way keep both shops going.

Jeff Woodhouse · Jan 14, 2010

GOOD TIPS - look at the little black tummy on a maggot, the black spot - it should look big and the maggot soft. This shows they've only been off the feed for a couple of days or so.

Always ask for some maize flour to be added.

DON'T ever buy mixed, always ask for specific colours and mix them yourself if you want to. Lots of cunning dealers get rid of old maggots by mixing them.

Steve Spiller · Jan 14, 2010

Top tip Wolfy! Tis true, avoid mixed, be specific, a pint of reds and half a bronze please.

Peter, chub sometimes like stinky old maggots.......
Dunno if you can keep em for another week though?

Top tip....
Put yer mags in a plastic bag, squeeze all the air out and tie them tight. Put them in the fridge, you will be very surprised how long they last!
Bring them out and give em a good riddle in the warm the night before.
Hay presto, the next day you wil have the best mags on the bank

Peter Jacobs · Jan 15, 2010

If you get your maggots on 'delivery day' from your tackle shop, then they should last for approx. 900 degree hours.

So, if kept properly in a 'fridge at about 3/4 degrees then they should 'last' for about 10 days.

If you use Steve's method, then when you open the bag they will look lifeless, long and thin - don't worry, leave them in a large tray for a couple of hours and they are back to normal size.

The only problem I have found with this is that they don't last too well if put back in the 'fridge.

Graham Whatmore · Jan 15, 2010

On top of which you have the added problem of the longer the maggots are kept the tougher their skins become and may be rejected by roach dace etc. It isn't always the case but when you are fishing for bites on a cold clear river the last thing you need nagging at you is that the roach are rejecting your bait. Chub on the other hand are greedy so and so's and the more you pile in the more you catch, hard skinned, sour, turning, it matters not to chub once they start feeding.

Philip · Jan 15, 2010

The resilience of the humble maggot never ceases to amaze me…I have had some awesome bait boxes of maggots that I have forgotten in the fridge and then taken out literally months (no exaggeration) later and they have still been alive…not in good nick granted, but alive… I literally wanted to give them a round of applause! I seem to recall as a kid leaving bait boxes n the shed and finding dead flys inside weeks later. Some can even survive a night in the deep freeze…frozen solid on extraction, they start to wriggle again after they thaw out….mind you, never had one survive 2 nights in the deep freeze, that appears to be too much even for a maggot and is incidentally a good way for mass annihilation if you want to use dead maggots as feed…its far less messy than boiling water.

Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC) · Jan 15, 2010

Watch out for how they price the maggots.

If say a pint of maggots is £2, but you buy 1/2pt reds and half pt of white then you may be charged something like £2.60 becuase 1/2pt is £1.30!

Not exact figures, just used to make the point - but it can make a significant difference.

eg I recently bought 1 1/2 pints of reds plus 1/2 pint of whites.

He charged me for:

1 pt red
1/2 pt red
1/2 pt white

Which came out at a price significantly more than if i'd asked for 2 pints of reds.

I gave him my thoughts then took my custom elsewhere.

flightliner · Jan 15, 2010

Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC) said:
Watch out for how they price the maggots.

If say a pint of maggots is £2, but you buy 1/2pt reds and half pt of white then you may be charged something like £2.60 becuase 1/2pt is £1.30!

Not exact figures, just used to make the point - but it can make a significant difference.

eg I recently bought 1 1/2 pints of reds plus 1/2 pint of whites.

He charged me for:

1 pt red
1/2 pt red
1/2 pt white

Which came out at a price significantly more than if i'd asked for 2 pints of reds.

I gave him my thoughts then took my custom elsewhere.

My tackle dealer did the same to me-a pint cost £2-20, when i gave him£1-10 for a half pint he asked for another .20p, When i asked why he said smaller amounts of anything measured always costs more!(taking the argument the other way ,if i asked for two pints shouldnt they cost £4.00 instead of £4-40 ?)- I still use the place but only in emergencies.A tackle dealer i now buy my maggots from as assured me that as long as he runs his shop they will never ever be more than £2-00 per pint, i like that and i even save money on petrol as i used to travel a mile either way to the shop and back, with the new guy i pass the shop on my way to the waterside.
Still on the subject, when you next buy maggots ask the dealer to let the measure stand for a few moments before they are poured into your baitbox- you will be surprised how much space becomes evident-- you will see that your maggots cost a lot more than what you think!!!

geoffmaynard · Jan 15, 2010

And if storing them in a fridge, always leave the lid off the box!!

flightliner · Jan 15, 2010

And if you want a bit more "wiggle" from them on a very very cold day hold its blunt end close to a cigarette- works a treat(so i have been told)

S-Kippy · Jan 15, 2010

flightliner said:
And if you want a bit more "wiggle" from them on a very very cold day hold its blunt end close to a cigarette- works a treat(so i have been told)

Does this work on womem too ?

flightliner · Jan 15, 2010

S-Kippy said:
Does this work on womem too ?

Dont know Skippy, why not try it, it.s sure to provoke a HOT re-action,:j

Ray Daywalker Clarke · Jan 15, 2010

Well I don't know what you lot are doing Wrong. I have had maggots for a few years and they are still fine.,
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The rubber maggots are very good.:wh

stooby · Jan 15, 2010

fridged maggots are best in winter, must have got use to the cold
fresh seem to die as soon as you cast them into the freezing water,
well when you can cast them in, in this weather

long lasting maggots

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