Maggots/Gozzers
- Thread starter ferret
- Start date
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david bruce 1
Guest
I always used to breed sour bran maggots when match fishing. Thisis what I remember. Get a large glass jar. Two or three times bigger than a jam jar. Fill it with bran soaked in milk. Let it go soar and add more milk if it dries out. Leave it in a dark corner of the garage( very little smell)check for activity in the jar. Getting the first blow is the most difficult. Once you see activity (maggots) in the jar cover the top with a piece of muslin or similar and keep the bran moist with milk. 7 to 10 days later sieve off - not easy depends on the size of your bran.
Used to do very well with bream although it was always said they were best for roach.
Once you have managed to get a start leave a few maggots in the garage to turn then you will get blows very easily. They take about 10days from laying down to harvesting. I used to have several on the go in different phases. Give it a try it is easy. As I said the most difficult is getting a start and then picking the blighters out of the bran.
Used to do very well with bream although it was always said they were best for roach.
Once you have managed to get a start leave a few maggots in the garage to turn then you will get blows very easily. They take about 10days from laying down to harvesting. I used to have several on the go in different phases. Give it a try it is easy. As I said the most difficult is getting a start and then picking the blighters out of the bran.
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Paul Christie 3
Guest
I did my own gozzers on a sheeps heart a few times, years ago. Never again! It's a smelly, messy business.
I used to put the heart in an ice cream tub and make a small hole in the lid and leave it till you got a blow. By the time they come off the meat, the smell is a horrible rotting flesh pong that make the garage stink to high heaven.
Unless you are match fishing and looking for an edge, I don't think it's worth the pain.
I used to put the heart in an ice cream tub and make a small hole in the lid and leave it till you got a blow. By the time they come off the meat, the smell is a horrible rotting flesh pong that make the garage stink to high heaven.
Unless you are match fishing and looking for an edge, I don't think it's worth the pain.
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david bruce 1
Guest
Meant to say. The sour bran maggots are differnt from the usual. Very soft and white and seem to have little legs like a caterpillar. So easy to bred - virtually no smell and milk come cheap.
Neneman Nick
Well-known member
i`ve got an ian heaps video where he does his own maggotts and turns them to casters.every stage is clearly shown etc....must be great to catch on bait youve bred yourself and of course it saves you money in the long run.
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david bruce 1
Guest
Ferret
it is difficult to say. I never saw a blow on the surface. The surface ususally has cracks in its crust and i assume that's where the blows are laid. Getting your first blow is the akward stage. I suggest just leave it for 4-5 days and then hope. If in garage leave window or door open. Once you have got going and have left a few maggots in the garage to turn to flies I used to leave the jar open for a day . That seemed to get things going OK in warm months. Colder months it depends but my central heating boiler was in the garage so it was ususally warm in there. If i thought I had too many maggots in the jar (I can see through the glass hence using a sweet shop jar - guess the plastic ones will work as well)I'd decant some into another jar with bran and sour milk.
I kept the bottom of the jar just wetted, very little free fluid, and the rest of the bran moist at all times. Godd luck
it is difficult to say. I never saw a blow on the surface. The surface ususally has cracks in its crust and i assume that's where the blows are laid. Getting your first blow is the akward stage. I suggest just leave it for 4-5 days and then hope. If in garage leave window or door open. Once you have got going and have left a few maggots in the garage to turn to flies I used to leave the jar open for a day . That seemed to get things going OK in warm months. Colder months it depends but my central heating boiler was in the garage so it was ususally warm in there. If i thought I had too many maggots in the jar (I can see through the glass hence using a sweet shop jar - guess the plastic ones will work as well)I'd decant some into another jar with bran and sour milk.
I kept the bottom of the jar just wetted, very little free fluid, and the rest of the bran moist at all times. Godd luck
nick any chance that you could make me a copy? please.
And yes it is a good feeling catching with maggots that you bred your self, I know, bred some gozzers for fishing last week on a chicken leg.
They must have been the best maggots i have ever seen, they were fatter and a bit bigger than normal maggots with a creamy skin that was softer than any seen before. I used them on the hook and feed bronze maggots with hemp on my local lake (Rosedale lake in Hunmanby Scarborough) and I had the best day this year with 17 1/2lb of skimmers and one 9oz tench.
Tried bronze maggots but the fish would not bit, yet as soon as a gozzer was on the hook the float shot away, so yes using your own maggots that you bred at home is a very good feeling, try it I did.
From egg to hook took 7 days ( got another leg that will be ready this friday).
And yes it is a good feeling catching with maggots that you bred your self, I know, bred some gozzers for fishing last week on a chicken leg.
They must have been the best maggots i have ever seen, they were fatter and a bit bigger than normal maggots with a creamy skin that was softer than any seen before. I used them on the hook and feed bronze maggots with hemp on my local lake (Rosedale lake in Hunmanby Scarborough) and I had the best day this year with 17 1/2lb of skimmers and one 9oz tench.
Tried bronze maggots but the fish would not bit, yet as soon as a gozzer was on the hook the float shot away, so yes using your own maggots that you bred at home is a very good feeling, try it I did.
From egg to hook took 7 days ( got another leg that will be ready this friday).
Graham Whatmore
Senior Member
Its a sign of the times that breeding your own maggots (sour bran is the only way I would do them as I get on with my neighbours) doesn't have a 'how to' site on the web. I put a search in google with the intention of putting a link on here but I couldn't find a single one.
In the 50's, 60's, and 70's most of the top matchmen had a few homebred hooker maggots in their box (fishing box that is) and it was the source of much secrecy as to how they bred them. Liver was one of the favourites but I never ever tried it in fact after one experience with the meat method when my neighbours (then in B'ham) threatended to behead me I gave up altogether, discretion seemed to be the right choice.
I suppose with the match fishing scene moving to pools and carp theres no call for 'gozzers' these days but you would have thought there would be at least one link on the web wouldn't you?
In the 50's, 60's, and 70's most of the top matchmen had a few homebred hooker maggots in their box (fishing box that is) and it was the source of much secrecy as to how they bred them. Liver was one of the favourites but I never ever tried it in fact after one experience with the meat method when my neighbours (then in B'ham) threatended to behead me I gave up altogether, discretion seemed to be the right choice.
I suppose with the match fishing scene moving to pools and carp theres no call for 'gozzers' these days but you would have thought there would be at least one link on the web wouldn't you?
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madpiker
Guest
i doubt if some of these commercial "puddle chuckers" even know what a gozzer is graham,let alone breed their own!
Thanks graham, i have just got a blow on my sour bran but how do i know if its the right flies that have laid their eggs?.
As to the gozzers, so far the smell is not as bad as me or the wife expected(lucky me) and I may have found a way round that problem.
First let the flies lay their egg`s, then get one of those gel freshener`s and cut 1 inch thick piece and lay it under the news paper, it should also mask the meat from further flies, when I but the lid back on, mind you it`s sending me ferrets mad as its coming up to the Rabbit season.
(But the landing net down you dont need it)
As to the gozzers, so far the smell is not as bad as me or the wife expected(lucky me) and I may have found a way round that problem.
First let the flies lay their egg`s, then get one of those gel freshener`s and cut 1 inch thick piece and lay it under the news paper, it should also mask the meat from further flies, when I but the lid back on, mind you it`s sending me ferrets mad as its coming up to the Rabbit season.
(But the landing net down you dont need it)
That may be true madpiker, lucky for me I was born in 1960 so was brought up with those baits from my grandad.
I remember my grandad getting me to collect woodlice and fishing for roach, and I still do to this day, and I still catch good roach as well, (Thanks Grandad).
As to fishing commercials never seen one except in the fishing mags.
I remember my grandad getting me to collect woodlice and fishing for roach, and I still do to this day, and I still catch good roach as well, (Thanks Grandad).
As to fishing commercials never seen one except in the fishing mags.
Graham Whatmore
Senior Member
"I have just got a blow on my sour bran but how do i know if its the right flies that have laid their eggs?".
The quick answer to that is you don't unless you actually see the fly that blows, thats why most home breeders get the fly off the maggots and once its blown its covered up to avoid other unwanted flies.
The quick answer to that is you don't unless you actually see the fly that blows, thats why most home breeders get the fly off the maggots and once its blown its covered up to avoid other unwanted flies.
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david bruce 1
Guest
Ferret
Flies are to a degree selective on what they lay so you genrally get one type per food source.(e.g pinkies etc). The covering up is more to prevent too may blows and stunted maggots due to insufficent food.
Flies are to a degree selective on what they lay so you genrally get one type per food source.(e.g pinkies etc). The covering up is more to prevent too may blows and stunted maggots due to insufficent food.
Well that was a waste of time. I tried to breed some sour brans and i dont think that i`ll be doing that again. From now on its just Gozzers and squatt`s, bred my first lot of squatt`s on a ripe chicken that i got from a meat man that i know as they were my first one`s that i had bred, i did`nt know that they were squatt`s.
I thought that they were under feed maggots so i thought to through in more meat thinking thats what was needed until i looked in one of my fishing books and found out that they were squatt`s.
Fishing with squatt`s as lose feed and gozzers on the hook i landed 10lb of mixed fish of roach and skimmers.
Am a bit sad that i cant breed them in winter.
I thought that they were under feed maggots so i thought to through in more meat thinking thats what was needed until i looked in one of my fishing books and found out that they were squatt`s.
Fishing with squatt`s as lose feed and gozzers on the hook i landed 10lb of mixed fish of roach and skimmers.
Am a bit sad that i cant breed them in winter.
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david bruce 1
Guest
Ferret
As I said, getting the start is the difficult part with sour bran maggots. Give it another go and allow 7 - 10 days to get a blow. keep things moist during that period. Once underway its routine. good luck.
As I said, getting the start is the difficult part with sour bran maggots. Give it another go and allow 7 - 10 days to get a blow. keep things moist during that period. Once underway its routine. good luck.
Dave thanks mate, I think i went (sour) to early as soon has i found some eggs on the bran i put the lid on to stop any more flies getting to the mix.
And when i got the maggots they were very small and did not grow in to anything that could be used for fishing.
Bred my first squatts last week on an old chicken that the meat man gave me and it was the first time ever using them. Started of using them as loose feed, and a gosser on the hook, and doing very well for skimmers, then i tried them on a size 26 hook and then the swim just came alive with fish more roach than anything where as the gozzers were liked by the skimmers.
But back to the sour bran how long would you keep the jar open to the flies? and what size are the maggots?.
And I will take all the help that i can get.
thanks alan
(But the net down lad swing it to hand)
And when i got the maggots they were very small and did not grow in to anything that could be used for fishing.
Bred my first squatts last week on an old chicken that the meat man gave me and it was the first time ever using them. Started of using them as loose feed, and a gosser on the hook, and doing very well for skimmers, then i tried them on a size 26 hook and then the swim just came alive with fish more roach than anything where as the gozzers were liked by the skimmers.
But back to the sour bran how long would you keep the jar open to the flies? and what size are the maggots?.
And I will take all the help that i can get.
thanks alan
(But the net down lad swing it to hand)