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Maggot is a blowfly larva. It is an affordable and catchy bait that can catch any white fish: roach, bream, carp, crucian carp. Even Leonid Pavlovich Sabaneev mentioned it in his writings, describing it as a catchy bait, but rarely used by our fishermen. Because before, maggots had to be mined on their own, and this is not a very pleasant thing – few people liked poking around in rotten meat or fish. But times have changed and today maggots can be bought at any fishing store without wasting energy and nerves on its production. Fishing for maggot, as well as for other nozzles, has its own nuances.
Hooks for maggot
For fishing, light hooks made of thin wire are well suited. They injure the larvae less when planting and keep them alive longer. The weight of the hook also plays a big role. The lighter the hook, the slower the bait sinks to the bottom and the more attractive it looks to the fish.
The size and shape of the hook are selected for the nozzle. And only after that the nozzle is selected under the fish. For maggot fishing for fish such as bream, roach, chub, ide, hooks with a short forearm and a long sting are perfect.
When catching carp or grass carp, thick wire hooks are needed. The thickness of the hook is important when playing these powerful fish, as they can straighten a thin hook. Therefore, the method of planting maggot here is different. The larvae do not cling to the hook, but to the clip on the hair mount. You can plant a dozen maggots on it without any problems and at the same time not be afraid that the larvae will die.
If the fish does not bite well, then to activate the bite, you can reduce the size and color of the hook. For white maggot, white hooks are suitable, and for red, respectively, red hooks.
High demands are placed on the quality of the hook, since with a blunt one not only the number of fish coming off will increase, but it is also problematic to plant the bait. Therefore, it is better to choose hooks from trusted manufacturers, such as:
- Owner.
- gamakatsu.
- Snake.
- Dirty.
- Kamasan.
How to put a maggot on a hook
There are several ways to plant maggots. Each of them is selected for different fishing conditions:
The classic way
You always need to plant from the head – its thickest part. We pierce the head and move the larva to the bend of the hook. We try not to pierce in the middle, we cling to the very tip of the larva. Maggot planted in this way is little injured and remains alive and mobile for as long as possible.
Usually the amount of bait on the hook depends on the size of the fish. For small fish such as bleak, one larva will do, and for larger fish, for example, roach or bream, at least two are needed. But it should be remembered that when unwinding the tackle, two larvae on the hook can twist the leash, especially on a thin fishing line. This often happens in currents, but not in ponds with stagnant water. When fishing on a feeder, it is better to put at least three larvae on the hook.
Stocking
It happens that you see a lot of bites, but you just can not hook the fish. This little thing pulls the tail of the larva and does not swallow it whole. In order to cut off idle bites, you can plant a maggot with a stocking. We take the maggot by the head and pierce it along the entire body and a little before reaching the head, we take out the sting of the hook. It is important to remember that the sting of the hook does not need to be closed in any case. Since the larva itself is tough and with a closed sting, you can not cut through the fish lip.
Combined method
Here we combine the first and second options. The first maggot is put on behind the head, the second with a stocking, the third is put on again behind the head. It turns out a kind of caterpillar.
We plant a maggot by the belly
With this method of planting, the fish will not be able to quickly pull the larva off the hook. It is used in cases where a small fish stands in the water column and pulls the larva off the hook, preventing it from sinking to the bottom.
Clip for maggot
When catching large white fish that loves a voluminous bait, a special clip on a hair mount is used. It is made of thin wire and almost does not injure the larvae when planted. You can put a large bunch of bait on it, while the hook will be completely free.
Maggot in bait
These larvae are good not only as a nozzle. They are very nutritious and are great as a bait for all white fish. A large amount of maggot in the bait (about 250 ml) greatly increases the chances of a good catch.
There are several methods for feeding a maggot fishing point:
- When fishing with a feeder, maggots are either added as an additional component to the main bait, or they are fed separately. For the second case, plastic closed feeders are used. When casting gear, the larvae remain inside the feeder, and after diving to the bottom, they crawl out through special holes.
- When fishing with a float rod, maggots are fed either directly from the hand or with the help of a slingshot with a cup. If you are fishing near the shore, then use the first method, if you are fishing at a long distance, then the second.
- When catching large fish in the current, feeding with a closed feeder may not always be effective. In this case, maggots can be glued into a ball and fed to the fishing point using a regular mesh feeder. Use special glue for maggots for this. It is produced by many fishing companies and is not so difficult to find on sale.
Maggots cleaned of impurities are treated with a small amount of glue. The main thing is not to overdo it and not get a monolithic lump as a result. Ideally, you should get a mass that is easily formed into a ball and also easily washed out when it falls to the bottom.
How to paint maggot
In stores you can often see not only white, but also red maggot. This is not a separate type of larvae, but an ordinary one, only painted. It differs in color and nothing more.
Dyeing a different color is very simple – you need to add food coloring to his food. It is in this way that the larvae are stained, because external staining does not give an effect, but only destroys the larvae.
To paint red, you need to add grated beets, carrots or bloodworms to the feed. If you need a yellow color, then you can add egg yolk. And to paint green – ground dill or parsley.
You need to paint 5-6 hours before fishing, that is how much time it takes for it to take on the desired color. Keep in mind that maggot will be colored as long as you feed it with colored food. If you stop feeding, the larvae will return to their usual white color.
How to store maggot at home
It is best to store maggots in the refrigerator, as at room temperature the larvae can pupate and turn into flies. And at low temperatures, this does not happen, they simply fall into suspended animation. The main thing is that in the container where the maggots are stored there is access to oxygen and there is no moisture.
For storage, you can use a regular plastic container with high sides so that the larvae cannot get out. Several small holes are drilled in the lid of the container. Next, sawdust is poured into the container and maggots are placed. That’s all. But once a week it is necessary to change the sawdust to new ones and remove the dead larvae.