Maggots

[jayh]

Why do maggots vary so much from tackle shop to tackle shop, or do some rip off the non match angler with sub standard bait? I've been told there are only about 3 maggot farms in the UK & find it hard to believe that the shops would want to sell inferior bait so is it a profit thing?

 

[Day Breamer]

I dont know if some shops have got 2 quantities of maggots (1 more fresh than the other) 1 for the regulars, and 1 for the 'casual' fisherman, kid, unknown person, the latter probably get given the non freshest bait saving the better stuff for the regulars.

Ive often thought this when buying maggots from some shops over the years... as quality can vary wildly.

The only maggot farm ive come across was in lincolnshire somewhere, i was on the way to a water and the smell was horrific, it really was the most disgusting thing ive ever smelt... this was about 15 years ago, dont know if its still there, if it is someone here will know about it.

 

[andreagrispi]

I use 2 tackle shops and the difference in maggot and caster quality is extreme. One supplies maggots which are a third bigger and which last 3-4 days longer before starting to turn - they also smell better. The casters last a good 4-5 days before turning sour.

Trouble is - their casters tend to sell out quicker and they don't sell lobworms.

 

[Steve Handley]

I dont know if some shops have got 2 quantities of maggots (1 more fresh than the other) 1 for the regulars, and 1 for the 'casual' fisherman, kid, unknown person, the latter probably get given the non freshest bait saving the better stuff for the regulars.

Ive often thought this when buying maggots from some shops over the years... as quality can vary wildly.

The only maggot farm ive come across was in lincolnshire somewhere, i was on the way to a water and the smell was horrific, it really was the most disgusting thing ive ever smelt... this was about 15 years ago, dont know if its still there, if it is someone here will know about it.

That maggot farm is probably the same one I still use, but now it supplies a varity of pellets, worms, groundbait, casters etc. And the maggots don't come any fresher, straight from the pits. The only problem is, they can be too fresh and will need cleaning again in sawdust (don't like maize meal, turns to porridge with sweaty maggots!) to take away the ammonia smell.

As for the smell of the maggot farm it's not so bad these days with measures taken to minimise the pong. I remember walking in there on a hot summers day when I was younger and the stench would take your breath away but it was worth it because you could'nt beat the quality of fresh maggots.

 

[captain carrott]

i grew up about 2 miles from one in the 18970's that were fun, specially when me uncle nick came home from work with his wellies on.

that smell may be why we're all over 6 foot tall where i come from, you could nigh on chew it on a hot summer day

 

[slime monster]

You have a right to see the maggots before you purchase
Mixed maggots can be old with new and are best avoided
the day of the week that you buy the maggots on can mean old or fresh find out the delivery day

 

[klik2change]

I have always been able to see maggots before buying - even when i was a kid in the 60s... They are/were always in a glass display cabinet. Is this a northern thing? Nowadays they are in chill cabinets... and very good they are too!

 

[slime monster]

My tackle dealer has a walk in fridge !

 

[captain carrott]

My tackle dealer has a walk in fridge !

bet it's got a sign on the door saying chill out room

 

[jcp01]

Last year I was given my mates excess maggots at the end of a session and as I only had the one live bait tin on me and that had lobworms in it, I put his (half pint of) maggots in with them, intending to separate them at home.

I forgot all about them until the next session planned for the weekend. When I opened up the bait tin on the river bank where I was going to be trotting for roach and dace, I found the sad remains of 10 lobworms and (a pint of) the fattest, fittest maggots I have ever seen. They were twice the size that they had been before devouring my lobworms, but they stank horribly.

The roach went absolutely bonkers for them.

Perhaps a bit of raw steak would rejuvenate a tin of poor maggots in the same way?

 

[ravey]

Gerry's in Nottingham have their maggots on display, so it's easy to see what's best. I have also tried asking when delivery takes place, but was told this can vary. I used to go to a maggot farm in Newark when I match fished a lot and 'buddied-up' with a fellow angler to make the trip worth while. The smell was something else, but I remember the dominant one was ammonia. Preparing the maggots - riddling, adding maize leal etc was all aprt of the fun, and you could be confident of arriving on the bank with top quality bait. I remember Ivan Marks stressing the importance of having the best bait on the bank, and I wouldn't argue with that!
I really hate paying top dollar for what can be shocking bait, and now that I don't do as much fishing or use as much bait, getting fobbed off with small tough maggots became a recurrent thing. For shops that don't display, I adopt the following:
Look the proprietor straight in the eye, and say clearly and with the suggested emphasis, "My good man, give me X pints of your LARGEST, SOFTEST grubs!". I am not too bothered about colour any more, as I tend to pleasure fish, so when I get asked "What colour?", I simply reply with "Whichever are the LARGEST and SOFTEST". It certainly gets your point across! This works for me, but may not if you are particular about red/bronze/yellow/white etc.

 

[ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)]

I adopt the following:
Look the proprietor straight in the eye, and say clearly and with the suggested emphasis, "My good man, give me X pints of your LARGEST, SOFTEST grubs!". I am not too bothered about colour any more, as I tend to pleasure fish, so when I get asked "What colour?", I simply reply with "Whichever are the LARGEST and SOFTEST". It certainly gets your point across! This works for me, but may not if you are particular about red/bronze/yellow/white etc.

Say that in the majority of shops and the reply you'd get is:

**** off you daft ***, we don't serve idiots in here !!!! "

 

[goldenboy55]

I know it may sound strange, but I have always used custard powder to keep my maggots fresh and happy. Birds by choice, but own brand works just as well. I have this idea that custard powder contains vanilla flavouring amongst other things and vanilla is often named as a common additive to groundbaits etc ergo Im killing two birds with one stone!

 

[chubby48]

maggots

i av been goin to local maggot farm for 6yrs 10quid buys me about 8pts

i av my own fridge freezer in shed i allways av fresh bait

 

[geoffmaynard]

Good thread this. I'll have to try the lobworm trick. When I was a little'un we used to fish Kings Weir on the Lea - there was a maggot farm there that would make you faint if the wind was from the wrong direction.

I seem to remember being told that a lot of out maggot farms had to close when we joined the EEC for H&S reasons and that a lot of our maggots thereafter came from Eire via Northern Ireland. One story goes that during the Troubles, the border guards once got a bit stroppy with a maggot lorrydriver not having all his paperwork up to scratch. He just walked off and left them to their pedantry. Four days later they were phoning, begging him to come and take the lorry away

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

Never ever ask for mixed (colours) maggots!

Twas different at one time when I bought mine from Manchester shop, he'd mix up the colours there and then for each individual customer so you were getting maggots from the fresh bins. Most dealers now chuck their old maggots in the "mixed" bin so always specify a couple of colours "Half of reds and half of bronze, please." You get the fresh ones that way if not all the colours.