Maggots??

[Gerritt]

Ok this is my first time considering using maggots for ice fishing... I picked up a hundred or so... 50 pink 50 white...

 

 

Now I have never used maggots before...

 

Do you use them with a small tube to tip the jig?

 

Do you use them on a bare jig?

 

or do you use them in a different way?

 

also what is the preferred way to hook them?

 

Thanks for any advice!

 

Gerritt.

Edited January 31, 2007 by Gerritt

[Rich]

I like to put a couple on a small tear drop jig.. works great for the pannies. Well usually.

[Mike the Pike]

Yup same as Rich I usually put about 3 on a small micro Jig or tear drop Jig.Have some wipes handy they do leave alot of goop on your hands.The perch love them.

[Greencoachdog]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!... maggot goop!

[misfish]

Yep tear drop or any other small jig.

 

Best kept in yer mouth to keep from freezing.

[John]

When I was a kid, maggots were pretty much all I fished with, however I used them under a small float. I always kept a handful of them in the pocket of my fishing jacket, (very handy when wading a stream or river). BUT, don't forget them over the course of a week as I did. When your wife, or Mum in my case, opens the closet door pray you are not home.....

[007]

We use maggots all the time back in the UK. The best way to hook the ones back home was through the flat end, just knicking them through the skin where the two dots or eyes are - done properly there isn't too much juice.

 

Out of interest Gerritt where did you get them? I haven't been able to find any in T.O, and I bet they are great for panfish and perch as Rich says.

 

007

[FishFinder]

Im pretty sure you can get them in Pet Stores.

[Gerritt]

I bought them @ Bills Bait N Tackle here in Hamilton. 4.00 for a hundred

 

Thanks for the advice guys hopefully the crappy like em!

 

Gerritt.

[joonmoon]

I buy mine at Tall Tales in Cambridge. Carefully hooked they don't make too much mess but I'm all cold thumbs and have some difficulty and by using 3-4 at a time it means less baiting. I use them on teardrop jigs, jiggin spoons, plain hooks, jigging raps, whatever I tie on will get several maggots on the hooks. And yes they are better than minnows most days. Pannies usually just want a light snack not a big meal...lol. Hey Gerrit or anyone else who uses them if you didn't already know....if you keep them at fridge temp without freezing they usually last for several weeks before turning brown and then just toss em...remember to keep them dry too.

Edited January 31, 2007 by joonmoon

[steverowbotham]

Simcoe Bait and Tackle has a good supply. I usually put 2 or 3 maggots on a small teardrop or Marmooska jig and shake it just off bottom, or wherever the vex says they are. Last weekend at Nipissing we caught perch, herring and whitefish on maggots.

[crappieperchhunter]

For me on Simcoe, nothing beats a #2 Firetiger Jigging rapala with the treble hook tipped with a maggot. First thing down the hole everytime. Second choice on Simcoe would be the "bug". The bug is better if you get into a school of aggressive fish...you can unhook and get your line back down the hole quicker. Pretty much the only 2 baits I use on Simcoe. Good luck Gerritt at feeling the "tugs"

[Headhunter]

A good alternative to maggots is Berkley Powerbait, power wigglers, micros. They will last the whole day and you don't have to keep them in your mouth to stop them from freezing!

HH

[Nanook]

Being from the UK also, Maggots were the 'go to' bait for freshwater fishing. We would use a # 16 or smaller hook under a float. The trick is to get the hook into the flat end, just under the skin,and you wont get too much juice. We had a fish in the UK called a Roach,beautiful fish, up to 3LB. It could suck the juice out of a Maggot,without moving the float.

[steverowbotham]

We had a fish in the UK called a Roach,beautiful fish, up to 3LB. It could suck the juice out of a Maggot,without moving the float.

 

That is pretty impressive.

[Nanook]

Steve, its true! we would have enough SMALL split-shot on the line to keep the tip of the Quill float just above the surface. When the Roach picked up the Maggot[s[ the float rose up.Time to set the hook delicately.

 

Now THAT is finesse fishing !!!!!

[007]

Too right Nanook - it's true I had Roach doing that too without the float moving too!

 

Joonmoon - you refer to the maggots going brown. When this happens they are hardening up to become a chrysalis before they turn into a fly (similar thing to what caterpillars do before turning into butterflies). You're right that you don't want to hang onto them too long after that or after a while you will have a lot of flies buzzing around your house - been there... done that.. when I was a kid. Needless to say my mum wasn't too happy! LOL

 

However, when they turn brown and lifeless you can still use them for bait - at least we did in the UK. They even sold them in the bait shops - they were called 'casters'. Quite often some species of fish back home would even prefer them to the maggots despite them not wriggling. In fact many people would use them to catch the larger fish. Not sure how it would work here, where the fish seem to be more aggressive and generally liking things that move around or wriggle! But my guess is even a perch over here couldn't resist a 'caster' jigged around!

 

Hope this helps.

 

007

Edited February 1, 2007 by OO7