Maggots as a Bait.
Maggots are the most popular bait of all time for coarse anglers. Fish of all sizes love them, the problem being that if your after the bigger fish in a water, the little ones will get to your bait first.
They are sold in different colours, with red and white being the most popular. Some say the colour of a maggot makes a difference others don't. I think perch may show a preference for red maggots, but I wouldn't have proof. It's maybe just a confidence thing, or maybe colour does make a difference?
If you are getting pestered by small fish on single maggot, change to double or triple maggot. This will very often sort out the bigger fish, keeping the little ones at bay.
Three Types of Maggot.
There are 3 types of maggot.
1 - Large Whites - walk into a tackle shop, ask for a pint of maggots and these are the type you will get. They are the larvae of the bluebottle fly. How many have spilt some maggots in the car and had bluebottles buzzing all around your head whilst driving, once they hatch out.
2 - Pinkies - smaller than the conventional maggot, they are the larvae of the greenbottle fly. They are about half the size of a large white, but are much more active. They are noted for doing the great escape from your maggot box, even if it gets slightly damp, so be aware!
They are a great bait when the going gets hard and will wriggle on the hook in the coldest of conditions.Best used on a small hook. I've used a single pinkie on a size 24 hook, to tempt bites in winter. Double pinkie on a size 18 can also be a good bet.
3 - Squatts or Feeders - The larvae of the common house fly. These are the smallest of the lot. They have to be kept in sand. A bait that you don't seem to hear so much of these days. I've used double squatt on a 20's hook in winter in the past, but I think a bait more for the matchman.
Hooking Maggots.
Hook maggots at the blunt end. All you do is just nick the hook through the top, without bursting the maggot. This will allow it to wriggle and stay alive longer. After every bite, or every now and again check the maggot to see if it has been sucked. If it has change the maggot, or you could stop getting bites.
Matching the Bait Size to the Hook.
What is vital is that you used "balanced tackle". If you could imagine a single maggot on a size 1/0 sea hook, it would look ridiculous. It certainly wouldn't fool any fish. The hook size should match the bait size, and the rest of the tackle such as line etc., should balance also. If you look at the 2 pictures below it explains what I mean.
Here I'm presenting a triple maggot, so I need a bigger hook to keep the tackle balanced. In this case it's a wide-gape, spade-end size 14 hook.
A single maggot on a size 20 fine wire spade end hook. Notice how the size of the hook matches the size of the bait. The line also matches the hook and bait and is 1.7lb breaking strain.
Flavouring Maggots.
When you buy maggots from the tackle shop, they come in either maize or sawdust. This is to help keep them clean and fresh, so they don't smell. Some anglers like to riddle the sawdust or maize off and add fresh every day or the day before a fishing session.
Curry powder can be added to your maggots, liquid flavourings (don't add to much or they will crawl out of the box), etc. A local tackle shop to me used to ask you if you wanted curry powder adding, when you bought them.
Adding the spice tumerick will add colour and flavour to your bait. It is a spice that is available from all supermarkets. What you do is riddle of the sawdust or maize and keep them just in the powdered spice.
The Magaligner Rig.
Well worth a try on your local water may be the magaligner rig, click here for details.