Maggot Fishing Bait

Well what can be said of maggots? Actually quite a bit! Maggots have been, and always will be the 1st choice for many anglers in all branches of our sport. From match anglers to carp anglers, maggots remain a powerful bait which will entice all fish to feed. The most commonly used maggot is the white larvae of the blue bottle fly.

Maggots are bred for anglers on maggot farms using waste meat products.

Maggots are usually sold in pints or half pints. They need to be kept ventilated or they will die. Dont remove the dust after buying as that stops them sweating.

You can tell how fresh a maggot is by the size of the dark feed spot in its body, the larger it is the fresher the maggot. They are available from most good tackle shops in a variety of colours which anglers believe makes them more attractive to fish.

We have found that the dyed red colour is best we like to think that's because they resemble the bloodworm larvae. Which is a natural food source of most course fish. Whether or not that is the case I am confident while using them.

All fish like maggots and it is hard to think of a better universal bait. The maggot itself goes through a chrysalis stage before becoming a blue bottle and some prefer to use the bait at that stage.

Barbel in particular seem to prefer them in that condition. For carp anglers the biggest problem is how to use and present them. One of the best ways is to use the Madusa Rig.

Fishing over a bed of dead maggots is another good option for carp fishing. This method seems to be very good during winter. The maggots will not bury themselfs in the bottom as live ones do, so you can fish over them for long periods.

Enterprise Tackle now produce fake plastic maggots in a variety of colours and the presentations these now offer us are only limited by our imaginations.

Rigs for maggot fishing are varied with the Madusa rig being a favourite amongst carp anglers. While many general course anglers will simply present a couple on to a small size 16 or 18 hook.

Click heren to view the Madusa Maggot Rig