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Maggots

Chris Bracey

Chris Bracey

Senior Member
I read more and more that Barbel seem to like Maggots esp at the early part of the season.

Can i ask how those who fish with them do so?

Do you use Fake on a hair and real in the feeder
Real Maggots direct onto a size 10/12 hook (if so how many)
Do you try and glue real ones to a hair/polyball
Any other ways?

thanks guys
 
I have used Korda maggot clips in extra small size in the past on a hair rig. But also caught on a 10 or 12 hook with up 10 maggots. When they dont want a big bunch i have used hooks down to an 18, with 1 or 2 maggots. I have tried a fake maggot threaded on to the hook with real maggots when small fish have been a nuisence.
 
Before the increase in silvers numbers on the Swale I used to fish with four on a size 10 with a maggot feeder pretty successfully.

I do still sometimes trot double maggot on a size 16 at first and last light on another Yorkshire river when at these times the minnow/dace/bleak activity dies down for some reason.
 
David Maddison said:
I have used Korda maggot clips in extra small size in the past on a hair rig. But also caught on a 10 or 12 hook with up 10 maggots. When they dont want a big bunch i have used hooks down to an 18, with 1 or 2 maggots. I have tried a fake maggot threaded on to the hook with real maggots when small fish have been a nuisence.
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Snap. Oh and keep that feeder going in regularly.

Mind you, don't listen to me, I used 10pints two weeks ago, for the measly return of one rainbow trout. It's an expensive way to blank!
 
I think prologic do something called a "maggibelt",you fill 4 zipped pouches with a couple of pints each and they are on a harness that you strap to your torso.Someone may be able to find a link to it.
 
Michael Joyce said:
I think prologic do something called a "maggibelt",you fill 4 zipped pouches with a couple of pints each and they are on a harness that you strap to your torso.Someone may be able to find a link to it.
Click to expand...

A fair few of the members on here appear to be wearing several of those permanently.........................................:p:p:p


Cheers, Dave.
 
I have found maggots to be the best bait November onwards on the Ribble,when the river is low clear and cold,I simply use a large maggot feeder and 8 or 10 maggots on a hair rigged maggot clip, the triangular clips seem to work best,cant remember who makes them though.

Dave
 
I use one fake maggot hair rigged with very fine mono and super glue one or two real ones to this, size 12 animal being the usual hook. The fake is mainly to combat attentions from small fish. It is a rig which works well for tench and they are considerably harder to fool than barbel, usually anyway.
 
Chris Bracey said:
:rolleyes:

I realised that - perhaps my surprise was not well worded but 10 pints of maggots along with other tackle/bait - heavy trip.
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A two gallon/10 ltr bucket with a few holes punched in the lid half full of maggots weighs next to nothing.
You don't need a mountain of gear. to make it work effectively you need to be in an area where there are allot of fish and the idea is to get them totally preoccupied with the grubs.
The method is a busy one, the ideal seat is a match box, you only need one rod and reel, one rest, one landing net, a brolley, a few feeders and some odds of end tackle.
You're going to be casting every couple of minutes and you will be knackered at the end of the day or the end of your bait, which ever comes first.
Good luck.

Of course you could always do the bait and wait method, this is the age old method of mass baiting over a long period, several hours, without fishing and disturbing the swim, the idea being to get the fish feeding confidently in the hope that the larger specimens will move the smaller ones off the feed. If you get it right the bites can be instant and the size of the fish will be larger than the average for the stretch.
Although this method has been used for many decades to my knowledge it was first described in the modern era in Trefor West and Tony Miles book 'Quest for Barbel'. It has also been bandied about by several 'bloggers' in recent years.
 
Adrian Williams said:
A two gallon/10 ltr bucket with a few holes punched in the lid half full of maggots weighs next to nothing.
You don't need a mountain of gear. to make it work effectively you need to be in an area where there are allot of fish and the idea is to get them totally preoccupied with the grubs.
The method is a busy one, the ideal seat is a match box, you only need one rod and reel, one rest, one landing net, a brolley, a few feeders and some odds of end tackle.
You're going to be casting every couple of minutes and you will be knackered at the end of the day or the end of your bait, which ever comes first.
Good luck.

Of course you could always do the bait and wait method, this is the age old method of mass baiting over a long period, several hours, without fishing and disturbing the swim, the idea being to get the fish feeding confidently in the hope that the larger specimens will move the smaller ones off the feed. If you get it right the bites can be instant and the size of the fish will be larger than the average for the stretch.
Although this method has been used for many decades to my knowledge it was first described in the modern era in Trefor West and Tony Miles book 'Quest for Barbel'. It has also been bandied about by several 'bloggers' in recent years.
Click to expand...

Adrian - the bait and wait method - i presume this applies to maggots - do you just keep pumping the maggots in with a feeder/bait dropper?
 
It's normally employed in near bank swims with a bait dropper, there's bound to be an article about it somewhere on here or the old site.
 
Have a look at the seymo xl baitdropper,or make your own.And if you hunt around you may find maggots in bulk from a wholesaler for as little as £1 per pint.I like to bulk them out with hemp as well.
 
Back in the day we used to go to the maggot breeder with a bucket and he would half fill it for a fiver......Then one of the local tackle dealers (Duncan, for those who know what I'm talking about) said if he didn't stop selling direct he would cancel his order. this was in the days when maggot feeder was the method to be on and any matchman fishing the weekly opens would not be seen on the bank without at least a gallon of maggots and one of hemp.....When you consider that a mid week match on the middle Severn could attract 100 anglers that was allot of bait going in the river and allot of cash going through the till, some of the bigger shops used to employ people who's only job was to look after the maggots and turn casters.
The arrival of the pellet on the scene coincided with the rise of the commercial fishery in the mid 90's and killed the big river matches. Along with strict European hygiene and emissions regulations the local maggot business were quick to follow.
 
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Bait and wait is undoubtedly a very effective method given the angler has the time to put in. It also gives time for careful double checking of rigs, clutches etc while waiting. Other baits can be used, not just maggots, any swim that has been prepared properly and rested can produce instant bites.
 
Martin Stevens said:
Snap. Oh and keep that feeder going in regularly.

Mind you, don't listen to me, I used 10pints two weeks ago, for the measly return of one rainbow trout. It's an expensive way to blank!
Click to expand...

I know that feeling well Martin, I assume you were on the Wasing?
 
Hi Alex,

I've found that if you rest a swim when fishing the feeder (say, 15 minutes) then it dies and you have to start all over again. Anyone else found this?
I generally use maggot, hemp and casterand occasionally small pellet in the feeder.

Regards,

Jeff
 
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