How To Rig Maggots

Many anglers grow and then colour their own maggots. As for me, I will only buy these little brilliant baits, as many years ago I had some maggots that I was growing turn into a massive swarm of blowflies in mum’s house.

To put them on a hook, bunch a few together on the hook and then toss the wiggling mass into the water under a stem or bubble float rig. The hook size will need to be very small, and this is where fly hooks come into their own.

Maggots are great bait to use for trout, freshwater mullet, carp, bass and sometimes perch. You could also try the paternoster rig or a small running sinker down onto the hook. Sometimes a small spilt shot is enough weight as it will allow the bait the flow downstream with the current.

Maggots

Many years ago, I decided to put an ice-cream tub of maggots that I had brought into the fridge in the garage, to keep cool so that they didn’t turn into blowflies. Little did I know that my dad turned off the fridge in the early hours of the morning to defrost it and didn’t notice the container in the bottom of the fridge.

You can imagine what happened when dad went to clean the fridge out and opened the container. There were blowies everywhere. I think mum went through a can of fly spray.

Technique 1

Maggots can be used singly, in pairs or bunched. To use a maggot singularly, hook it through the thick end. If you find you are missing bites you can try hooking it though the thin end, or through the middle, 'handlebar' style.

Technique 2

If the fish are feeding on the top of the water, you can get your maggots to float by placing them into a bait tub with a little water and replace the lid with one that has breather holes in it. Being in water the maggots will take in more oxygen and start to float, allowing them to be used unweighted.

Try using the running sinker down onto the swivel, with a long leader as the maggots will float up off the bottom, keeping then away from the weeds and snags. The hook size is to be small and light.

Technique 3

Maggots are also great to add to your burley mix. You can also kill maggots by scalding them with boiling water. They become stretched and thin and are ideal for adding to your burley.