Maggot is a fly larva. It has a white, cream or slightly yellowish color. It is mainly used for fishing fish of the cyprinids and perch families. The preferred habitat for maggots are heaps of rotting plants or animal waste. Since he eats stale foods.
In favorable conditions, the maggot is quite agile and develops rapidly. After it reaches 10 mm, the pupation process occurs. Then, after 10-15 days, it turns into an adult - a fly. Under the influence of adverse conditions, maggot may fall into suspended animation. In this state at low temperatures, it can be for about two years.
Why is it important to store maggot correctly?
For future fishing to take place, you need to know one important rule. Namely, how to store maggot at home. Indeed, room temperature and humidity are ideal conditions for pupation of a fly larva. This is a reliable fact. At very hot temperatures, for example in the summer in the sun, this process can be accelerated several times. As a result, the larva hardens in literally half an hour. In conditions of elevated temperature, the bait will turn into a full-fledged fly in 3 days. Therefore, in order for the maggot to retain its original shape, it is necessary to adhere to several recommendations. More on this later.
General recommendations for storing maggot
In this case, there are certain criteria. When deciding how to store maggots, you should know that the optimum temperature for this is considered close to 0 ° C. In other cases, negative phenomena are observed. Namely:
- At temperatures above +10 ° C, the larva begins to pupate gradually.
- Below 0 ° C it perishes.
It is also important to rinse and dry the freshly found maggot. This will contribute to its longer storage.
Experienced anglers often themselves bring out maggots. They already know the condition. It lies in the fact that if larvae are hatched in spring or summer, their pupation can be prevented for 2-3 months. If this is done in the fall, then you can not be afraid for changes in the shape of maggot throughout the winter. This is important to know.
Maggot storage in the warm season
In this case, they mean spring, the beginning of autumn, and, of course, summer. How to store maggot in such a period? To do this, just use the refrigerator. How it works? Firstly, all available maggots are poured into a clean, dry container. Then sawdust, bran, flour or sifted sand are added there. Then it all closes with a lid. Then the container is placed in the refrigerator. In this way, adhering to a temperature of 3-5 ° C, you can store the larvae for 2-3 months. This is an essential fact. This is because at low temperatures the maggot falls into suspended animation. In this state, his vital organs begin to work very slowly. When you take your bait from the refrigerator, it will be clearly visible. Namely, the maggots will be very slow. To give them natural vitality, you need to put them in the sun for a couple of minutes or warm them in another possible way.
How to store maggot in the winter season?
Here, too, there are certain subtleties. Winter has its own nuances on how to store maggots for fishing. This time of year is perfect for saving fly larvae when the temperature fluctuates within zero. After all, then it is enough to place a container with maggots on the street. But since mid-December, significant frosts often occur on the street. And every real fisherman should know how to store maggot in this case. For this, a special fixture is being built (heat chamber). For its construction, the following is necessary:
- It is necessary to take a pipe of small diameter (8-10 cm) and solder it on one side. Nothing complicated here.
- Then the sealed side of the pipe is clogged into the ground. This is done deeper than the freezing level - 1-1.5 m.
- After this, a tin cylinder is constructed (with a diameter slightly smaller than that of a pipe clogged into the ground). It will serve as a container for storing maggots.
- Next, a lid is made. For this, foam or other material is taken. It is important that the fabricated cap fits tightly into the pipe.
- After that, maggots are poured into the cylinder. And then it all descends into the pipe and is covered with a lid. At the same time, a rope is attached to it for convenient extraction of the cylinder.
That's all, the heat is ready. Accordingly, a method is provided, which is how to store maggots for fishing in winter.
When you need bait, you need to use a rope to get the cylinder and take the required number of maggots. To help them adapt quickly, they should be placed in heat.
Storage of boiled maggots
You can try to catch boiled maggots. For their preparation, it is necessary to fill the larvae in a container and fill with water. Then it needs to be brought to a boil and held a little over low heat. The finished larva is transparent.
The question immediately arises of how to properly store maggot after boiling. To do this, place them in a linen bag and put in a cool place. You can still sprinkle with flour. However, this is not necessary.
Maggie staining
When cooking, you can always give the larva a certain color. For this, both food coloring and natural ingredients are used. For example, when beets are added to boiling water, the larvae will turn red.
If you add cottage cheese, then they will turn white. When the already boiled maggots are placed in the chicken yolk, they will turn out to be bright yellow. You must agree that it is more pleasant to look at a painted larva than at a transparent one. Perhaps the fish "thinks" the same way.
Worm Storage Instructions
And finally, for comparison, consider another type of bait. Namely worms. More precisely, consider the instructions for their storage.
To do this, you need to know the following:
- First of all, sand and earthworms should be distinguished . The latter is easier to get. Since they can be found under a pile of weeds or under a blackboard lying on the ground for some time.
- Found worms can be stored for a long time in wooden boxes with a lid, after having previously laid several layers of moss in it. Moss should be moistened with salted broth or milk with honey. It needs to be changed once a week.
- Do not mix manure and earthworms in one container. It is also necessary to get rid of dead and sick individuals in time.
- The worm box should be placed in a cool, damp place. Moss can always be replaced with moist soil with plant debris by adding a few leaves.
- As food, it is better to use food residues.
- You should be aware that these individuals do not live long in tin containers.
Total
All of the above will serve as useful information for a novice fisherman who wants to become a professional in this matter. We hope that this article will help you find the right solution to the question of how to store worms and maggots.