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Breeding maggots without meat


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a good method to breed maggots to eliminate the smell is after the blow wrap the blown fish or meat in 5 or six layers of news paper place in the bottom of a bucket then fill the bucket with clean dry

Hi Doobie, sorry I'm a bit late for the party. I buy the long life gents too, and have found them to be fantastic. I keep them in the fridge set at 4 degrees, and they have lasted for several months.

I have now returned to breeding my own gents for 1 pure reason - twice now, I have purchased a container of long life gents and both within a 2 weeks were 3/4 dead. Each was purchased from a diff

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10 hours ago, doobie said:

Great update mate and they are looking pretty good still.

And a good point too - change over the Bran every so often (haven't done that myself - but makes sense).

Have you got out to use any yet ?

Yeah I'm sure there are blokes who reckon dirty stinking young maggots, with their stomachs full of meat, are the ultimate bait.

And I wouldnt take much convincing to believe that.

But you cant argue with the effectiveness of clean maggots in bran either.

So - as I only have one fridge - a clean maggot is my chosen path

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I think cleaned out maggots are better, but as you say, there is probably argument that maggots with meat still in their stomachs are good as well.

But when putting the meat filled maggot on hooks and their juices come out, I reckon our finger would tend to smell pretty bad pretty quickly.

Anyway, the clean ones still have a good juices for the Gar to suck on - no rudeness intended lol.

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On 22/05/2019 at 9:47 AM, doobie said:

I think cleaned out maggots are better, but as you say, there is probably argument that maggots with meat still in their stomachs are good as well.

But when putting the meat filled maggot on hooks and their juices come out, I reckon our finger would tend to smell pretty bad pretty quickly.

Anyway, the clean ones still have a good juices for the Gar to suck on - no rudeness intended lol.

Yeah - some of my "steepest learning curves" in fishing, have come from chatting with old Greek fisherman on piers and rock walls.

2 of the most pivotal moments occurred, when I thought my "space age" gear would slaughter the catch rates of the old fella's who had set up before me😉

But nothing could have been further from the truth......

And thats when I developed a healthy distrust for the tackle industry and articles written by "corporate shills"😉

They tell you the reason you arent catching, is because you arent using this rod - that reel - this brand of fluorocarbon leader - and "Jumbajatsaring" hooks🙂

When the real reason is........... - you arent using the same baits and techniques as "Costa" and "Thanasis"😁

On both occasions -  they were using super heavy gear - (one on bream and the other on gars) - both species know for being wary of heavy leaders - but even with the rope they were using - they were slaying me on catch rates per hour.

To stop this story before is turns into a saga - the bait on the end of your hook is 90 times more important than the gear your own - and knowing the distance and depth fish are most comfortable feeding at -  is information no amount of fancy gear can over come🙂.

So when I said that "young stinking maggots, full of meat", might be the ultimate bait - it reminded me of these pivotal moments, where the tackle industry has told me fresh clean maggots are the only ones that will be eaten - but maybe thats because "Maggot sellers" cant consistently provide those juicy young fellas  - so they tell everyone the young big ones dont catch fish,

But when I think about it - in the spots I fish maggots in - none of them have wasted away in a fridge feeding on bran for 30 days - they were born on the carcasses of dead pigeons, seagulls, old bait, dead sting rays and rats.

And when they crawled off the carcass, looking for a spot to turn into flys - they either fell off the rock wall - fell off the bridge - fell off the dead possum wedged in a tree ...... but they did it ll with gut full of rancid meat

The ones that hit the water would have stunk of all sorts of filth - the ones that have spent 30 days in the fridge, surrounded by bran, would have an unfamiliar odour that imight be ignored for 10 mins before being eaten.

But I need to stress this point - something that smells slightly weird -  will be ignored in the presence of something a fish is used to - it might get eaten later, but it will be the last things to get eaten.

This knowledge stems from many years of keeping goldfish - the first time they saw a piece of corn or maggots - they completely ignored them.

But after a week of feeding them, they will fight each other to the death to get one - so if you dont have time to muck around under a bridge known for its pigeons.

Breed your maggots on pigeon meat - and the only thing better than pigeon meat  - is pigeon meat that came from pigeons that lived on that bridge😉

A live pulsating mussel from 20km away is less effective from the one growing at your feet

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On 22/05/2019 at 9:47 AM, doobie said:

I think cleaned out maggots are better, but as you say, there is probably argument that maggots with meat still in their stomachs are good as well.

But when putting the meat filled maggot on hooks and their juices come out, I reckon our finger would tend to smell pretty bad pretty quickly.

Anyway, the clean ones still have a good juices for the Gar to suck on - no rudeness intended lol.

p.s/ dropped 3 jewies on sebiles tonight - so the maggots an sleep easy for the next few nights

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Those old Greeks/Italians have a lot of fishing knowledge I reckon.

There's one particular Italian on my local jetty who can out fish anyone and yet the rest of us have the same rig set up and bait etc.  When he uses a float, the rest of us are sure his float doesn't move - but he sees something and he has a fish lol.

But the thing is, some fish like smelly bait, some like a well presented bait, some like a tasty bait and some don't give a crap and will take anything :D 

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On 30/03/2019 at 9:45 AM, doobie said:

I have now returned to breeding my own gents for 1 pure reason - twice now, I have purchased a container of long life gents and both within a 2 weeks were 3/4 dead.

Each was purchased from a different tackle shop and I'm not sure how 'old' the stock was or for what ever reason, but at $6 a tub for something that should 'last' for say 2 months, I was annoyed...

 

Hi Doobie, sorry I'm a bit late for the party. I buy the long life gents too, and have found them to be fantastic. I keep them in the fridge set at 4 degrees, and they have lasted for several months. When fishing I'll often leave them out of the esky yet have had no issues with the ones bought from a local tackle shop. The only time I have had them go bad was from a BCF store purchase, and I suspect the product was old as the substrate was dryish. Recently I've started "flavouring" maggots with tuna oil and other stuff, I use a separate container so as not to contaminate all of them. The one's I purchase are Sheldon's brand, won't even bother trying any others. Recently my son and I caught 68 tommies in a 90 minute session, using 3 maggots to a hook and catching up to 5 fish between rebaiting.

 

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59 minutes ago, Heavy D said:

Hi Doobie, sorry I'm a bit late for the party. I buy the long life gents too, and have found them to be fantastic. I keep them in the fridge set at 4 degrees, and they have lasted for several months. When fishing I'll often leave them out of the esky yet have had no issues with the ones bought from a local tackle shop. The only time I have had them go bad was from a BCF store purchase, and I suspect the product was old as the substrate was dryish. Recently I've started "flavouring" maggots with tuna oil and other stuff, I use a separate container so as not to contaminate all of them. The one's I purchase are Sheldon's brand, won't even bother trying any others. Recently my son and I caught 68 tommies in a 90 minute session, using 3 maggots to a hook and catching up to 5 fish between rebaiting.

 

Better late than never Heavy D :D

One of mine was from BCF and the other from Fishing Wholesalers.  That said, generally I have found both their maggots to last quite well, but when buying 2 in a row, it annoyed me.  More than likely 'older' stock, but it pushed me back into breeding my own.

I've seen info on flavouring with tuna oil but as yet have not tried it - maybe due to not needing too or maybe it 'may' shorten their lives.

That sounds like a great session you had in 90 minutes and I hope you got your son to do the cleaning/filleting - all in the name of practice :D 

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27 minutes ago, doobie said:

I hope you got your son to do the cleaning/filleting - all in the name of practice :D 

These were fairly small, so I kept a batch for squid bait. Then again a week or two ago at Waits I saw a whole tommy around 20cm cut from the gut of a 53cm salmon caught on a pilly piece. It was fresh enough to eat. Might make up some gang hooks and use them whole for salmon. Have never fished the southern metro beaches, so pending next weeks strikehook report, hope to hit Southport or Maslins/Sullivans etc with them.

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1 hour ago, Heavy D said:

 so pending next weeks strikehook report, hope to hit Southport or Maslins/Sullivans etc with them.

Unfortunately, there wont be a report next week (and possibly the following week) as I will be away interstate.

I'd still try those beaches though, especially with the rougher weather coming through.  I reckon a good chance in the gutters. At the very least there should be some ST's around from reports floating around.

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On 24/05/2019 at 6:44 PM, Heavy D said:

Hi Doobie, sorry I'm a bit late for the party. I buy the long life gents too, and have found them to be fantastic. I keep them in the fridge set at 4 degrees, and they have lasted for several months. When fishing I'll often leave them out of the esky yet have had no issues with the ones bought from a local tackle shop.

G'day Heavy D - do you know how they make the maggots "Long Life"?

The only major consideration I've had is - heat accelerates the evolution of a maggot to a fly.

So I figured keeping them cool - and only exposing what you think you need in that session to the days warmth - is the best way to keep them as maggots.

But I'm intrigued by your mention of moisture levels and substrate. Could you elaborate on the differences in packaging and substrate bewtween the normal maggots and the "Long Life" versions.

Do you reckon their is some additive they've discovered to inhibit their transformation into flies?

Thanks

Edit - just had a quick google and they reckon removing dead maggots is an important part of the process in keeping them long term -

 

 



 

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Long Life Gents

Each packet contains approximately 350 maggots per pack. Please note that this figure is dependant on maggot size and is only an approximate figure.

The average shelf life of long life maggots is up to three months. We have had reports of these lasting for much monger periods when looked after correctly. To ensure you get the best possible life, please keep maggots refrigerated between 3 and 5 degrees. The medium the maggots are packed with must be kept moist, but not too wet. If this is allowed to dry the maggots will begin to pupa.

image.png.77f17bf3339df2bbd3c175b97c216889.png
So at $6 or so a tub, not worth breeding your own IMO.
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2 hours ago, Rybak said:

Long Life Gents

Each packet contains approximately 350 maggots per pack. Please note that this figure is dependant on maggot size and is only an approximate figure.

The average shelf life of long life maggots is up to three months. We have had reports of these lasting for much monger periods when looked after correctly. To ensure you get the best possible life, please keep maggots refrigerated between 3 and 5 degrees. The medium the maggots are packed with must be kept moist, but not too wet. If this is allowed to dry the maggots will begin to pupa.

image.png.77f17bf3339df2bbd3c175b97c216889.png
So at $6 or so a tub, not worth breeding your own IMO.

Yeah true that - Thats probably why some of mine have started to pupate while being kept in dry bran after 30 days - thanks heaps for that - what do you reckon the brown substrate they keep them in is.

 

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Not sure, but it seems something like coconut husk strands/shavings or something similar. Maybe even some type of coir you can get from local garden store or Bunnings. Just need to keep it damp, NOT wet. Mine usually last the 3 months they say & to tell you the truth, I don't even bother checking the moisture as in the crisper compartment in the fridge, there is enough moisture anyway. When I use, I place the container in the esky after removing 2-3 gents & not leave out on the baitboard to dry out. This way the gents remain cool and moist.

Also, before I buy them, I open the container to see the condition of the gents. If no good then I open another container to get ones in good condition. 

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"Our A1 maggots (Calliphora Stygia) Blow Fly Maggots are packed in peat moss, peat moss gives them an extended life and both last a lot longer refrigerated between 3 to 5 degrees C. These maggots are grown on waste fish products that makes them very appealing to fish such as trout , carp, garfish, bream, tommy ruff ect. There are aproximately 300 maggots per packet.
THIS PRICE INCLUDES 1 PACKET OF MAGGOTS packed peat moss delivered anywhere in AUSTRALIA (EXCEPT WA & N.T. )via Australia express post. POSTING DAYS MONDAY & TUESDAY AT A1 WE ALL FISH Sorry no pick ups "

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On 26/05/2019 at 12:14 PM, Rybak said:

 

So at $6 or so a tub, not worth breeding your own IMO.

Normally I would agree with you, but as mentioned previously I got sick of of buying Long Life gents for them to not last long at all.

I'll probably start buying them again because I may not be stuffed breeding my own - but once I get a 'bad' batch, I'll be breeding again lol

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Yeah in Melbourne they treat maggots like gold and charge $10 for 100 - (Estimate of number from a bloke on facebook who's bought them😉). They sell  them in those 3cm high - small round take-away food containers. So your tubs would cost $30 over here

It seems that price is mirrored by online sellers - so as you are getting them for $6.50 for 300 - the price is definitely right.

Once you get your routine down - breeding maggots doesnt seem to be that hard - and if you are a heavy user - its makes cents to get high off your own supply😉

 

 

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On 28/05/2019 at 6:45 PM, doobie said:

Normally I would agree with you, but as mentioned previously I got sick of of buying Long Life gents for them to not last long at all.

I'll probably start buying them again because I may not be stuffed breeding my own - but once I get a 'bad' batch, I'll be breeding again lol

Fair enough. I do not have the time nor inclination to breed myself. I did all this in my younger years. As a back up, I have used & still use on occasions the Berkley Gulp "Maggots Asticots" in natural white. They are a very good substitute & last for many casts/catches!!!. You can dip them in any substance you like. I just dip in pilchard juice. Just another option.............

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I tried breeding them once and am now officially banned from attempting to do so again at Guru HQ, upon the threat of immediate divorce.

 

My wife is actually a decent looking bird and looks after me pretty well . . . so I reckon I'll leave it to you guys moving forward 😂

 

 

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1 hour ago, The Fishing Guru said:

 

I tried breeding them once and am now officially banned from attempting to do so again at Guru HQ, upon the threat of immediate divorce.

 

My wife is actually a decent looking bird and looks after me pretty well . . . so I reckon I'll leave it to you guys moving forward 😂

 

 

Once you know the life cycle - it would be possible to do it off campus😉.

The other day I was thinking about spots like the local park, sand dune, creek or waste land where I could bury a bucket and let the process unfold a long way from the house🙂

If a bucket stinks in the forrest and theres noone there to smell it - does it really smell?🙂

 

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On 26/05/2019 at 2:29 PM, yellow door 1 said:

Yeah true that - Thats probably why some of mine have started to pupate while being kept in dry bran after 30 days - thanks heaps for that - what do you reckon the brown substrate they keep them in is.

 

Definitely coir/coconut fibre. The blocks you get from Bunnings etc and soak in a bucket of water, til the expand and fall apart. However be aware that many of these have fertilisers added which you wont want with your maggots.

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10 minutes ago, Underpants said:

Definitely coir/coconut fibre. The blocks you get from Bunnings etc and soak in a bucket of water, til the expand and fall apart. However be aware that many of these have fertilisers added which you wont want with your maggots.

Yeah I'm intrigued to let this batch sit in the bran to see how long they last.

Next batch will get the coir treatment - I cant read the fine print on this pack but I imagine the cheaper it is the less likely it is to have additives - but I will check - thanks for the heads up

 

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18 minutes ago, Underpants said:

Definitely coir/coconut fibre. The blocks you get from Bunnings etc and soak in a bucket of water, til the expand and fall apart. However be aware that many of these have fertilisers added which you wont want with your maggots.

 

The fertiliser might actually help to create a new breed of super maggot 😂🙂

 

Screenshot_20190612_174539.jpg.312c67d0d8c95fc24cc5e72ce7393728.jpg

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