If your wife will allow it, then it’s always best to keep your maggots in the fridge. One day last year when it was really hot I asked if I could put my maggots into the fridge just for one night otherwise they would have cooked in the shed. She agreed, and I then managed to spill a box of maggots over the kitchen worktop….. that was the last time I was allowed to keep them in the main fridge.
The good news is, I now have a bait fridge in the garage! That means that my maggots now last a lot longer.
I’ve kept maggots live in the fridge for a few weeks which is a big money saver as it saves me throwing bait away at the end of a session and they are the perfect fish bait. However, the maggots lose weight and the quality is never as good and you want to ensure you buy fresh maggots from your local tackle shop.
It all depends on how fresh they were when you bought them from the shop. If they have already been in the shop for a week then they are likely to last as long at home. It’s worth asking the fishing shop how long they have had the maggots in before you buy them. I’ve bought some that have literally turned into casters the next day which was very disappointing.
How long will maggots last in the shed?
If you don’t have a bait fridge then keeping them on the concrete floor in the garage or shed in a bait box is probably your next best option. As long as the shed doesn’t get too hot then they will last for a good few days in a bait box. However, they won’t be as good as if they were kept in the fridge.
Another thing some fishermen do is almost suffocate the maggots. They do this by putting the maggots in a plastic bag and remove as much air as possible. Keep the bag shut and keep it in a cool place. Next time you want to go fishing, open the bag and the maggots will slowly come back to life. I have never personally tried this but let me know if it is something you do.
Use a cool box
This was my happy medium before I got my bait fridge. I didn’t have electrics in the shed and my wife banned maggots from the house as she didn’t want a maggot infestation and didn’t want to risk any sort of smell in the fridge.
Therefore, I bought a cool box to keep them in. Its a bit of a pain as I would need to change the ice packs twice a day, but it meant my bait lived a bit longer. Its not as good as having a dedicated bait fridge.
What should you do with the dead maggots?
If you check on them and find they are dying or are dead then you could pop them into a plastic bag and freeze them. Carp love dead maggots and even if you decide you don’t want to use them as a hook bait you could add them into the next lot of ground bait that you mix up.
