The first time I heard
about using maggots for icefishing was in a story about how some
hard-core ice anglers have been known to keep maggots in their
mouths while fishing, to keep the bait warm and alive. While
that may be a little too serious for some ice fishermen,
maggots, as well as waxworms, mealworms and other such critters,
what I affectionately refer to as "creepy crawlies," are an
effective yet often overlooked bait for icefishing.

Creepy Crawlies with line and tackle.
Maggots, also known as
"spikes," are the larvae of common houseflies, blowflies and
other species of flies. Waxworms are the larval form of the bee
moth or wax moth. They are longer and meatier than maggots,
ranging from ¼-inch to about an inch long, but share the same
creamy-white colour. Mealworms are usually the larvae of the
darkling beetle, and can range in size from as small as ½-inch
to over an inch in length. So-called giant mealworms are about
an inch and a half long, although they are merely common
mealworms that have been treated with an insect growth hormone,
but superworms, or "king" mealworms, are a different specie and
naturally grow to as big as two inches in length. Mealworms
range in colour from dark yellow to dark brown to black, and
larger specimens can look a bit intimidating to handle, sporting
a hard shell and large horns or pincers.
A quick survey of the
ice huts gathered atop any icefishing hotspot will usually
reveal few hard-water anglers using these productive baits, but
those that are will likely be putting fish on ice when few
others are. Perch, crappies and bluegills are suckers for
maggots, waxworms and mealworms, even when nothing seems to be
working.
As with any live bait,
the key is to keep your bait fresh and lively. This doesn't mean
that you need to keep them in your mouth, but it does mean
keeping them from freezing, and changing your bait frequently. A
good foam container is best, but tobacco tins are popular. Just
make sure to keep them in an inside pocket, unless you're in an
ice hut.
Dave Genz, a renowned
icefishing expert, is a big fan of maggots. Dave generally
spends more days on the ice every year than most of us do
fishing open water.
"Maggots are my number
one bait for big bull bluegills," he told me, "and one of the
keys to the effectiveness of these baits is scent, but most
people don't realize this. Maggots have a tiny scent sack at the
blunt end, near their eyes. If you lightly hook them through
that bulge, the sack will burst and release this scent. It
really triggers panfish, especially during the mid-day hours
when they're usually not actively feeding."
Wil Wegman is an
Ontario icefishing expert, and has been teaching a course on
recreational icefishing and winter perch fishing for over 15
years. Maggots have become his confidence bait.
"I hate to go out without them," Wil says. "I was first turned
onto maggots while competing in the 1991 World Icefishing
Championship. The Swedish team was using them with great
success, and I've been using them ever since. I use them from
first ice to last ice."
"When the perch are
active, you don't need maggots, but usually by mid-morning, I
break out the larvae. Same with crappies," adds Wegman. "When
they don't want minnows, maggots can be the just the ticket."
Leon Maloney is
another icefishing specialist, and used to guide anglers to
jumbo perch through the fall and winter. "Our waters have
changed a lot over the years," he told me, "mostly due to zebra
mussels, and anglers have to adapt or they won't catch fish."
Leon uses maggots 90% of the time, preferring their hardiness
over waxworms, but will use waxworms, for perch, crappies and
bluegills. "A panfish is a panfish, although crappies will
usually sit higher up in the water column than perch or
bluegill."
"Covering the entire
water column is important, especially if you're not using a good
depth finder," says Lonnie King, an outdoor writer,
multi-species expert and fisheries biologist. "Maggots are great
for chumming - not only can they turn the fish on, but the sight
of these tiny morsels slowly drifting to the bottom can be a
great visual attraction to bring fish in," he added.
When it comes to tackle, these experts agree that light line and
light-wire hooks are important, especially for maggots. You want
the bait to wriggle as much as possible, so you can't overpower
it with heavy line or a big hook. This also allows the fish to
simply flare its gills and inhale these small baits. "A light
hook also keeps the bait alive longer, but you still need to
change your bait often," Dave Genz advises. "Even though they
have a pretty tough skin, if you pinch down the barb, it's
easier to hook the maggot without tearing it."
Tiny jigs tipped with
maggots or waxworms is the most common rigging method, with
Marmooskas by HT Enterprises and Genz Worms by Lindy Little Joe
being two popular choices. Small Jigging Rapalas, jigging spoons
and tube jigs tipped with a maggot or two are great search baits
for active fish. Some days the fish seem to like the look and
smell of hooks crammed full of maggots or waxworms, and other
times they like just one lively creepy crawlie, so experiment a
bit.
I also fish maggots on
a plain hook, suspended under a float with a couple of small
split shot for weight. Simply thread two to four maggots on a
size 10 or 12 thin wire hook. When jigging, I like a light
braided line, about four or six-pound diameter, with an equally
light fluorocarbon leader, or two- or four-pound test
monofilament. Dave, Wil and Leon all prefer straight mono over
braids, but often go as light as two pound test on superlight
rods. When there are many anglers congregated overtop a shallow,
clear water areas, such as during an icefishing competition,
panfish can be become so spooky that some pros will even go down
to one-, or occasionally ¾-pound test line in order to trick
these finicky fish.
Dave Genz is also a
fan of waxworms. "Waxies are also good for bluegills and perch,
and great for crappies. I usually 't-bone' the waxworm by
hooking it in the middle rather than at one end. Same goes for
mealworms. Mealworms are especially effective during the late
ice period when the fish come up shallow again."
Lonnie King uses
waxworms to target bigger fish. "When I'm interested in catching
lots of fish, but not necessarily big ones, I tend to use
maggots most of the time. But if I'm after bigger fish, while
trying to discourage smaller ones, or if the water is murky, I
will reach for waxworms. If I only have maggots, putting a few
on my hook will bulk up the bait and accomplish the same thing.
Mealworms also offer a way to target bigger fish," he added.
As for rigging
mealworms and superworms, since they are bigger and stronger
than maggots and waxworms, they are best fished on a baitholder
hook. I like to hook them through the tail end to maximize the
wriggling action.
I'm not sure why more
anglers don't use creepy crawlies, but I am sure of this: If
you're not using these baits for icefishing, you're simply not
catching as many panfish, and big panfish, as you could be.
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