Soldier Fly larvae as bait ?

[peterm]

Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone has used soldier fly larvae as bait in salt water.

I have a worm farm that has been overrun with these little critters and researching how to get rid of them turned up an article about using them as bait.

I have been throwing out hundreds of these a day for the last 4 days and I'm now thinking maybe I should swap from using worms to fly larvae if they are good bait (just won't let the wife see 'em as she is freaked by anything that looks like a maggot !). They seem pretty tough and would probably stay on the hook for a while. The only problem would be keeping them fed as they are absolute eating machines.

Cheers,


Pete

[el_carpo]

Hi Peterm,

I'm not familiar with those specific flies, but over here (US), maggots are a very popular bait. They sell them at most bait shops. They are called "spikes." It is a favorite bait for ice fishermen and for catching panfish. You hook them on small jigs. The action of the jig attracts the fish, and the scent and taste of the spike "seals the deal." I'm speaking about freshwater fishing though. I don't see why they wouldn't work for saltwater too.

Other larva are used as well. For example, bee moths.

Maybe you've found a great new bait. Give it a shot and let us know. If it works, you can make a fortune selling them to baitshops all across Australia. Being able to quit your job to become a full-time maggot rancher, who wouldn't love that?!;D

Hmmmmm.....well, anyway, maybe they'll catch you some fish.

Good fishing!

E.C.

[Mozza]

Just a quick comment:

As a kid in S. Africa - there was nothing more exciting than when the flying ants cme after the rain because the fish would go absolutely nuts. The best part was the ants were big, up to 15mm long and after you loaded up a small hook with a couple of these the strike was almost instantaneous.

Trout, bass, mullet-like 'scalies', any sweetwater fish.

Which leads me onto the question: do we get XOS flying ants in Aus? The local variety are about 5mm and very skinny.

Mozza

PS BTW I reckon you're on the money about the larvae - I've tried the big Lawn Beetle larvae in Townsville and they worked really well for some ofthe smaller fish including tilapia.

[peterm]

Thanks for your comments guys.

I'm going to take a handful of 'em with me next time I go out and give them a go. They gross me out a bit but I will have to deal with that. I will let you know how I go.

Maybe I could go into production and get out of the IT industry finally ! ;D

Cheers,


Pete

[Mozza]

Pete,

Mate, ANYTHING to get out of the IT game.

Best of luck.

Mozza