Selecting the blow

[Necarper]

While maggots are available anywhere back home, here in the states, they are not a bait that is used. I have tried to get good blows on chicken, liver and an goose that was road kill (also gave me some nice quills as well) but I get plagued by some fly that produces big blows but very small maggots, smaller than the UK feeder maggot, the flies I am interested in only come later. I tried to keep it covered until it was well ripe but the small fly still got there first. Short of actually going in and trying to remove the small fly blows, I am at a loss. So a question, does anyone have any ideas on how to select the fly I want to blow while keeping the pest away ? Any comments gratefully received.

[Aitch]

when I was a youngster and thought it was a good idea, I tried getting a blow of Gozzers, they are the larvae of the blackfly... bigger than the bluebottle which will produce normal sized maggots, the little greenbottles will produce pinkies/squatts

(I digress) the only way is to set up your food (chicken) and keep watch until the blackfly has done it's job, you have to sit over the box and chase off anything that isn't a blackfly it's a pain in the chuff and really isn't worth doing if I'm honest... a good way of getting larger maggots is to let the fly blow the chicken and when the eggs hatch take the larvae off the carcass after a day or so and place them on some milk sopped bread, they swell up markedly on that, they are very soft too

[QuinetteCane]

Try a shady dark place such as a Garage with the meat under an upturned cardboard box with a few small holes punched in it.
It attracts a different fly I read somewhere long ago, but cant quite remember where.
It's to do with the preferred blowing place of the type of fly. Never tried it myself tho'. Good luck.

[Wagtail]

Try a shady dark place such as a Garage with the meat under an upturned cardboard box with a few small holes punched in it.
It attracts a different fly I read somewhere long ago, but cant quite remember where.
It's to do with the preferred blowing place of the type of fly. Never tried it myself tho'. Good luck.

What a coincidence, I read that same advice only last night in Kevin Ashurts' "World Class Match Fishing", perhaps that's where you remember it from QC?

[Necarper]

Thanks guys, will give the box a try as soon as it gets warmer (a cool -17c at the moment). I did breed some gozzers and sour brans back home but as I mentioned here it's 100% DIY when it comes to maggots.

[Estaban]

Necarper. are there any tackle shops that cater to ice fishermen near you? Maggots are a staple on the ice here (Chicago), unfortunately they only sell them by the dozen but I have asked the owner of a local shop to see if he could special order them in bulk at a better rate, waiting to hear back....might be worth asking there too.

[Marc]

Maggots by the dozen! One one the hook and 11 to loose feed, er, then home I suppose.

[Necarper]

Estaban

No such luck here in NY, there are plenty of bait shops selling worms and live bait but not one that I have tried within say 100 miles during my travels..... if I see one when we are out, always stop much to the annoyance of the wife...... ice men here don't use them and no one I have spoken to has used them, even though they are listed as a permissible bait in the NY Regs. So looks like I'm on my own with this one.... never know may get some converts and introduce them in to the area. Can get them over the border in Canada (3 hours away) but not permitted to bring them back and the way US Customs are, not worth the chance.