Quote Originally Posted by fish-wva View Post
does anyone keep maggots at home for fishing? if so how do you do it
If you order maggots, they will come with directions on how to care for them. I'll summarize.

When you first get the maggots, you need to change their bedding. Maggots secrete ammonia and the bedding often has a strong ammonia smell. Just change the bedding, and it's gone. I use corn meal, but sawdust, bran, etc. will work.

Also, let them "breathe" for a few hours after you open the package. They usually come in a ziplock bag, and the lack of oxygen makes them go into a dormant stage. They "wake up" pretty fast, though.

You need to keep maggots in the fridge at just above freezing, right around 34 degrees. I have heard different theories on whether to keep them in a covered container or an open container. For the first week or so, I keep mine in an open container. I tend to keep older maggots in a covered container with small holes in it for them to breathe. The biggest problem I've found in keeping them is that they will dry out. The covered container helps keep the moisture in lets and them live a little longer.