:confused:To my Northern friends~~What is a "Spike" and do you fish it like you would a wax worm? Just what are the differences? Inquiring Southerner want's to know!Thumbs Up
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:confused:To my Northern friends~~What is a "Spike" and do you fish it like you would a wax worm? Just what are the differences? Inquiring Southerner want's to know!Thumbs Up
Spike is a little smaller than a wax worm. To me? They are hard to hook, they almost always pop open. I don't know if you can get them or not, but we've been using Butter Worms. Walmart had them for $3.96 for 20. A little pricy, but you can get 3-4 fish on one. They are a reddish yellow & bigger than a wax worm. We really been getting the panfish on them..Hope this helps a little..
Thanks Crappie 1 ! So they are a just a smaller version of a wax worm? Saw a post on here about Butter Worms. May have to check our local W-Mart to see if they carry them.
They are quite small, and hard to hook on. They do work, but too small for me to mess with. Wax worms to me is a much better choice...Butter worms are better yet if you can get them. Good Luck fishing..
A spike is a maggot (blue bottle fly larvae.) I know that despite having been born in KY and spending the last twenty years in GA. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Downwind
IMO, they're the best bluegill/trout bait on the planet -- far better than dynamite or cast nets. Here's my handy dandy "how to" guide on maggot fishing:
http://www.crappie.com/crappie/panfi...t-fishing.html
What has where your from have to do with Spikes? I've been in Mich. all my life. I have dug corn borers out of corn stalks. Cut golden rods in 1/2 for the worm, and used everything & anything I could find for bait. Some things work & some don't
I think Downwind is referring to the fact that spikes (maggots) are almost unknown in the south. They're much more common in the north because they're used a lot in ice fishing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappie 1
No offense meant to anyone. I was researching online bait stores and they advertised wax worms along with spikes. The bait company was somewhere up North so figured I'd ask the guys in that area. Had never heard of a Spike.
Oh, none taken, I didn't know you guys didn't have them down there. I thought Spikes or maggots, were everywhere. I learn a lot on Crappie.com Everyday something is on here that is a help, I just can't remember it all... We got colored crawlers up here too, saw green ones the other day at Wallmart. Never tried them.
Know what you mean about Cc. Lot's of good folks and knowledge here. Now I can tell you something about Green Worms. You find them here along the Ky. River banks. Stink like heck but are some of the best catfish bait you can find. Not sure they are the same as your colored crawlers. Don't think these worms would do very well packaged.
I think they feed them something to make them turn green, it's kind of a pale green.
As mentioned, spikes are a maggot and they can be found in several colors. How they get the color into them I haven't a clue, but red, yellow, blue and their natural buff colors are the common ones.
Waxies are very easy to keep while spikes are a challenge. My preferred bug for winter crappie fishing is a spike, a red one, but being hard to keep this is how I deal with them. They'll pupate [turn into little black, hard cylinders] in a heartbeat if they get too warm. I get mine by the 1000.
Once purchased at a bait store they go home and into the coldest portion of the bait refer that isn't down to freezing temps. They go into a large bait puck at the bait shop to help insulate them. When I want to use some, I use a smaller bait puck to hold three or four dozen, enough for the day of fishing and those left over get discarded at the end of the day.
Spikes and the goldenrod grubs are different creatures but both are my preferred winter baits. Sunfish generally get the goldenrod grubs, crappies spikes. I prefer the red spikes over any other color, the goldenrod grubs stay natural. Goldenrod grubs, incidently, are easy to gather and keep in a cold garage. I take them out of the galls the night before and carry a couple dozen in a film canister and some sawdust. the goldenrod grubs are from the green gall fly and are also a "clean" maggot like the waxie. Goldenrod grubs are about the size of a BB. Of all of the winter baits available in the north, those spikes are by far the toughest to keep even if they are the best thing to use.
Spikes are a seasonal bait due to the fact that they are so hard to keep in warmer conditions and I seldom see them available until after mid-October. One source that may have them earlier ifs Vados Baits. Do a google search and you'll find them in Minneapolis, Minnesota and they do ship.
They feed them dyed meat.Quote:
Originally Posted by CTom